Here are what characters you can play as in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is doing things a little differently when it comes to its playable roster, and if you’re only accustomed to the classic titles, you might need a second to adjust.

Instead of throwing the whole DC Comics universe at you from the off, TT Games is narrowing things down to seven playable characters at launch. That might sound a little light compared to previous Lego games, especially if you’re more accustomed to huge character grids where you could eventually unlock everyone you could ever think of.

However, there is a reason for the smaller lineup, and it sounds like the team is focusing more on making each character feel properly distinct.

All Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight playable characters

There are seven playable characters available at launch in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight:

• Batman
• Robin
• Nightwing
• Batgirl
• Jim Gordon
• Catwoman
• Talia al Ghul

Each character comes with their own unique skills, progression tree, combos, and gadgets. So rather than simply being a cosmetic swap with a couple of different animations, each member of the roster should have a pretty unique playstyle, hopefully keeping things more interesting.

Batman, naturally, gets access to classic tools like his Batarangs and Batclaw, which can be used both in fights and when working through environmental puzzles. Robin has his line launcher, Jim Gordon gets a foam sprayer, and Catwoman can make use of her whip to reach enemies and objects from a distance.

Why aren’t there more playable characters in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight?

Speaking to IGN, TT Games development lead Jonathan Smith explained that the smaller roster is tied to the studio’s desire to give each character more depth.

“We’re taking these individual characters on a journey,” Smith said. “So you are constantly upgrading and developing new skills and opening up new abilities for each of those characters. Within the Bat family, as well, we really wanted to focus on making those characters really unique, making their personalities come across and their abilities very distinct.”

It would be surprising if more characters weren’t eventually playable in some form of Free Play mode, especially given Lego’s long history with massive unlockable rosters. However, that has not been confirmed just yet, so for now, the launch lineup is locked to those seven core characters.

Hopefully, the ‘lack’ of playable characters hasn’t put you off on securing a pre-order, and, well, it might actually be a good thing if you’re playing co-op multiplayer, so you’re not waiting forever for your partner to pick their hero.