LEGO Dimensions 71344 Excalibur Batman Fun Pack review

Following the release of The LEGO Batman Movie Story Pack – which didn’t come with a Batman character – you can now get your hands on one more unique Batsuit in this Fun Pack. Is this one worth parting with your cash for?

Price: £14.99 / $11.99 / €14.99 (DE) Pieces: 57 Available: Now

 

Minifigure:

Excalibur Batman or Excalibat, as the suit is named in The LEGO Batman Movie, is a great looking minifigure with the inspiration for its design heavily influenced by classic knights. It is likely this character is based on Batman’s appearance in the Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table comics from 1998.

Featuring a yellow/blue combo vest on the torso which is then printed over with a metallic silver breast plate, this has the usual Bat-logo and printing that continues down onto the legs. There are even printed knee pads – also featuring the Bat-logo on each side – which add to the overall quality of this medieval minifigure. The new yellow moulded utility belt makes another welcome appearance along with a pearl silver shoulder guard to match Batman’s cowl. Other than a blue tethered cape, the only accessory here is a very cool sword which is currently exclusive to this set.

Build:

Usually I feel that the mini-build in a Dimensions pack is superfluous to the minifigures, which will almost always be the main draw. It is with great jubilation that on this occasion I was delighted with the mini-build, which I think steals the show.

It is a lot of fun to build using some very neat techniques, creating an overall aesthetic that looks absolutely fantastic. The official name is Bionic Steed – I’m guessing that ‘robo-horse’ may have wider appeal with kids – but if you’d said it was simply a brick-built horse, I’d have been quite convinced. As with every other build in Dimensions, it’s a 3-in-1 build and can be upgraded in-game to become a Bat-Raptor and Ultrabat.

In-game minifigure:

Given that we already have a Batman that came with the LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack, it might seem that there is little value in having this one too. However, compared to the first Batman, Excalibur Batman has quite a few more useful abilities including Master Builder, laser deflector, super strength and sword switch (which previously only Finn from Adventure Time can do). Fortunately Will Arnett reprises his voiceover role as the Dark Knight so it’s always enjoyable to hear some witty one liners that sound like the real deal.

 

Adventure World:

Once more we find ourselves in Gotham City, though this is the first time it’s been based specifically on a film version. There are the usual things to collect such as a red brick, enough studs to become a rule breaker, and plenty of gold bricks to find through various side quests. It all adds to the overall experience we’ve come to expect and look forward to when playing LEGO Dimensions.

It does feel like quite a decent sized Gotham with iconic areas to explore such as Arkham Asylum, Wayne Manor on Wayne Island, and plenty of other locations familiar from the film. I particularly liked being able to spend more time seeking out hidden jokes and references that are scattered around, but are almost impossible to spot in the movie.

It’s the usual dark and brooding combination of urban and night-time, but for Batman what else would you want?

Battle Arena:

Once you’re done collecting in Gotham you can move on to the Battle Arena which is new for the  second year of LEGO Dimensions. In this case you get to compete with up to four players in mini games that include Capture The Flag, Base Bash!, Tick, Tag, Boom, and Objective. I don’t hugely enjoy these mini games as they feel a bit too frenetic and don’t make a lot of sense, but perhaps some gamers will absolutely love it if they are used to this style of play.

As soon as you select a mode, you’re thrown in to a four-way split screen with so much going on you’re not entirely sure what to do. At no point is anything explained so you just have to put up with Brian Blessed shouting about which player now has the flag, and that you’ve got 30 seconds left before the game is over. In this Fun Pack you unlock the Batcave Battle Arena location but the mechanics are identical to those found in other arenas.

Overall:

If you don’t already have The LEGO Batman Movie Story Pack, then this is a must-have purchase. You’ll unlock the Gotham Adventure World and Battle Arena plus Excalibat has an array of very useful abilities sure to aid you on your quest to obtain those elusive collectibles. If you do have the Story Pack and aren’t entirely convinced by another Batman in-game, you get another exclusive Batman suit for the collection and the Bionic Steed is a very pleasing build. At £14.99 this is a fairly easy decision, but if you can get it for a discount then it’s a no-brainer.

71344 Excalibur Batman Fun Pack is available now from shop.LEGO.com. You can help support Brick Fanatics’ work by using our affiliate links. 

This product was provided for review by Warner Bros.