Lego The Batman Movie is from the Master Builders that brought us the awesome Lego The Movie. Normally when such a popular franchise spawns a new movie, we get its very own standalone videogame, however in this instance the only way we’re going to get to play the official Lego The Batman Movie videogame is through Lego Dimensions, courtesy of wave “7.5” of Toy’s-to-Life goodness.
Having watched the movie on release week, I ran no risk of having spoilers revealed by playing its videogame counterpart; however what I really appreciated from its videogame adaptation, is its courteous manner in which it dealt with any potential spoilers. Now of course I would always recommend that you watch the movie before playing the videogame, but if you did do it the other way around, then TT Games has ensured that you won’t have too much spoilt for you. That’s not to say that there will be no spoilers, because there will. However, while using some of the scenes from the movie, the videogame has generated its own unique cut-scenes to help stretch out its enjoyable 5 hour campaign (give or take).
In its own unique way, Lego The Batman Movie is one of my favourite movies in recent times and it’s certain among the best Batman movies in my humble opinion, but as far as videogame adaptations has to go, it’s up there. Yes I know, to say that this is one of the best videogame/movie tie-ins doesn’t hold much weight, especially when we’ve seen so many dreadful games over the years. I think that the fact that we don’t tend to see many movie tie-ins on consoles of late, says it all. But if you could pick the handful of quality movie-ties that stand alone in their own right (Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Goldeneye spring to mind), then Lego Batman Movie Story Pack has forced its way into this less then packed VIP exclusive club.
If you’re yet to watch the movie or even play this game, I won’t spoil anything for you here. But what I will say however is that it is fantastic fun. It not only captures the great humour from the movie, but its cut-scenes and in-game dialogue had me laughing aloud throughout and I’m a person that doesn’t tend to laugh at videogame jokes all that often. Mix that with the easy pick up and play mechanics that we come to expect from almost every Lego game in existence and the puzzle elements of the Lego Dimensions Toy Pad, then you’re on to a winner.
If there was one drawback by having Lego Batman Movie in the Lego Dimensions universe, then it would be its cost if you’re a newcomer to this toys-to-life phenomenon. To play Lego Batman Movie, you will need the Lego Dimensions Starter Pack, which not only comes with the all important Toy Pad, but also Gandalf, Wyldstyle and Batman mini-figures. The Batman mini-figure in particular you will also need as much as the Toy Pad, because without the Batman mini-figure from the Starter Pack, you will not be able to play Lego Batman Movie Story Pack (and it also excludes the Batman mini-figure from the recent Fun Pack). But the chances are that if you’ve already picked this adaptation up, you should already own the Starter Pack by now. If you are new to this series, you can read my review of the Lego Dimensions Starter Pack here.
So what do you get exactly in the Lego Batman Movie Story Pack? Well you get Batgirl and Robin (who can be transformed into Nightwing in-game) mini-figures, a Bat-Computer gateway to be used on the Toy Pad. Then you also get a Batwing, which can be rebuilt into The Black Thunder and Bat-Tank, as well as six new levels with the Story Pack campaign, a Lego Batman Movie Adventure World and a new Battle Arena for some local multiplayer mayhem.
Released alongside the Lego Batman Movie Story Pack are three new Fun Packs, including Batman, Knight Rider and Adventure Time. As Batman is clearly the star of the show here, we’ll begin with the Lego Batman Movie Fun Pack. This pack includes Batman in this Dark Knight inspired armour and his Excalibur Sword. He also comes with the Bionic Steed, which can be rebuilt into the Bat-Raptor (a friggin Raptor!) and the Ultrabat. Unless I missed something in the movie, I can’t actually remember seeing any of these, but it’s cool none the less.
Fans growing up in the 80’s will likely appreciate the Knight Rider Fun Pack. This not only includes a Michael Knight mini-figure, but also his iconic K.I.T.T car, which comes equipped with x-ray abilities and more. K.I.T.T can then be rebuilt into a Jet and Goliath Armoured Semi-truck. This Fun Pack also includes a Knight Rider themed Adventure World and Battle Arena. In the new Adventure Time Fun Pack, you will get a Marceline the Vampire Queen mini-figure and her Lunatic Amp, which you can rebuild into the Shadow Scorpion and Heavy Metal Monster!
While wave 7.5 might lack the variety of packs that we’ve seen in previous waves by having three Fun Packs, the Batman Movie Story Pack is right up there as my favourite Lego Dimensions packs to date alongside the Ghostbusters Level Pack. It’s just a shame that we won’t get a standalone Batman Lego Movie videogame as the overall price including the Starter Pack might price out some (though I always advise shopping about for a bargain), but if you’re thinking of getting into Lego Dimensions, whether it’s for yourself or the little ones, now is a Bat-tastic time to do so!