LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham marks the fourth brick-busting instalment in the series to be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One since their respective launches this time last year, and yet the quick turnarounds on each production once again show no sign of diminishing quality with Batman’s third adventure.

Having said that, Beyond Gotham is less of a Batman adventure and more of a DC adventure. Much as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was a fantastic celebration of all things Marvel, Beyond Gotham is a bonafide treat for passionate Justice League aficionados.

Beyond Gotham is a befitting title considering the story takes the extensive cast as far away from Bruce Wayne’s home town as humanly possible, whilst also stuffing said cast with a gluttony of heroes and villains from the comic book pages of Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and plenty others. Take out the titular hero and his rogues gallery and Beyond Gotham would still serve up a pretty vast roster and a tidal wave of hearty references to the deep history of DC Comics.

In fact, it even goes beyond DC itself at points. For no discernible reason you can expect cameo appearances from the likes of Kevin Smith and Conan O’Brien, as well as Daffy Duck and a few neat pointers to a potential LEGO Jurassic Park release next year, and yet it all adds to the infectious absurdity that has come to define so much of what has made the LEGO charm endure.

That said, Beyond Gotham does take a while to get going, and may have you wondering if this may finally be the game that sees Traveler’s Tales run out of steam. The opening levels feel like total retreads of what we’ve seen before in 2008’s LEGO Batman and its 2012 sequel, with a few customary ‘what am I supposed to do next?’ moments that may lead you to wondering if you have the sufficient enthusiasm to plough on through.

It doesn’t help that Beyond Gotham lacks an open world, something that has become a staple of the series in recent years. Marvel’s New York and the Middle-earth we explored in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit offered up plenty of scope and content, as well as providing a nice break in the pacing should advancing from level to level become a drag. Beyond Gotham’s outer-space setup makes it difficult for an open world to exist, but in the early stages it does feel like it could prove to be a fatal exclusion.

What a relief it is then when Beyond Gotham does essentially become LEGO Justice League, drawing inspiration from all corners of the DC Universe in order to deliver some of the series’ best level design, most impressive boss fights and funniest comic moments. The latter plays on the inherent self-seriousness of The Dark Knight to terrific effect, with both the writers and other characters taking endless joy in poking fun at Batman’s persona with some genuinely laugh out loud lines of dialogue.

The need for the Justice League is fueled by the villainous plans of Brainiac, who’s harnessing new-found power in order to shrink entire planets into tiny LEGO sets. After Ubisoft dropped the ball with Assassin’s Creed Unity, a visit to Beyond Gotham’s LEGO Paris represents the most stable depiction of the French capital to be found on the current generation of consoles.

Brainiac’s scheme forces DC’s heroes and villains to team-up much as Marvel’s did towards the end of their LEGO adventure, and hopping around the galaxy with such a diverse roster is fantastic. It’s further beefed up by downloadable content already available as part of the season pass, with level and character packs for The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel and Batman’s 75th Anniversary on offer at the moment. Paid DLC so soon after a game’s release usually draws anger and cynicism, but there’s a special charm to hearing hilariously poor impersonations of Michael Caine and Russell Crowe narrating over scenes from some of the more serious comic book films of recent years.

Still to come is the promise of content based on the hit show Arrow, starring the voice of Stephen Amell himself, as well as a Batman Beyond pack. If the standard of what’s already available is anything to go by, then the Beyond Gotham season pass may actually be something worthy of your consideration.

On the disc itself there are 16 story levels to get through, connected by three hubs in the form of the Batcave, Watchtower and Hall of Justice. A little later on the game also grants access to its own smaller take on the seven Lantern planets, as well as the moon. There are no wizards there, though, from what I could see. Each of these feature side missions and checkpoint races to engage with, and there are once again an insane number of collectibles to find in order to gain that holy 100% completion statistic.

Undoubtedly the highlight of these extras are the ‘Alan Wests in Peril’, with the classic 1960’s Batman star strewn across all corners of the game in dire straits and in need of rescue. It’s exactly the same concept as the ‘Stan Lee in Peril’ feature from last year, but it’s just as funny, and West’s enthusiastic delivery is tinged with a noticeable degree of ‘what has my agent signed me up for’ that further adds to the amusement.

Like all LEGO games that have come before it, Beyond Gotham is undemanding and easy to enjoy. Combat is simple but given energy by some joyful animation work, and the same is true of the platforming and puzzle solving. The boss fights are a standout, with some truly impressive scenes of scale rivaling that of the Sandman battle in LEGO Marvel.

Speaking of such scale, the LEGO games continue to represent a genuine graphical showcase on more powerful hardware. Animation has always been stellar, but there’s been a clear improvement in the look of each installment since the transition from the PS3 and Xbox 360. Characters look great, helped by fantastic lighting and reflections that move them ever closer to the aesthetic of The LEGO Movie, and there are some terrific particle effects on show during aforementioned boss encounters and other set piece moments, such as an early riff on Resogun.

Everything just looks exceptionally sharp at 1080p, and it runs at a solid clip, too. The soundtrack is a further celebration of DC history, with Danny Elfman’s Batman theme given plenty of exposure, as well as that of Adam West’s series. Hearing John Williams’ Superman theme come front and centre every time the Man of Steel takes to the air is a treat, as is is whenever Wonder Woman flies around to the opening theme of the 1970’s Linda Carter serial.

Barring the slow opening stages and a few of the series’ occasional platforming and path finding frustrations, DC fans will undoubtedly sport a beaming smile from ear to ear during every second they spend with Beyond Gotham. LEGO Marvel does remain the series high point for its scope, but Traveler’s Tales have still managed to once again craft something that fans of the property will absolutely love.