Lego DC Super-Villains is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the Lego Batman series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Universe; it is the first in the series to do so since the villain levels from Lego Batman: The Videogame. The game was released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on 16 October 2018 in North America and 19 October worldwide. The macOS version of the game was released by Feral Interactive on 30 July 2019.
While the core gameplay follows the same style of past Lego titles, including the addition of a two-player cooperative multiplayer mode, DC Super-Villains is the first title to incorporate a customized character into the story. The plot centers around the villains of the DC Universe who, in the aftermath of the Justice League's disappearance, reluctantly take on the role of the Earth's protectors and must defeat a rival group of supervillains from another universe, who are masquerading as heroes while searching for a powerful item for their master.
Gameplay
Lego DC Super-Villains is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective, alternating between various action-adventure sequences and puzzle-solving scenarios.
Characters
Like previous titles from the Lego Batman trilogy, such as DC Super Heroes and Beyond Gotham, players gain access to a roster of iconic characters from the DC Universe, each with their own unique abilities. Lego DC Super-Villains stands out from other Lego video games by being the first to incorporate the use of a custom character, who becomes integrated with the game's story. Initially players devise their looks, name, and style of fighting, but gain access to super-powers for their character to use as they progress in the story, along with unlocking customisation options.
Setting
The game itself operates with the same level of gameplay mechanics from previous Lego video games, as well as elements from the Lego Batman trilogy, focusing on a mixture of levels consisting of two modes – story and free roam – along with open-world elements in between levels, featuring a selection of locations from the DC Universe, including condensed versions of Gotham City and Metropolis, as well as Smallville, Arkham Asylum, Apokolips, the Justice League Watchtower, Stryker's Island, the Hall of Justice, S.T.A.R. Labs, and Belle Reve; story levels feature other locations such as Gorilla City, Oa, Themyscira, and Nanda Parbat.
Downloadable content
The game features a Deluxe Edition, which grants players who purchase it access to season pass content. The season pass consists of levels based on other DC media franchises – two based on the 2018 film Aquaman, one based on the 1993 animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, two based on the 2019 film Shazam!, and one based on the 2013 Young Justice animated series episode "Summit". It also contains character packs, including the "DC Super Heroes: TV Series DLC Character Pack" and "DC Super-Villains: TV Series DLC Character Pack", both consisting of characters from The CW's "Arrowverse" television programs; the "Justice League Dark Character Pack"; and the "DC Movies Character Pack", a pack consisting of characters from the DC Extended Universe.
Plot
Following the capture of a super-powered individual dubbed "The Rookie", Commissioner Gordon oversees their transfer to Stryker's Island in Metropolis. As the Rookie possesses a previously unseen ability to absorb energy to gain new super-powers, Gordon offers the incarcerated Lex Luthor a reduced prison sentence in exchange for monitoring them and assessing their potential threat. Before he can agree to the deal, Luthor's bodyguard Mercy Graves arrives to break him and the Rookie out of prison, and the trio escape alongside several other imprisoned villains, though they are pursued by the Justice League. Meanwhile, the Joker and Harley Quinn steal several items from Wayne Tech, with Batman giving chase. The combined group of villains are defeated by the sudden arrival of the "Justice Syndicate", a superhero team from a parallel universe, with only a few escaping. Before departing, Harley witnesses the Syndicate forcibly warp the Justice League away.