Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight vs Batman movies compared

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is being hailed as the best Lego video game yet: a new peak for a strategic move into digital media that's kept the toy brick company relevant for new generations.

Developed on Unreal Engine 5 by Traveller's Tales (see our guide to game development software), it's the fourth installment in the Lego Batman video game series. And although it has an original story, there are plenty of part of the game that feel very familiar.

It draws heavily on Batman comics, movies and games of the past. That's led fans to compare scenes from the game side by side against their inspirations.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight includes tons of Easter eggs, with references going as far back as the 1966 Batman: The Movie starring Adam West. There are also lots of nods to other movies and DC Comics IPs.

Several segments of the game are direct recreations of scenes from movies featuring the caped crusader. The post above compares part of the new Lego video game against the memorable hospital scene from 2008's The Dark Knight. The side-by-side comparison reveals the sequence in the game to be an almost frame-by-frame tribute to Heath Ledger's performance as Joker, with the addition of Lego's signature playful touch.

The video below compares part of the game against the Penguin car chase scene in 2022's The Batman.

The new action-adventure game also draws heavily on the Batman: Arkham series of video games. The video below compares the Legacy of the Dark Knight beside Batman: Arkham Asylum, the 2009 game made by Traveller's Tales on Unreal Engine 3.

Batman: Arkham Asylum vs LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight | Direct Comparison - YouTube

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Elsewhere in the game, there are Easter eggs referencing everything from Michelle Pfeiffer's whip cracking Catwoman in Batman Returns to the Shark Repellent Batspray from the 1966 movie, as well as myriad other pop culture references.

These nods to the cape crusader's various incarnations are part of what makes Traveller's Tales Lego games so much fun, rewarding close exploration and celebrating the franchises they adapt with a heavy dose of humour. Let me know if you have a favourite Easter egg from the game.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is out now for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is expected later in the year.

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