LEGO Batman feels like one of those distinct purchases you make when walking into a game store upon hearing of its very description. It’s based on the idea of a toy company gimmick that was marketed from a multitude of movie tie-ins - and while it was nothing extraordinarily amazing in the sum of its parts, it was easy-enough to get into and plain dumb fun. And, if you were already a fan of that popular series the game was sourcing from, there was a good chance you were smitten by the fine lampooned takes the developers were able to jam into the overall presentation. LEGO Batman, simply put, was made for followers of the comic book legend. But for everyone else and to those who’ve already dove into Traveller’s Tales’ past efforts, there might not be enough here to have you play for extended periods at a time, let alone even bother to unlock all the plentiful extras thrown in.

Unlike LEGO Star Wars and Indy, LEGO Batman’s plot doesn’t go by any of the original films before it (although there are a decent number of references made, like the Batman theme), which is somewhat surprising when you consider the high amount of cheese cut and bled from the known likes of Batman Forever and Batman and Robin, and how well it could’ve blended with the fruitiness that we’ve come to associate with TT LEGO games. Rather, it feels more like the devs’ decided to do their own thang and channel some of their creative energy from the infamously campy sixties Live-Action take that starred Adam West and Burt Ward. Plot wise, the dynamic duo’s most famed adversaries and, uh, The Killer Moth escape from Arkham’s Asylum and its up to you, your fists and your detective skills to stop them – repetition be damned. The game’s story doesn’t warrant much use of voice-work to carry things forward (TT LEGO games hardly ever do), so a lot of the scenes heavily rely on whacky expressions and slapstick to establish the mood. For the most part, it’s effectively entertaining.

If you ever played a side-scrolling brawler like Final Fight or Streets of Rage, you’ll have a somewhat good indication on how TT LEGO games play out. Aside from fighting with the standard goon-fare, there’s puzzle-solving, collecting, and tons of LEGO-ized objects that need a breakin’. Mayhem is no coincidence here as you’re pretty much tasked to demolish anything that’s in your path with the over-confidence of a caped crusader. You never “die” either. Bewildered by awkward choices of level design, yes. Dying, no. Your bit score receives a meager deduction after a substantial amount of damage is taken, but even when that reaches to a complete zero your blocky avatar is still very much among the living. Couple with the fact that most enemy types presented here are of mostly two types (Mr. Close-Combat and Mr. Pistol Whipper) with varying skins and aren’t much of a hassle to take down, and you begin to see the first of LEGO Batman’s problems. At least mashing up wooden-crates and dumpsters yield an award of some sort; the only real pleasure of fighting you get from here is the various ways you’ll be able to dish it out thanks to availability of different playable characters. Boss fights are a different case altogether and thusly much more pleasing, but can also have you scratch your head at times in how there are to be tangled with as the obvious solution isn’t always painted in the most recognizable of colors.

Of worthy mention are the special costumes that can be worn by Batman or Robin, establishing the approach commonly used in progression via double-teamed puzzle-solving. For example, in order to reach across a bottomless pit, you’ll need Batman to equip his Glider Suit in order to fly across. Activate the switch that’ll extend the bridge, and Technology Suit Robin will able to walk over and finish the next set of obstacles by constructing himself a break-dancing disco robot (oh yes indeed). It sounds rather contrived as the formula doesn’t deviate too far from the standard flip-the-switch-philia, but the variety of unique abilities attached to each suit does well in shaking up the tedium of earlier LEGO games. To further shake things up, there are plenty of vehicle segments where you’ll need to harpoon enemies with a tow cable, drag them to a designated spot all the while blasting through any incoming targets. Much like the special costumes, tripping in the Batmobile is a good distraction but ultimately grows boring and dragged out when played for too long. And of course, you’ll be able to play as the villains in their own separate scenarios, sans abilities suits.

Visuals are a mixed bag. It’s interesting when trying to contrast the hip-color look of the LEGO characters with the dark, gritty environments and settings used here. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Don’t really see it as a big deal, personally. Other times though, it just feels too dark as details become lost in the background (recommend you crank up the screen brightness to max) and those slow-downs? Could’ve done nicely without those, thank you very much. But the biggest disappointment I found with the PSP version is the total lack of wireless co-op. I had to doubly make sure I wasn’t inhaling any mind-altering substances on hearing this little tidbit, but there is in fact no multiplayer ad-hoc of any sorts. Considering that even the DS version was able to incorporate this feature, and that one of the great perks in playing the TT LEGO games is having a friend along tag along – I find this glorious omission mighty absurd.

Which again goes without saying, if you haven’t already experienced past LEGO titles, don’t mind going it solo, and just generally new to video games - LEGO Batman will fit almost anyone’s foot. But you’re better off with the superior console versions or maybe the DS one if you’re especially fidgety.

6.5 / 10

Developer: Traveller’s Tales
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: E10+

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By N2H

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