Traveller’s Tales is up to their LEGO shenanigans once again. This time around, you can expect the entire city of Gotham to be included. With benchmark franchises from the movie industry such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones already taking up several notches on their belt, they’re preparing to tackle the superhero universe. What better way to start off than with the dynamic duo themselves, Batman and Robin. I had the chance to meet up with Richard Earl, one of the many talented employees at Traveller’s Tales, and also get the chance to check up one of my own highly anticipated titles, LEGO Batman.
One of the coolest things Earl mentioned was how they strive to create titles in a universe that are 100% pick up and play. On top of this lofty ambition, they also have the mentality to create a titles where not only you and your friends can laugh it up, but parents could even take up arms as the dark knight and boy wonder with their kids and still have a family-friendly experience. Unlike past titles where the game revolved around specific storylines, LEGO Batman has been given no mandate or direction to follow. Earl explained how this was really the first opportunity they had to do this with a title and that not only were they able to create their own storyline to enjoy, but LEGO actually allowed them to design and customize Harley Quinn, one of the villains of the franchise.
Another neat fact about these titles is that LEGO supplies Traveller’s Tales with a program that displays every possible LEGO model imaginable, which allows them to create authentic atmospheres like Gotham City. Each model is built brick by brick from the ground up and is created with complete accuracy in mind. Not to toot their own horn, but Earl made it very clear that they feel the Batman installment is by far their best rendition thus far and feel that if Indiana Jones was a great experience for its users, this experience will inevitably blow it away. Now that you have a rundown on what to expect, I’m going to explain what I took away from the gameplay and what you can look forward to when you get the chance to get your hands on the title.
Indiana Jones sported his famous whip, Luke Skywalker offered up a lightsaber show for fans, and now Batman is showing off his boomerang. This unique weapon is very convenient and allows you to potentially strike several targets with one clean throw. You’ll be able to scan your target Batman logo across the screen and then toss the boomerang. You can still move after throwing the item, which then causes it to track itself back to you, giving you the potential to hit one or two guys on the return, depending on the angle. Another thing I took away from the gameplay was how action-oriented this title was compared to previous LEGO games coming out of this studio. It seemed that Batman utilized a ton of martial art attacks and Robin was equipped with his own style as well, which helped bring a unique sense of control between the two main characters.
Earl made it known that they wanted to make Robin feel like a great addition and give players the desire to play with him. He understands that nobody really cared about Indiana Jones sidekicks, and that when playing multiplayer, someone always had to get stuck playing as Short Round. So Traveller’s Tales did everything they could to make Robin as equally fun to play with as Batman. In my opinion, they’ve definitely succeeded in doing this. Robin has a nice set of skills, including his own boomerang.
Both characters also have three technology suits that can give their character certain improvements. Examples include Robin’s magnetic suit which allows for him to walk up specially designed metal platforms. As for the Dark Knight, he’ll have a technology suit that allows him to glide over greater distances in order to meet goals to move forward. LEGO Batman also allows users to switch between main characters from greater distances as the past titles forced you to almost be standing side-by-side in order to make the switch. The main story for our beloved heroes is comprised of 15 levels placed over three chapters. Each chapter contains five separate levels and will actually have another story running parallel to it for the villains in a special “Villain mode.”
Villain mode will allow you to take control of two of the many Gotham baddies in order to partake in their own story, also 15 levels deep, that runs alongside the hero’s story. As an example, in a level where Batman and Robin normally save the commissioner, you’ll kidnap the commissioner in Villain mode.
Villains have some unique combat skills as well. One of the Joker’s coolest aspects is his electric buzzer handshake that transfers enough electricity through his enemies to send them exploding into tiny LEGO pieces. Harley Quinn on the other hand is equipped with acrobatic jumps in order to gain access to those pesky, hard to reach places.
I’d also like to add that the environment designers have done a fantastic job in recreating the city of Gotham. The game is very gloomy, yet “colorful” all in its own personal way. Though the game has a more inner-Gotham look and feel, the title still finds a way to express the ability to appeal to gamers of all ages, something Traveller’s Tales has become increasingly brilliant with.
Overall, I’d have to say that I was incredibly impressed with this title. As you can tell from my previous review of LEGO Indiana Jones, I am a huge fan of the LEGO franchise and despite that, I think that Traveller’s Tales has truly brought the series to a whole new level with LEGO Batman. Anybody who skips out on this title come release will definitely be missing out on one of the coolest action platformers to date.