Lego Batman

"Gotham City Has Never Seemed So Dull"

The concept behind the Lego franchise of video games is simple enough: take a well respected series, turn everything into Legos, and then smash them like a five year old throwing a tantrum. After lego-izing both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, the most recent franchise to be given the block treatment is Batman. If there is a target audience for Lego Batman, I'm probably it. As a fan of both Batman and the previous Lego games, it would be hard to fine a better target audience to play the game. Unfortunately, while I found the idea of mixing Legos and Batman exciting, playing the game quickly soured my opinion of the concept. Anyone who played through the previous Lego games will quickly recognize the quirky sense of humor that contributes to the charm of the game, and early on Lego Batman appears to be a pretty good pick up and play kind of title. However, certain nagging issues that have plagued even earlier iterations of the Lego games have returned, which mar the gameplay and detract from the experience. While these issues might be forgiven, the only serve to contribute to the biggest problem with the game, which is that Lego Batman just isn't very fun to play and becomes boring fairly early on.

The game opens with all the major Batman villains breaking out of Arkham Asylum, which once again proves to have the security of a high school hallway. After the police let the villains out again (oops!), Batman and Robin are called in to once again stop these ne'er-do-wellers, who after breaking out have all concocted schemes to steal some major loot. This group of fifteen villains have broken into groups of five (because they love symmetry, apparently), and each group has their eyes set on something different to swipe. As the villains have divided into three groups, the game itself is also broken into three storylines, any of which can be started from the beginning to the game. The Joker story, the Penguin story, and the Riddler story are all accessible initially, and each story arch is broken into five chapters. The story in the game is very lighthearted and told in cut scenes that being at the start and end of each chapter. Most of the humor in the game derives from Robin doing something stupid, and Batman saving him/slapping him around a bit, but these cutscenes are usually humorous enough to generate at least a smile. These Lego games always do a nice job creating a light hearted atmosphere that is really heavy on humor and charm, which is a trend that continues in Lego Batman. There really aren't any laugh out loud moments, but these little scenes are done nicely. While the story in the game certainly isn't one that will stick with you for long and the laughs are short lived, the game is humorous enough that it provides a nice incentive to keep on playing through the levels.

The gameplay in Lego Batman is fairly straightforward; you smash your way through everything in a level, solving simple puzzles as they arrive and the action culminates in a boss battle. Both enemies and objects in the game can be smashed by spamming the attack button and very few enemies require any sort of strategy. Batman, Robin, and the whole supporting cast do sport a variety of attacks beyond the simple assault of punches, with characters sporting attacks ranging from batarangs to freeze guns to shock buttons. This does vary the gameplay slightly, and while they can be fun to perform/watch (zapping your enemies to death is an animation I never got tired of), fights are so easy that they don't require anything besides the basic attacks. As you smash your way through hordes of generically bad dudes, you'll encounter a variety of different object that are breakable. While Batman never struck me as a man with a penchant to commit destruction of public property, you'll be doing a lot of it in this game, as streetlamps, benches, desks, and telephone booths (take that, Lego Superman!) can all be broken apart to placate your urge for destruction. And this destruction often proves necessary to complete the level, as breaking apart these objects will leave some blocks that can be assembled into different objects. By pressing a button, objects such as bridges and ladders can be put together automatically to unlock a new path. This is a fairly cool concept, but it really doesn't add too much to the gameplay as the pieces assemble themselves automatically. The whole process gets fairly repetitive fairly quickly as these concepts repeat themselves endlessly throughout the title and really aren't that interesting after a couple of chapters. A second player can join the actions at any time, and for the first few levels the sort of laid back, simple beat ‘em up style the game provides is actually somewhat entertaining. While the gameplay might be shallow, it is at least initially fun especially with someone helping you smash goons. However, the novelty wears off fast and the game becomes boring quickly.

After beating each level in story mode, you unlock freeplay. Here, you can replay the levels as any character of your choosing in order to find all the hidden goodies throughout the level. These hidden pieces range from fairly obviously hidden to ridiculously I almost missed that on my fifth playthrough difficult. Each level does hide a variety of items that can be collected throughout the course of the game, which does add some replay value to the title. However, playing through a level once is usually enough to dissuade you from trying to play through it again. When you play in this mode, you get to play as any character that you've previously unlocked. Unfortunately, as the gameplay only marginally changes, all freeplay offers is a chance to collect some unlockables and be bored as a different character. In addition to smashing things as heroes, you can play through the corresponding villain chapters after you beat the original levels as Batman and Robin. I found this to be a very intriguing concept, and playing through the levels as Batman's most notorious foes in levels designed for them is definitely a nice addition to the title. Unfortunately, the game itself isn't exciting enough to actually motivate you to play through again, and it might feel like more of a chore than anything else. Rather than expanding on modes and levels, time would have been better invested making the gameplay less tedious. If the first time through a level is tedious, it becomes sort illogical to play through it again.

The levels themselves are simple, linear, and typically lacking creativity in their design. Almost all levels use the same three or four puzzles (which really just focus on can you use a character that has the required skill to proceed) and the overall design of the levels are very forgettable. While there are a couple of exceptions (the zoo level is nice with the variety of Lego animals), there really aren't any that stand out or leave you impressed. Through each level you'll find your way through a seemingly endless supply of generic enemies (the benefits of being able to build your own minions, I suppose), build a couple of bridges and ladders, and punctuate the experience with a boss battle. Even these boss battles are underwhelming as most put up very little fight and use the same one tactic throughout the entirety of the battle. Traveling through the levels is also somewhat mindless as there is typically only one way forward in each level, and the greatest determent tends to be the crippling boredom. There are several vehicle levels, which tend to break up the monotony, where you can use boats, cars, or planes and drive your way through the level. The action in these levels tends to be more quickly paced and as such these end up being some of the best levels in the game. Unfortunately, this really doesn't give them that much of a distinction, as they still tend to be linear and somewhat oversimplified, just less linear and less boring than other levels in the game.

The primary problem with this game is that it is simply too easy for anyone to be able to glean even the slightest bit of entertainment out of it. There is absolutely no way to lose, as even if you die you just immediately regenerate in the same location, and the only negative penalty is that some of your cash has been lost (your guardian angle apparently charges a fee). Even if there was some sort of game over possibility, Lego Batman would still be far too easy as the enemies never put up much of a fight, and even the bosses look like they're phoning it in (apparently, none of them really mind going back to Arkham, which is understandable considering the lax security). While it is true that each level has a fair share of puzzles to solve, all of them are one of essentially two types. Either you smash blocks until more blocks appear that you can assemble into what you need to pass (typically a ladder or a bridge) or you switch to a character that can use the ability needed. Batman and Robin also have five different suits to wear, and each one imparts a different ability. For example, heat suit Batman can withstand temperatures that would melt meeker Legos, and demolition Batman can plant bombs, blowing up shiny Legos and almost certainly earning him a spot on the terror watch list in Gotham. However, this is all as easy as it sounds, and after you find a suit, it will be used nearly immediately after. Switching suits is sort of novel the first couple of times you do it, but the gadgets used in the game really aren't interesting enough for this to be a worthwhile addition to the gameplay.

Despite everything that Lego Batman does wrong, there are a few redeemable features in the game. Both the sound and graphics in the game are solid, although neither is really particularly impressive. They all use the same grunts to communicate, but the music features some fairly recognizable Batman tunes. The game looks nice, or at least as nice as you would expect a game done entirely with Legos to look. The most notable feature of the game is the vast quantity of unlockables you can find and collect throughout the various levels. While most people will get bored even before they start unlocking the first batch, for those that can persevere through the poor pacing of the game might enjoy finding every last hidden item. By finding certain items in the level or completing a certain scenario, you can unlock for purchase new vehicles, characters, upgrades for the costumes, and in game cheats. While the cheats and upgrades really aren't that impressive (why make an easy game even easier), the amount and variety of characters and vehicles to unlock is sure to please Batman enthusiasts. While some of the characters are entirely pointless (you mean I can play as the fish monger and a generic Riddler goon!? OH PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME PICK!), there are enough interesting characters that are playable. Nearly every villain from his rouge's gallery is attainable, along with a fair amount of special cars, planes, and boats. The only problem with this is that very few of the characters serve as anything else but different skins for characters already available. The same six or seven skills are used repeatedly, and there are really only a couple unique skills. Still playing through the levels with the villains was interesting for a while, at least when you're not stuck with Killer Moth or somebody equally lame. However, even this variety is a step back compared to the previous Lego games, where the rosters totaled around 100 characters. Batman tops out at around 40, which is a shame considering the gallery of characters to choose from.

Lego Batman is one of those games that is sure to please just about nobody. The formula employed by this game has been done better in the past, and there really isn't anything new or exciting added in this game. While there are a couple of promising areas, including the ridiculously detailed roster and some charming cutscenes, there really isn't enough to warrant a purchase of the game, as it will end up as a waste of money and time. There is no challenge, no interesting gameplay mechanics, and the Lego Batman just isn't that fun to play. If you're looking for a fairly mindless action game to play over a weekend, this might merit a rental. However, you'll be lucky if the game can hold your attention for even an entire weekend, and only die hard Batman and Lego fans should even consider this one (and maybe not even then).

Fun For All Ages (THE GOOD):
+Great roster of playable characters
+Cutscenes are fairly well done and likely to elicit at least a smile
+Vehicle levels offer some variety
+Graphics and sound are acceptable
+Playing with a friend is fun and should fend of the boredom, if only temporarily

Some Assembly Required (THE BAD):
-Levels are straightforward and fairly generic
-Losing is impossible, and the game itself offers no challenge
-Boring, repetitive gameplay mechanics
-Puzzles repeat themselves and are obvious the first time you encounter them
-Building and smashing Legos gets old really fast
-Boss battles are extremely straightforward and simple

Choking Hazard (THE UGLY): Ever wonder what Robin's head would look like on Catwoman's body? Use the create-a-character option to find out…and then seek some sort of professional help. Unfortunately, the create a character option here is so limited, that these kind of monstrosities are the only kind of thing you can create. Time to see what Poison Ivy's head looks like on Killer Croc's body. Urk. Just as disturbing as I imagined…

THE VERDICT: 4.00/10.00

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 02/23/09, Updated 07/31/09

Game Release: Lego Batman (US, 09/23/08)