Like most adults of this generation, I have a fondness for both LEGO and Batman. Neither are particularly impressive on their own, but it’s their capacity to surprise that keeps me coming back. Just as you think you’ve seen everything either has to offer, they turn around with a fresh spin on old favorites or something drastically different that makes it all feel worthwhile again. 

Such is the case with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a sprawling love letter to both Batman’s cinematic history, but also the Arkham Knight games, which revolutionized an entire genre. I got to spend a good half hour with the latest in the long-running LEGO franchise, and what surprised me most wasn’t the painstakingly accurate replications of the films or the mechanics from Rocksteady’s incredible games. It was how much the experience reminded me of the calming, Zen sensation of playing with LEGO. 

In Legacy of the Dark Knight, you play the history of Batman’s origins and long career. The plot, as far as I can tell at this point, is a gumbo of the caped crusader’s most iconic stories, including some deep cuts into early comic book outings. In the demo, I hopped into Batman’s cowl at the Arkham Chemicals plant, where Red Hood is planning a heist for nefarious purposes. Helping me is Jim Gordon, who is also a playable character. 

The setup is fun for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s a lovely old-school take on The Joker’s origin story, one that most famously was used by Alan Moore in The Killing Joke. Secondly, by pitting Gordon and Batman as frenemies at this point, but also as playable characters, the game lets us build a rapport between the duo through gameplay instead of just cutscenes. 

Said cutscenes, by the way, are in true LEGO Batman fashion packed with slapstick humor, wordplay, and a tremendous understanding of how Batman, as a franchise, has always tiptoed the line between serious and parody. It doesn’t take itself any more seriously than it needs to. 

After playing, I got a chance to interview Jonathan Smith, Strategic Director at TT Games, about the title and my initial concerns over the deeper, more complex mechanics found in the game. For older players, like myself, who’ve already swam in the richness of the Arkham games, it feels like a welcome return. For others, especially younger games, it might be a daunting prospect, even with the simplified controls.

(Name) isn’t concerned. “If you look at this generation of gamers, the things they play are so much more sophisticated than what we had previously. They can handle controls on phones way earlier in life, so it wasn’t a concern to make LEGO Batman more varied in scope.”

The fit feels natural, too, and it’s lovely to see how closely TellTale have kept to Rocksteady’s original works. Within minutes, muscle memory kicked in, and I could easily move and fight like the Dark Knight I remembered from well over a decade ago. 

Visually, Legacy of the Dark Knight already looks immaculate, even though the release date is still far into 2026. The portion of the demo I got to play included access into part of the city, which TellTale has built into a breathing and sprawling nightmare that looks like a mix between the Rocksteady games, Tim Burton’s gothic sensibilities, and Joel Schumacher’s unfairly maligned operatic, glam rock bravado. Surprisingly, none of them feel like they clash with one another. Instead, like with most things Batman, there’s an unspoken vibe that just fits. No matter where you take the brooding hero, he is malleable enough to thrive. 

The moment I finished my mandatory to-do’s, I hopped into the Batmobile (in this case the Matt Reeve’s The Batman version), and roared into the city. I hopped between buildings, glided across rooftops, and sulked in the moonlight. Everything Batman is supposed to do.

“We spent months diving into Batman lore,” Smith explains. “It was paramount that we got the look and feel right, and a big part of that was choosing exactly which Batman stories we wanted to pull from.” 

The result is spectacular. Between solving free roaming missions and puzzles, The Legacy of the Dark Knight has a free flowing gameplay loop that is highly addictive. Combined with the pleasing aesthetic that just invites the player to cosplay to their hearts content, it’s not hard to imagine this becoming a title to which you pour hundreds of hours into. 

Not everything was perfect, but that's the nature of early demos. At times, Batman controlled more like a cow in a shopping trolley than a trained crime fighter. Gliding occasionally took odd turns as the camera flaked out. Sometimes the sneak attacks (themselves a throwback to the Arkham games) didn't connect as they should. Little things that don't really matter, especially when the rest is so polished almost a year before release.

Some questions do remain. In the demo, I got to play as Commissioner Gordon with their own specific play style. He has a cartoon-style foam gun that can block broken pipes and the like. It feels built for a two-player co-op, yet the team at Gamescom was reticent to comment on whether or not we'll see one, at least at launch.

That said, I had a blast with my time in Gotham, which is something I didn't expect to happen after Rocksteady closed up shop on their Dark Knight trilogy. Luckily, TT Games are here to pick up the slack. Their blend of comedy, smart game design, and incomparable love for the source material shines through.

For someone like myself, who has found comfort in LEGO for years to ease anxiety and my autism, it was a wonder to discover how beautifully Legacy of the Dark Knight captures the sensation of playing with the iconic toys. It made me feel like Batman. But more than that, it made me feel safe.