Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Review (Xbox One)

Traveller's Tales, the developer behind the really impressive Lego titles, has demonstrated an admirable lack of bias concerning the many different franchises it gets to use, doing justice to all properties, going from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter, or from Marvel comics to DC comics.

After some really well-done iterations in the form of Lego Marvel Super Heroes, The Lego Movie Game, or Lego The Hobbit, the studio is back in the saddle, this time with Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.

Promising a return to the adventures of the Caped Crusader, not to mention a much bigger plot that deals with the Justice League overall as well as the galactic side of the DC comics universe, the game looks quite good.

Does Lego Batman 3 manage to deliver on its promises or should it come back to Gotham? Let's find out.

Story

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, as its name suggests, focuses on the Dark Knight, but his buddies from the Justice League, as well as his rivals, such as Joker, Killer Croc, Solomon Grundy, or even Lex Luthor, play a much bigger role. As such, while most of the time you'll usually be able to control Batman, you'll also be able to guide Robin, The Flash, Cyborg, and many others during the pretty lengthy adventures in the story mode.

While that's not usually a bad thing, the fact that you can control many other characters steals a bit away from Batman's appeal. When you combine this with the fact that Batman is a pretty bipolar character, being both cool and calculated to dark, broody and grumpy, you might want to stick with other, much more upbeat heroes, such as the Flash.

The actual plot is pretty good but takes a bit to get going and really finish with the traditionally lengthy tutorials that are handy only for those who are completely new to the Lego franchise overall.

Guide Batman through new adventures

Gameplay

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham respects the traditional Lego recipe when it comes to video games. You control a wide array of characters with an even wider array of powers that are useful in those specific situations.

Here, most characters can use a full wardrobe of costumes that come with all sorts of crazy abilities. Batman alone can range from his usual costume to a retro-themed sensor suit that allows him to see through walls, one that features rocket launchers, or one that can break through glass (because apparently rockets or batarangs aren't that powerful).

Robin's suits are even more outlandish, ranging from a flashlight costume, to one that can summon a remote-controlled little Robin drone that rides on a sort of skateboard and can get through crowded spaces.

This wide variety of abilities can often lead to complex puzzles and plenty of trial and error. While most of the challenges and puzzles still rely on breaking things, reassembling them in new objects, and then watching things happen, here you'll find a lot of situations where it's just not clear what you have to do. As such, expect to run around aimlessly while trying out different costume, ability, or hero combinations until the solution finally clicks.

Thankfully, the regular Lego game flow is broken up by mini-games that work, more or less, in a smoother fashion. One particular area is similar to Resogun and sees Robin pilot his own small space ship around the Justice League orbital space station, while dodging Joker's flying teeth-like vessels. These sequences are pretty fun and manage to work really smoothly with the Lego theme, as bricks are flying all over the place.

As always, there's a huge number of Easter Eggs hidden in the game, especially since most levels feature a Lego version of Hollywood actor Adam West, who always seems to find himself in a predicament.

The levels are relatively well designed and feature an enormous number of themes, but you'll often find yourself roaming around aimlessly due to the slightly confusing design. You'll also find your characters get stuck on invisible walls or other objects, so be prepared for some frustration.

Multiplayer

Of course, like most previous Lego games, you can play Batman 3 via local cooperative mode, as most sequences see players jump between two different characters. Roaming around the game's big stages is a bit more fun with a friend, but timing your moves and working together are easier said than done, once again due to some of the more frustrating puzzles.

Even so, expect some pretty fun times, especially as you try to rack up a bigger score than your friend does in terms of the number of bricks collected during a level. After completing a stage during the story mode, you can go back to it in free-play and try out different combinations of heroes to unlock more content and complete all the different challenges.

Visuals and sound

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham uses the power of the new consoles, such as the Xbox One, to deliver much crisper visuals and a higher fidelity. There are still a few sequences where the action on the screen becomes really hard to follow but the framerate manages to remain quite smooth nonetheless.

In terms of soundtrack, the game is also quite good, with the orchestral score amplifying the action on the screen. The voice acting is also well done, especially when it comes to Batman, who's brought to life by Troy Baker. The rest of the cast also ensures that their characters sound as intended, although it's a shame that some of their more iconic actors don't make a comeback in the game.

Roam the space station

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is a fun experience but it would've benefited more if it had embraced the whole Justice League theme. What's more, its puzzles need a bit of tuning, as some are really tricky to figure out, which can grow frustrating even for experienced Lego fans. Still, you'll find quite a lot of amusing moments and a pretty fun story, once you get past the opening stages.

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