LEGO DC Super-Villains Review

Richard Walker

Sometimes, it's good to be bad. Constantly being cast as the virtuous, infallible hero can be a bit dull at times, so when presented with the chance to tear things up and embrace the spirit of pure anarchy, we'll take it. LEGO DC Super-Villains presents such an opportunity, casting you in the role of DC Comics' rogue's gallery of ne'er-do-wells, as the Justice League – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman and co. - are spirited away to another dimension, leaving the way open for a new group of Earth-3 heroes from a parallel universe known as the 'Justice Syndicate' to swoop in.

When the newly arrived Justice Syndicate turns out to be not nearly as heroic as they first seem, however, it falls to you as a member of the Legion of Doom to save the day. Creating your own fully customisable villain from scratch using a surprising array of different options, you and the rest of the DC Universe's criminal element band together on a mission to ensure that there's a Gotham City or Metropolis left to wreak havoc in. As a setup for a LEGO game, it's a pretty good one, and even lends some credibility to the usual smashing up of LEGO scenery and other objects. It makes sense that a villain would break everything in sight.


You start out LEGO DC Super-Villains by building your very own evildoer using the powerful character creator tool, changing everything from hairstyle, costume, weaponry, and powers to the style of their aiming reticule, or more minute details like the colour of their projectiles and the impact flashes that pop up when you strike enemies.

Broken out of prison, your bespoke character will then appear throughout the story, working alongside the rest of the DC baddies to put a stop to the Justice Syndicate's plot. What follows is the usual LEGO action; a succession of colourful levels punctuated by sojourns to the game's hub locations, where you'll find various secrets, side quests and other distractions to partake in.

But your villain's uncanny ability to absorb different powers keeps things interesting, and you can customise your character almost whenever you like if you feel like a quick change of wardrobe or a tweak to their abilities. Yet despite all of these little added extras, and the game putting your silent character at the centre of the story, LEGO DC Super-Villains still adheres to the old LEGO game formula that you're likely all-too familiar with.

Characters have their own set of unique abilities you'll call upon to complete certain puzzles, and upon finishing levels, you'll need to return and play through a second time via Free Play to unlock the alternate paths and scoop all of the collectibles. Anyone who's played a LEGO game will already know this, of course. The fun comes in acquiring every single one of the dozens of heroes and villains that make up the extensive cast of characters, and besting those wee puzzles to progress.

There are sliding tile puzzles, button-mashing bits aplenty, hacking mini-games, and the usual systems and mechanics that have become increasingly commonplace in every LEGO game. And as is invariably the case, there's no denying that the action remains entertaining and immediate, even if you may have essentially been there and done it all before. Several times over. Yet, the narrative in which you're tasked with assembling a team of iconic DC baddies to foil the plans of the Justice Syndicate proves to be good, wholesome, uncomplicated fun that younglings and grown-up kids alike will get a kick out of.


That about sums up LEGO DC Super-Villains (and the LEGO series as a whole). You effectively know what you're getting from the moment you jump into the game, and in that regard, LEGO DC Super-Villains has very few surprises to offer. The draw here is the ability to play a LEGO DC game driven by the villains rather than the heroes, like banding together with the Suicide Squad and a vast expanded selection of criminals and lesser-known characters to take the fight to the dodgy Justice Syndicate. Fans of the comic books are bound to enjoy experiencing things from the other side. Well, most fans, anyway.

A myriad of different DC Universe locations spread across 20 levels and several sizeable hub areas also cover many of the bases you'd hope for, from the cities of Gotham and Metropolis to the Watchtower amid the stars, where you'll encounter Sinestro and battle the Green Lantern Corps. There are certainly a lot of highlights in LEGO DC Super-Villains, and again, the story and trademark humour lends much to the overall enjoyment. Despite this being the same old thing then, Super-Villains has its own reason for being and offers ample impetus to dive in, collect studs, smash stuff up and revel in brick-based mayhem once more. Yes it's another LEGO game, but really, what's not to like about that?

LEGO DC Super-Villains

A neat continuation of the LEGO DC series, Super-Villains offers a neat twist in casting your custom character and a range of iconic faces from the comic books as the protagonists in a raucously fun story. Yes, it's the same old LEGO game that you'll have played several times before, but damn it, it's still good. And indeed, good to be bad.

Form widget
70%
Audio
80%

LEGO DC Super-Villains has a remarkable array of annoying noises that will assault your lugholes, but the music is decent and the voice cast is a who's who of VO royalty. Mark Hamill reprising his role as Joker, with Tara Strong as Harley Quinn, Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mike 'Sam Fisher' Ironside as Darkseid are a particular highlight.

Visuals
70%

Surprise surprise, Super-Villains looks exactly like every other LEGO game, albeit one bursting with imagination and a vast array of iconic DC locations, heroes and villains. There are occasional camera snags (again) and very minor visual bugs here and there, but overall, it's a good-looking game.

Playability
70%

Another robust, accessible and enjoyable LEGO game, much like all of the others. You'll know what you're getting here, with the usual jumping, punching, kicking, smashing stuff up, stud collection and light puzzling. There's not much to complain about in Super-Villains, but there are very few new ideas on show.

Delivery
70%

Almost too damn big, LEGO DC Super-Villains will certainly eat up a fair chunk of your time, especially if you get swept up into the pursuit of that elusive 100% completion. Presentation is as good as it always is, and it's hard not to fall into the inimitable LEGO humour and action all over again.

Achievements
75%

Same old, same old. Collect a stupid amount of studs, achieve 100%, complete all of the levels, get all of the gold bricks, the red bricks, mini-kits and other collectible guff. So on, so forth. Perfectly fine, but a bit on the 'meh' side with a lot of grind.

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