Before he was the star of a big budget spin-off Hollywood movie, Lego Batman was brought to life in video games. His first digital adventure came out way back in 2008, and it got a sequel in 2012. Lego Batman 2 was a big deal, not just for its graphical advancements and more open design — but also because it finally gave the characters real actual voices.
Surprisingly, this was a big topic of discussion in the gaming space all those years ago. I know it seems silly now, but some fans were actually worried about the characters having voices. Prior Lego games were massively popular, and they told their stories entirely through grunts, shouts, and physical poses. The characters’ silence and need to mime everything amplified the humor of their stories, but at the cost of any plot complexity.
Most of the early games in the Lego series were direct adaptations of movies rather than unique stories. It was okay that the characters couldn’t talk since you probably already knew what they were referencing. If you’d seen Star Wars or Indiana Jones, their Lego game counterparts could lean on your knowledge and get away with basic audio production. Lego Batman was different, even from the first game. Although it had a plot inspired by many different aspects of Batman lore and…
