During a recent hands-on experience with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight in Los Angeles, the game proved to be an enjoyable and humorous two-hour adventure. TT Games, with its extensive history in developing LEGO titles, has once again demonstrated its capability to translate a character as somber as Batman into a family-friendly format, allaying any initial concerns about this adaptation.
Following two hours of gameplay that took players through diverse environments like a funhouse, a heist, a circus, and the streets of Gotham, there was an opportunity to speak with Bob Scott, TT Games’ Cinematics Writer & Director. He shed light on the creative liberties taken to make The Dark Knight accessible to younger audiences, the process of transforming a beloved intellectual property into a game, and the criteria for selecting characters for Legacy of the Dark Knight.
Interview with Bob Scott
On the feeling of the game’s release:
Bob Scott expressed a mix of nervousness and excitement, stating, “It’s nerve-racking because we put so much love and effort into the game. It’s now going out in the world, and we want people to really enjoy it. It feels exciting, you know, but also a little bit scary.”
On his role in the game:
Scott explained, “I’m a cinematics writer and director, but I’m also part of the narrative team to help plan and put together the story for the overriding arc of the game.”
On choosing this version of Batman for a LEGO game:
“We were looking at our previous success, the Star Wars game, but we had nine films to use there, and we had a progressive story that ran through the whole thing,” Scott elaborated. “We wanted to do something similar with Batman, but every film had…they overlapped in what stories they told, and there wasn’t a through arc that went through all of them. So we took our favourite parts and the most iconic moments that we wanted from those IPs, and we decided to make one big tribute to the game, but with one narrative arc. We used The Dark Knight trilogy as a spine, and then it kind of developed from there into a bigger story.”
On the difficulty of adapting multiple films into one game:
“I think it’s insanely hard,” Scott admitted. “It was a labour of love. We wanted all those references in there, and we wanted all those IPs in there. We’re all massive fans, so putting every iteration of Batman that we could find or that we wanted to have in there was a labour of love.”
On Easter eggs and surprises for fans:
“I think there are a million small Easter eggs and surprises,” Scott revealed. “I think if you spend even two minutes in the city, you’ll find about five of them in a fraction of a second. There’s everything from…yeah, there is a lot. I’m really nervous about ruining or spoiling things because I want people to find stuff.” He also mentioned the possibility of long-lasting secrets, similar to an elusive reference he placed in a LEGO Star Wars game that remains undiscovered.
On having dedicated Batman fans on the team:
Scott confirmed the presence of DC Comics’ guidance and a dedicated narrative team. “It was made up of two cinematics directors, myself, and Dave Brown. And then we had an in-game writer who was also part of it, James Pugh. And then we filtered out that with his team and my team, so we have loads of fans that were bringing all of their particular little nuggets of wisdom. There are nods to not only Batman IPs, but to movies beyond that are linked and connected, so there’s a lot there to find.”
Addressing Dark Themes for a Family Audience
On the challenges of adapting The Dark Knight films for a LEGO game:
Scott highlighted the difficulty of portraying sensitive moments, particularly the death of Batman’s parents. “That is a very good question because the the whole the whole Batman story has to start with the death of his parents, which is the hardest thing to describe to a child. That scene…it was very difficult, in order to tell it in a way that had pathos, but also, we had to put humour in there.” He shared an anecdote about a scene that was too intense for a six-year-old, prompting the team to add more jokes. “There’s a balance to be had,” he stressed. He also praised the collaborative efforts with LEGO and DC Comics to ensure accuracy and maintain a respectful tone.
On altering certain story elements, like parental fates:
Scott explained the team’s approach: “Oh, yeah. You’ve just played the circus! I love that scene with the ketchup, and then you think, ‘Oh my goodness!’ Well, I think in that case, we didn’t have to show them dying. With Batman, it’s such an iconic moment. There’s no way we could have avoided it. That’s why it was included. But if we didn’t need to show a child with their parents being murdered, we avoided it. But we didn’t think it was essential to the story. Robin’s trauma is a part of how he identifies with Batman, but it doesn’t define him quite as much as it did to Bruce.”
On preserving character integrity while softening darker moments:
“I never thought we would lose any character by taking away the darkness,” Scott stated. “Batman has been interpreted in very light-hearted ways as well as dark, and there was plenty of examples that we could take to help guide that hand. There are some downbeat moments in the game, and there’s some moments where you’re like, ‘Oooh!’ and personally, I really wanted that. I didn’t want another game where you talk down to a child, you know, condescended to them. I wanted them to feel this. We were telling them a true story, you know, with real feelings and real outcomes, and have those characters come out and come through.”
Gameplay and Character Selection
On gameplay differences from previous LEGO games:
“Well, there’s a lot more focus on the combat,” Scott revealed. “We’ve slimmed down the amount of playable characters for that very reason. We wanted to concentrate on making the experience with each of those characters unique and really work it up so that the combat felt less like just pressing a button and more like a thing that you had to learn and evolve, and you felt like it was a bit more of a challenge, but fun and engaging. The only way to do that was less characters and more focus on each one, basically.”
On the number of playable characters:
Scott confirmed, “There’s seven currently in the game.”
On the selection process for playable characters:
“It was tough, but we based them mostly on the movies,” Scott explained. “So the iterations of the characters are, most of them, when you see them in the game, they’ll be based on where they appear in the IPs that we’re using. But, you know, at first it was difficult, because we always wanted a two-player game. We wanted this to be an experience that people could enjoy with their children or their friends together, and with how it kind of goes along with the theme of the game, which is that Batman never works alone. He has a family, and it’s his family that are his redemption in the end. You know, he uses fear as a weapon, and fear doesn’t work when he comes up against somebody who has no fear. And then it’s the love of his family that saves him, you know? So having those pairings was essential not only to the gameplay but also to the story.” He gave Commissioner Gordon as an example of a character who, though not traditionally a combat-focused figure, became a compelling addition through voice acting and character development, forming a strong dynamic with the younger Batman.
On concerns about combat accessibility for younger players:
“Absolutely. Yeah, I think absolutely,” Scott agreed. “You walk around smashing LEGO. Everybody’s made of LEGO. The guns are all brightly coloured. They shoot bright colored projectiles. We did a lot of work to make sure that it never felt like a real world, you know?” He clarified that while there’s a sense of peril for older players, the visual style and classic mode ensure a child-friendly experience with humorous finisher moves.
Final Thoughts
Favorite Dark Knight film:
“It’s got to be The Dark Knight,” Scott declared. “I watched it again recently with my son, and because he’s old enough to watch it now, and it’s it’s breathtaking. It’s just, it’s a great film.”
Most exciting aspect for players:
Scott hinted at unrevealed content: “There are some great moments in the game that we haven’t shown anybody yet. And I’m thinking of three, and all three of them we haven’t shown anybody yet.” He believes these unrevealed moments are even better than what has already been showcased.