LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight – Mayhem Collection (2026) Review

Quippy Title: Sometimes It Feels Good to Be the Bad Guy

Let’s Start by Showing Y’all the Trailers Shall We?

When LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight released earlier this year, one of my biggest takeaways was that this was an amazing Batman game, but there were definitely things missing from it. One of the biggest omissions was the ability to really play as Batman’s villains. Previous LEGO Batman games gave us massive villain rosters, and the original LEGO Batman: The Videogame even dedicated an entire second campaign to letting us experience Gotham from the villains’ perspective.

Well, TT Games apparently heard that criticism because the Mayhem Collection is basically their answer.

The trailers immediately sold this as something substantially bigger than a couple of character skins. We were getting The Joker. We were getting Harley Quinn. We were getting a brand-new story mission showing this universe’s version of Harley’s origin. We were getting our own customizable villain hideout beneath Amusement Mile. We were getting A.R.G.U.S., Amanda Waller and Task Force X. Most importantly, we were getting an entirely new gameplay mode where instead of protecting Gotham, our objective was basically to make everybody else’s day considerably worse.

And after playing through the whole thing?

Yeah, this is basically the villain campaign I wanted from this game.

Not perfect. Definitely not perfect. There are some design decisions here that stop this from reaching the same heights as the main game for me.

But man, I had a lot of fun being an asshole.


—

Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

The Mayhem Collection begins inside Arkham Asylum, where psychiatrist Dr. Harleen Quinzel has been assigned to The Joker. Their therapy session doesn’t exactly go according to plan, and Joker quickly begins turning the conversation back around on Harleen.

Eventually, their relationship leads to Harleen becoming Harley Quinn, breaking Joker out of Arkham and joining him as the two begin their own criminal adventure across Gotham.

But escaping Arkham is really only the beginning.

Joker and Harley establish a new hideout underneath the Funhouse at Amusement Mile, and from there the DLC transitions into Mayhem Mode, where the two repeatedly venture into a locked-down section of Gotham’s North Island to rob businesses, smash ATMs, steal vehicles, vandalize the city, battle A.R.G.U.S. and generally cause as much destruction as possible.

The more chaos you create, the more money you bring home. That money can then be invested into new abilities, costumes, hideout expansions, crew members and other upgrades before heading back onto the streets and doing it all over again.

And eventually, Gotham starts fighting back.

The best way to describe how frantic this game mode is? Its that it’s pretty much GTA 5 when ur at a fully 5 star wanted system, yes that hectic, aint no wiggle room for relaxing.

One the coolest aspects of this mode is it introduces Harley Quinn, she wasn’t even in the base game syory. So its a great continuation, introducing Harley Quinn once Joker has been arrested after the base story.

This DLC is available on modern day platforms such as

Xbox series X/S

Nintendo Switch 2

Playstation 5

Steam

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Character Rundown

The Joker

Obviously, you can’t have a villain-focused Batman DLC without bringing in The Joker.

What surprised me is that TT Games didn’t simply take Batman’s combat system and slap Joker’s face onto it. Joker feels substantially different. He’s much more focused on ranged attacks, mobility and crowd control, including his Paintball Pelter and one of the stupidest weapons imaginable: an extendable boxing glove.

Which means it’s perfect for Joker.

He is fast, ridiculous and chaotic, and the character fits Mayhem Mode perfectly.

There are also tons of costumes to unlock for him, pulling from different parts of Batman history. I immediately gravitated toward things like the 1989 Joker, the classic Adam West-era Joker, and yes, they actually included Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight.

Thank you.

Harley Quinn

Harley is arguably even more important because this DLC effectively serves as her introduction into this universe.

We actually meet her as Harleen Quinzel and watch her transformation into Harley rather than having her suddenly appear with no explanation.

Like Joker, she has a much more ranged-focused fighting style than the Bat-Family. She’s got her hammer, her Fun Gun and several ridiculous attacks that fit her personality.

But the best addition?

Bud and Lou.

Harley’s hyenas aren’t merely cosmetic pets either. They can attack enemies, help unlock areas and even assist with breaking into stores. They’re incorporated into the actual gameplay instead of following Harley around looking cute.

Although they also do that.

Amanda Waller

Amanda Waller appears as the leader of A.R.G.U.S. and is already attempting to establish Task Force X.

And apparently Waller looks at Joker and thinks:

“You know who would make a fantastic government operative? That guy.”

Amanda.

No.

There are bad ideas, and then there is trying to put The Joker on the Suicide Squad.

Predictably, things don’t exactly work out.

Task Force X

One of my favorite surprises was that A.R.G.U.S. isn’t the only thing trying to stop you.

Task Force X can actually enter your Mayhem Runs and hunt you across Gotham. The possible enemies include characters such as Deathstroke, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, King Shark and Polka-Dot Man, among others.

The game can randomly select different members during runs, meaning you aren’t guaranteed to fight the exact same combination every time.

It creates this great escalation:

A.R.G.U.S. is here.

Okay.

Task Force X is here.

Uh-oh.

BATMAN AND ROBIN ARE COMING.

OH SHIT.

The Henchmen

Rather than giving Joker and Harley the Bat-Family’s takedown system, Mayhem Mode introduces a Crew System.

You can rescue inmates and have Henchmaster train them before assigning them to Joker and Harley’s respective crews. Each character can eventually summon up to five crew members, meaning the screen can become absolute insanity when ten henchmen, A.R.G.U.S. soldiers, Suicide Squad members, Joker, Harley and potentially Bud and Lou are all beating the shit out of each other simultaneously.

It’s appropriately chaotic.

Joker-Mite

Because Batman gets Bat-Mite, apparently Joker needed his own tiny interdimensional lunatic.

Joker-Mite operates the shop in your villain base, selling upgrades and equipment.

It’s another small thing, but it helps make the hideout feel like Joker and Harley’s twisted equivalent of Batman’s Batcave.


—

Pacing / Episode Flow

Well firstly you can unlock 36 outfits for the both them total, so theres that.

Also with this dlc comes new outfits for batman and the crew such as the batman who laughs, yes I wasn’t ever expecting them to adopt the batman who laughs as a skin in a lego game.

And a Joker themed outfit set for the rest of thr gang

A joker-ized batmobile from that one level from arkham knight.

A pumpkin decoration, yes you heard that right time for spooky season i guess. So yeah theres a lot to this dlc.

Also there’s goons you can save, when you see this orange warning icon pop up you can go over to that and save a goon, they will become apart of your team, yes you can summon total of 5 goons for joker and Harley so in total 10 goons.

Mayhem Mode is structured very differently from the main game.

After completing the introductory story material, you’re placed into a gameplay loop:

Enter Gotham → cause chaos → complete objectives → collect money → escape → return to Amusement Mile → purchase upgrades → customize your hideout → repeat.

TT Games describes it as a light roguelike, and that’s honestly a pretty accurate description.

Every Mayhem Run has a timer. You can rob stores, destroy A.R.G.U.S. checkpoints, smash ATMs, steal vehicles, spray graffiti and complete bonus objectives to increase your earnings.

You also have larger objectives that permanently alter Gotham.

For example, one objective has you place four signal lights throughout the city. Another requires building four enormous balloons. Once you’ve completed these objectives, those creations remain in Gotham, meaning you gradually see Joker and Harley physically leaving their mark on the city.

I really like that.

However, progression occasionally creates an annoying problem.

During the balloon objective, two balloons are located on top of extremely tall buildings. The problem is that Joker and Harley don’t naturally have Batman’s traversal abilities. You eventually purchase things such as the Grapple, but that costs a whopping 500,000.

So the game can essentially hand you an objective before you’ve purchased the equipment necessary to comfortably finish it.

That’s not challenging.

That’s just confusing.

The other issue is that Mayhem Mode is relentless.

You’re fighting people. You’re shooting things. You’re smashing things. You’re running somewhere. You’re watching the timer. You’re fighting Task Force X. You’re collecting studs. You’re summoning henchmen.

Eventually my fingers were legitimately getting tired.

If you’re expecting the traditional laid-back LEGO experience where you casually explore Gotham and break some stuff while looking for collectibles, this really isn’t that.

This DLC wants you moving constantly.


—

Pros

The biggest compliment I can give Mayhem Mode is that it brought me back to the original LEGO Batman.

One of my favorite things about that game was completing Batman’s campaign and then getting to experience Gotham from the villains’ perspective. Suddenly the police were attacking you. You were committing the crimes instead of stopping them.

Mayhem Mode finally brings that feeling back.

I also really appreciate that Joker and Harley aren’t reskins of Batman and the Bat-Family. Their reduced emphasis on melee takedowns and increased emphasis on ranged weapons gives the combat its own identity. You’re constantly moving while firing gadgets and trying to control crowds rather than methodically dismantling enemies like Batman.

The customization is another huge positive.

I loved customizing the Batcave in the main game, so giving Joker and Harley their own underground base was exactly what I wanted. You can expand it, decorate it and gradually turn it into your own ridiculous criminal headquarters.

Then there are the costumes.

There are a lot of them. My game shows 36 outfits between Joker and Harley, despite pre-release material advertising 30, and there are some fantastic references buried in there.

The permanent changes to Gotham are also a brilliant idea. You’re not merely filling progression bars. You’re physically watching Joker and Harley’s influence spread across North Island.

I also love the ridiculous LEGO humor.

At one point Joker and Harley escape Arkham on a flying Christmas tree.

That’s it.

No notes.

Perfect LEGO logic.

And there’s an enormous amount of Batman history represented here. The DLC is particularly influenced by Batman: The Animated Series, even presenting some scenes in a 4:3 aspect ratio as a deliberate tribute to the show’s original presentation.

There’s also a shop called Sorkin’s Gems, named in honor of the late Arleen Sorkin, Harley Quinn’s original voice actor.

That’s a genuinely wonderful tribute.


—

Cons

Unfortunately, I have one major problem with Mayhem Mode:

First thing this time around if you link your Warner Bros account with DC Infinite which is a crappy app where you get to read DC comics, and if you link your account btw you have to be subbed to premium as well! You get 2 free items you can place ij the bat cave and joker base, 1 of which id Jarro the star fish and a dc display comic book stand, yeah so worth it.

WHERE IS MY FREE ROAM!?

Seriously.

You built an entire game mode around letting me play as The Joker and Harley Quinn in Gotham City, and you’re telling me I can’t simply walk around Gotham causing trouble whenever I want?

Mayhem Mode allows you to explore North Island during runs, but you’re always operating within the timed-run structure.

I desperately wanted an option after completing the story that simply said:

Mayhem Run

or

Free Roam

Free Roam wouldn’t even need to reward me with anything. Turn off progression. Turn off the timer. Let me drive around as Heath Ledger Joker, find collectibles, fight random enemies and screw around.

That’s all I wanted.

Also joker and Harley dont even get their own

The constant action also means this DLC can become surprisingly exhausting during longer sessions. My fingers genuinely started getting tired because you’re constantly fighting, shooting, running, smashing and completing timed objectives.

Again, this is not a relaxing LEGO mode.

There’s also some unnecessary progression friction. Making traversal abilities such as Grapple something you have to purchase can lead to situations where the game gives you objectives that are difficult or impossible to comfortably reach until you’ve grinded enough money for the appropriate upgrade.

And finally…

The ending.

We’ll discuss that in spoilers.

Because holy anticlimax, Batman.

Oh on top of all that, just like the base game? This dlc is certainly not 2 player friendly. In fact it’s worse here, because the issue just like in the base game some puzzles require a specific hero and player 1 can only and I do mean only play as batman while player 2 cant play as batman but anybody else out of the 6 playable characters, which wow thats horrible mechanics.

But here its worse, because get this you only get 2 characters, Harley and Joker, and joker can only open up vaults while Harley can open up locked doors with crowbar so again good luck going off doing your own thing in 2 player in this game mode.

—

Final Thoughts

The Mayhem Collection is exactly the kind of DLC LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight needed.

The base game was almost entirely about Batman and his allies, and while I absolutely loved that focus, Batman’s villains are such an enormous part of this franchise that their absence as proper playable characters was noticeable.

Mayhem Mode finally gives us the other side of Gotham.

You’re not stopping the robbery.

You’re robbing the store.

You’re not dismantling the criminal hideout.

You’re decorating it.

You’re not waiting for Batman to save you.

You’re watching the timer because Batman is coming to beat your ass.

That role reversal is fantastic.

It also feels like a modern successor to the villain campaign from LEGO Batman: The Videogame, which immediately gives this DLC a nostalgic quality for me.

But I don’t think the Mayhem Collection reaches the same level as the main game. The lack of proper free roam is easily my biggest disappointment. The constant timed structure can make extended sessions exhausting, certain progression decisions are unnecessarily restrictive, and the actual ending is shockingly abrupt.

Still, none of those problems erase how much fun I had.

TT Games gave Joker and Harley their own gameplay styles, hideout, progression system, costumes, henchmen, pets and entire criminal operation while filling the expansion with references to decades of Batman history.

I just wish they’d let me relax occasionally while committing crimes.

Is that really too much for a supervillain to ask?


—

Rating

8/10

A really fun expansion that successfully brings the villain side of LEGO Batman back to life. Joker and Harley are great to play, Mayhem Mode has an addictive progression loop, the customization is excellent and the amount of Batman fan service is ridiculous.

But no unrestricted free roam, physically exhausting extended sessions, occasionally awkward progression requirements and an anticlimactic ending keep this from reaching the 9/10 I gave the base game—let alone a 10/10.

Great DLC.

Now give me Villain Free Roam.


—

⚠️ Spoiler Warning ⚠️

From this point forward, I’m discussing the entire Mayhem Collection, including Harley Quinn’s origin, the Arkham breakout, Amanda Waller, Task Force X, Bud and Lou and the ending.

If you haven’t finished the DLC yet and don’t want anything spoiled, stop reading here.


—

Spoilers

The DLC opens with Dr. Harleen Quinzel conducting a therapy session with The Joker, and immediately Joker starts screwing with the normal therapist-patient dynamic.

Instead of simply answering Harleen’s questions, he starts asking her questions.

Eventually he begins playing around with her name, essentially turning Harleen Quinzel into Harley Quinn.

Subtle, Mr. J.

As Harleen escorts Joker through Arkham, we get a bunch of villain cameos throughout the asylum. Mad Hatter is sitting at a table. Penguin is locked in a cell. Solomon Grundy is there.

And then we finally get Man-Bat.

I had been wondering where this guy was in the base game, and apparently TT Games decided his introduction needed to involve him standing near a prison phone and receiving a telephone call from…

A BAT.

Man-Bat gets a phone call.

From a bat.

Goddammit, LEGO Batman. 😂

Things become considerably more serious when Amanda Waller arrives.

Waller is establishing Task Force X and explains her belief that bad people can be forced into doing good things.

And apparently she wants Joker.

Waller…

Have you met him?

Of every criminal currently sitting inside Arkham Asylum, The Joker might literally be the worst possible person you could attempt to control.

Naturally, Joker isn’t particularly interested.

Harleen is eventually removed from the situation, but instead of walking away and reconsidering her career choices, she heads downtown, gets herself a new outfit and officially becomes Harley Quinn.

She returns to Arkham, breaks Joker out and gives him his equipment.

And now the game basically tells you:

Congratulations. You’re the criminals now.

The Arkham breakout is loaded with the kind of ridiculous humor I wanted from this DLC, culminating in Joker and Harley escaping aboard a flying Christmas tree they built themselves.

Meanwhile, during the lockdown, a zoo truck passes through the area and two hyenas escape.

Those hyenas are, of course, Bud and Lou.

Joker and Harley find them, and they eventually become Harley’s pets as well as part of her gameplay abilities.

After escaping Arkham, the two arrive at Amusement Mile and establish their hideout beneath the Funhouse.

This is where Mayhem Mode really begins.

You start expanding the hideout, purchasing equipment from Joker-Mite, recruiting inmates, training henchmen and gradually turning Joker and Harley from two escaped lunatics into an actual criminal operation.

And I love the parallel with the main game.

Bruce Wayne spends the main story building his legacy.

He creates the Batcave.

He gathers allies.

He develops equipment.

He expands the Bat-Family.

Joker and Harley basically do the evil version of the exact same thing.

They build a hideout.

They gather henchmen.

They develop equipment.

They recruit their own crew.

They leave their symbols throughout Gotham.

Batman builds a heroic legacy. Joker and Harley build a villainous one.

That’s actually a really clever way to make the DLC feel connected thematically to Legacy of the Dark Knight rather than simply being some random bonus mode.

As your Mayhem Runs continue, A.R.G.U.S. increasingly tries to shut you down, and Task Force X begins appearing during runs.

This creates another thing I really enjoyed:

For once, Batman is scary.

Normally when Batman appears in a LEGO Batman game, you’re thinking:

“Hell yeah, Batman’s here.”

Here?

The clock is ticking.

You’ve got money you don’t want to lose.

A.R.G.U.S. is everywhere.

Task Force X is attacking you.

And eventually the game basically announces:

BATMAN AND ROBIN ARE COMING.

Joker:

“Oh.”

😂

If Batman catches you, you can lose part of your haul, so suddenly you’re experiencing Gotham from the perspective of the idiot criminals Batman normally hunts.

That’s such a fun reversal.

Unfortunately, after all this buildup—after escaping Arkham, establishing a criminal empire, recruiting henchmen, defeating Task Force X members, decorating Gotham with giant villain structures, purchasing upgrades and causing absolute chaos—the story eventually reaches its grand conclusion.

And what happens?

Batman arrests Joker and Harley.

That’s basically it.

…

Well, okay then.

Batman:

“You’re under arrest.”

Joker and Harley:

“Aw.”

THE END.

After everything Mayhem Mode builds toward, I expected a more substantial final confrontation or at least a larger comedic payoff.

Thankfully, you can continue playing Mayhem Mode afterward.

So apparently Batman’s greatest mistake was assuming the ending cutscene actually mattered.

Batman:

“You’re going back to Arkham.”

Five minutes later

Joker:

“HARLEY! GET THE HENCHMEN! WE’RE ROBBING AN ATM!”

At least the gameplay loop survives the ending.

And ultimately, that’s Mayhem Collection in a nutshell.

The story ending may be disappointingly abrupt, but everything before it is an enormously entertaining celebration of the criminal side of Batman’s world.

It brought back something I’ve missed since the original LEGO Batman: the feeling that playing as the villains isn’t simply swapping Batman’s character model for Joker.

You’re actually playing the other side of Gotham.

And despite some major frustrations, I had one hell of a time causing Mayhem.

8/10.

Heres the next DC thing I’m most excited for.