Lego has been making superhero games for a while based on either the Marvel or DC Universe. This time instead of a hero we get to be the villain. In Lego DC Super Villains we get to run with big bads and save the world. I know being bad and saving the world, the Joker must be having a laugh. Indeed he is and so will you if you are into either Legos or DC Comics. This is our Lego DC Super Villains review.
In Lego DC Super Villains you create your own hero and work alongside the villains to save the world from the Justice Syndicate. You not only get the regular big bads in this game, but they also have the more obscure villains like Polka-Dot Man. The amount of characters that there are in this game is enormous. To unlock them I found myself having to do silly side quest from the characters themselves to finding character cards in levels or in suitcases around the open world map. Now the quests can seem pretty repetitive as most times they follow the same format, but it is in the context and dialogue that sets the quest apart. In most cases with the quest style unlocking it unlocks the ability to purchase the character with lego studs.
Open World
For me, this is a first in playing a Lego game that was open world. Being able to run around and explore Lego Gotham and Metropolis was super fun and I just spent hours flying around doing the extra collectibles stuff. Don’t have to just fly though if your character has super speed you can explore that way or by car, boat, bike, and plane. There are many ways to travel around.
In the open world, there are areas to collect gold bricks, which in the open world it takes a certain number of those to remodel different statues around the maps. There are also races which are how one unlock different vehicles. By different vehicles, I mean ones like the T-Jet, Batmobile, and Red Hoods bike. There are many different challenges hidden around the map not listed on the map view like spraying graffiti on posters. You can spend tons of time in the open world map just doing stuff and that is not a bad thing, it is pretty fun.
The Levels
If you are used to playing Lego games you know that not everything can be done the first time around. In the levels is where you find more unlockable characters and red bricks which are used to unlock different extras for the game. Big head mode is extra to if you need an idea, you can see the list of extras in the menu. Those are the main reasons to replay levels next to wanting to 100% the game. Finding the red brick that unlocks the lego stud collecting extras is going to be a big thing if you are looking to unlock every character. It will make collecting the studs easier and double the amount you get.
Character Creation
The character creator is pretty robust. It is easy enough to make a unique looking character that will stand out from the comic villains. You are even able to use pieces from other DC villains in your character. There are a good amount of powers that you can choose from and customize to a degree. Customizing the look as far as effect and color are possible as well as the damage type for beam powers.
There is the possibility to run either normal speed or have super speed. My big gripe with the super speed is not being able to customize my lightning color. As a comic fan and a lover of creating characters, this puts a bit of a dent in the superspeed. There are also some other things that become a bother but its due to controller layout and powers not mixing. Skills are mapped to different buttons; in my case playing with a PlayStation controller, it is Triangle, Square, X, and circle.
Triangle is the button to switch characters by tapping and choose a completely different one from characters you unlock by holding. It also has one power that can be used for it, to grow big. You do this by holding down triangle. Now I found that if you are using the power and want to change characters it becomes a hassle. The power takes precedence before swapping out characters. I found myself having to switch to the second character and swapping that one out for the one I needed.
Now, this does not only happen with the triangle button it also happens with the square button as that is the melee button. Depending on the power you set to square, teleport in my case, it does not work out as planned. I was expecting it to allow me to teleport strike as a melee, it did not. I could only teleport mostly with the random break-in that action where I would hit once then be stuck in a cycle of teleporting. Whereas the customization is robust, there are certain limitations when it comes to setting certain powers on certain buttons. I also found out that setting teleport and lunge to the same button causes teleport to not work.
