Legos. The mere mention of the word around little boys and [most] grown men is enough to send shivers of pure pleasure down their spines. Growing up, I loved building my own creations, predominately hotels. Lincoln Logs, while “better” builders than Legos, were never as fun or as intuitive as those small pieces of plastic in my hand. Any time I tried to describe the joy of building with Legos to my female friends, they just look at me as if I am crazy. As if I have the “third head.” Well, I’ve been playing a game that will make little boys happy worldwide. And that game is Lego Batman.
The story of the game is basic. The Riddler, The Penguin, The Joker, and the rest of the villains that try to destroy Gotham city have escaped from Arkham Insane Asylum. So, obviously, it is up to Batman and his young sidekick Robin to kick Lego butt and send them back to jail. But that is only half the game! Oh yes, the other half of the game revolves around the villains setting Gotham on fire (so to speak). Thus, as you’ll save the city from its impending doom controlling Batman and Robin, you’ll then see the events as they occur from the super-villain perspective. For example, in the first level, B and R work their way to a bank and attempt to stop Clayface, while the first level of the super-villains has you taking the Riddler and Clayface TO the bank. Furthermore, the story is never spoken — though the written word is used before a level is fully loaded. Instead, you’ll watch the characters interact with each other through gestures and visual clues.
The graphics of the game are rather solid. The wonderful look of Legos is rather solid, though not as plastic looking as its next-gen cousins ... I love how when an opponent is defeated, he falls apart into separate Legos. It also is astounding how much emotion the developers were able to get out of the engine as you will see all the characters gesture and emotes made. The combination of fantasy and reality is exactly how it appears in the minds of all fans of Legos. It is very clever way not only to show off the game, but it helps keep the humor and story flowing. However, not everything is Lego-y perfect. There are occasional jagged edges in the graphics, and they quickly become apparent on first glance. It is disturbing to see the game when it happens because it breaks up the fantasy that the game encourages. Furthermore, loading times can feel long at times. And do I need to be reminded of the auto-saving system every time I start a game?
Gameplay is almost the same as its Star Wars cousins. But unlike its cousins, Lego Batman is a much more intimate affair. Lego Star Wars easily got bogged down with all the different characters to control; Lego Batman only focuses on two characters at once. Thus, you will not be going through a litany of characters trying to advance the plot. Instead, the duo each has four different suits to equip — though only one can be used at a time. There’s the demolition suit, the sonic wave (glass breaker) suit, the gliding suit, the fire resistant suit, the technology suit, the metal suit, the submarine suit and the vacuum cleaning suit that picks up stray Legos. You’re then able to stuff said stray Legos into a machine that generates a new item necessary to progress forward. However, as neat as this suit sounds, it is the worse, as you have to scour every little nook and cranny searching for stray blocks. There is even one level that barely has enough blocks to complete a level provided you fill up each Lego generator only once. Additional uses give bonus money.
The controls of the game are solid. It is isn’t perfectly tight, as there are times when it is hard to tell if the jump you’ll make is exactly where the Lego money is. But if you miss the jump, you know it is your own fault. Batarangs are easily conjured holding the square button, but they seem to have issues connecting to certain objects all in a row. Let me explain: There were times when I wanted to take down a row of enemies (or a part of the destructible environment), and I could highlight about three in a row before I had to highlight something else to highlight the fourth or fifth object. If I wasn’t facing the “right” direction, the ’rangs wouldn’t even connect. Worse yet, even after I unlocked the 10 batarang target system, it still wouldn’t let me target 10 full targets on screen. Vehicle levels also are horrid, as the controls are sort of clunky. It is frustrating trying to obtain a certain kit when the vehicle really won’t let you.
And that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceburg of issues listed above. The camera, while serviceable and slightly controllable by the right analog stick, is never truly where you need it. The camera is zoomed out so you can see the big picture, but it makes it difficult when you‘re hunting for a certain item or pushing a tiny little thing. Also, whenever you are on the top of the screen traversing the catwalks or sort of “back there” in the background (pun not intended), it quickly becomes easy to drop off the edge of a platform, sending a character to his/her death (if applicable). Furthermore, there are times when the enemies DO NOT stop coming at you as they tirelessly respawn, tirelessly attacking you as your dumbstruck sidekick just stands there taking the punishment — only occasionally fighting back. While only you, yes you, can effectively remove the enemy threat. It is frustrating having to deal with enemies and THEN figure out how to progress forward while they keep coming back for more. And why do I have to keep finding suits in story mode? The whole joy of Batman and friends was the simple fact that they had a utility belt and were ultimately resourceful. I suppose the main reason is to provide challenge, but there is no real need to change suits back and forth; the game always makes sure that you have the necessary suit on hand. And death is just as gentle as the previous games in the series, so it is not something to be feared.
Then there is the sound design. While it is solid, nothing truly stands out. I kept reading in different articles (FAQs and such) how the main Batman theme is from Danny Elfman and the 1994 Batman movie. The theme song, on the other hand, keeps reminding me of the Midgar theme from Final Fantasy VII. Well, if there is anyone to mimic, Nobuo Uematsu is definitely the man to use for inspiration when it comes to music. Also, since this is a Lego game, characters laugh out and emote and act out their thoughts. What is a dark game to play if it is full of slapstick humor? Thus, this means that each character’s “voice” (if it could be called that) fits. Except Batman, who sounds like his dog from “Krypto the Super Dog.” Other than that, there is the traditional sounds of Lego destruction, which is a joy to hear.
Overall, I have experienced a lot of fun with Lego Batman. Yes, despite all the complaints, I really enjoyed it. I liked destroying things and building things back up. But as I have recorded throughout this review, it is bunch of little things that quickly add up that can detract from the experience. For some, this will be nothing more than a rental of about two weeks due to the content (don’t forget the Free Play Mode!). For others, this will be quality gaming time with a parent or a friend. This is a solid addition to any novice gamer’s or parent’s or Lego fanatic’s library. But if you don’t like the Lego Videogame series, or never got into Legos as a child, then this addition will not change your mind.
I will say this to Traveler’s Tales, though: No more of the same stuff over and over again. I want to feel like that each game’s universe is taken full advantage of. I don’t want to have to fight or destroy the environment if a Lego Scooby Doo game is ever released. I want to feel like the character I’m controlling is truly that character with no strings of any type attached. I don’t want to have to occasionally wrestle with the controls or shoddy camera angles in order to progress. Yes, there is a ton of creativity in these games that will make any gamer happy and what makes it a blast to play through the first time. But it also is fair enough to say that the same game is essentially been recycled three times now. Bottom line, I just want more. More of every little part of the game’s universe and more Lego creativity to tap into for puzzle solving. Is that really a crime for me to desire that much?
