Playing the Lego video games with Elizabeth and Alison has become a staple in our house over the last year and a half. We’ve put a lot of hours into Lego City Undercover, Lego Batman 2, Lego Marvel Superheroes and Lego Movie: The Video Game. It was no surprise then that we waited in anticipation for the release of Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
For me the developers behind the Lego video games perfected the open hub world with last year’s Lego Marvel Superheroes. Unfortunately, that feature isn’t present in this game, which is a shame since that’s what made Lego Batman 2 such a ground breaker when it was first released. I’d probably put this down to the fact that players are no longer confined to the streets of Gotham, as I’m sure you can appreciate from the game’s title (Beyond Gotham).
There’s still the same game play mechanics from previous Lego games, so young gamers will be able to jump straight into it. I always tell the girls that if they get stuck at any point, always use the simple guidance of smashing everything in view. Inevitably you will find what is needed to build something and move on. A new added feature is the annoying ‘Bat Boy’ hint character, who I don’t even believe fits into the game’s presentation. In the last game it used to be Alfred Pennyworth providing players with hints, however, since he’s now a playable character, it would no longer work.
A big plus for the game is that it has a ton of content, so young DC fans (and older ones!) are well catered for in that respect. There’s also some DLC available for purchase, which adds more characters and levels from famous Batman movies and TV series gone by.
The story for Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is well written, however, it draws inspiration from the Green Lantern universe more than the Dark Knight. The game should really be called ‘Lego DC Justice League’, but maybe the publishers wanted to maintain the reference to the previous success of Lego Batman 2. Basically, one of the Green Lantern’s villains (The Brainiac) plans on destroying Earth, by using the lantern rings to shrink the planet down to marble size. Batman, Robin and the Justice League unite in order to stop The Brainiac and a whole host of the DC villains.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is certainly a game that will give gaming family’s their moneys worth. Countless hours can be spent playing through the story, and then further time spent collecting all the gold bricks (a common practice amongst hardcore Lego gamers). The game is available for most platforms (PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Wii U and 3DS) and if you find a copy available around the £20 mark, then you’ve got yourself a bargain.