This game, which continues the tradition of adapting well-known franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones with LEGO visuals, takes on the Batman universe. The basic concept is the same, with characters and objects constructed from LEGO blocks, but this time set against a regular background. Most environments are side-scrolling with a fixed camera perspective, but they are in 3D with a lot of depth. It is not based on a specific film or comic book but on a whole franchise with a new story. The animations and sequences are odd and unfamiliar with recent Batman films’ darker atmosphere. A slew of villains has escaped from Arkham Asylum and is now wreaking havoc in Gotham City. During the first half of the game, players control Batman and his sidekick Robin as they battle all enemies in a typical brawler fashion. Enemies will frequently respawn indefinitely until the player figures out how to advance. Players can switch between the two characters anytime and explore the environments with gadgets such as the Batarang and grappling hook. They can both fight, and the computer AI controls inactive characters.
Both characters have distinct abilities that they can access by changing their suits. Batman can fly through the air or plant bombs, whereas Robin, for example, has a technology suit that allows him to walk on metal surfaces in any direction. They can also operate specific vehicles. Both characters work out of the Batcave, a central hub for storing trophies and accessing missions. Many tasks include small puzzle elements such as buttons or passageways that must be cleared. Objects and characters explode into smaller LEGO blocks, and at times the hero must construct structures out of blocks to create new things. After completing a story mode mission, it becomes available in a separate free-play mode. In the second part of the game, players control various villains such as Poison Ivy, The Joker, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, Killer Moth, Hush, Clayface, Man-Bat, and others. They all have unique abilities, and their sections of the game always end when Batman and Robin confront them. In this way, the play demonstrates how they plan ahead of time for the fights in the first part of the game. The characters collect coins, objects, and hearts. They can die, but they immediately respawn. Platforms have different multiplayer options. Drop-in/drop-out co-op is available on the home console and Windows versions. The PSP release performs the worst of all, with no multiplayer option.
