It seems strange nowadays to think that in the not too distant past (around 2004), Lego was on the verge of bankruptcy. The Danish miniature brick maker was struggling to remain relevant in an increasingly crowded toy market, making unsuccessful attempts to move into new territories, and ultimately away from what made them so successful in the first place. With a new CEO and a number of tie-ins with the likes of Star Wars and Disney, Lego once again become a dominant force in the toy industry. February saw the release of Lego: The Movie, and soon after a companion game followed. With developer TT Games having already established Lego games as a major force on consoles, can a game based on the film continue the success laid down by previous efforts? Lets see what Xbox have provided us with their copy of the game!
For those already familiar with the film, and more importantly those who enjoyed it, there is a lot to like about this game from the off. Cutscenes are lifted directly from the film, which then blend into gameplay and allow you to play through some of the film’s major set piece moments, including the car chase on the motorway, escaping from Cloud Cuckoo Land and the final showdown with Lord Business. Voice acting is provided by some decent imitators, which was enough to fool me. Jokes written purely for the game also manage to hit the same beats as in the film, with most of the stand out lines going to Batman.
While the production values are all of an extremely high standard, the same can’t be said of the gameplay. The issue here isn’t that there is anything particularly wrong with it, it is more that it doesn’t stretch itself beyond the serviceable. Having had so much experience in the many years of making Lego games, TT games has gone for a kid-friendly approach this time around. Hints abound, telling you which characters to switch to or pointing you in the direction of your next objective. Combat is perfunctory, needing nothing more than hammering the attack button, sometimes combined with a jump attack when surrounded my multiple enemies. Platforming is more of a key focus, using the different characters to progress through the 15 levels: female characters like Wyldstyle can jump higher, while Batman has a handy grapple hook for reaching out of reach areas or taking out service bots.
The main joy for kids will be using the ‘Master Builder’ ability: while in practice it involves little more that moving a cursor over the highlighted pieces, watching your characters whizz around the screen, constructing a getaway vehicle or a catapult to defeat an enemy, it certainly brings you closer to re-enacting events from the film. There are moments of frustration: the camera occasionally swings around unnecessarily, obstructing your view or forcing you to readjust the direction you were moving. It’s also not uncommon to jump or fall off a platform with no pressure from enemies. Luckily, there’s no Dark Souls level of punishment here; you will respawn exactly where you perished, only losing some of the silver and gold Lego pieces you had collected.
For those who have already played their way through numerous Lego games, there may not be enough on offer here to make it worth their while purchasing. With a Lego: Hobbit game due out soon, Tolkien fans will undoubtedly find more there. The Lego Movie Videogame is not without its charm; there’s something to be said for its addictive ‘got to collect everything’ nature. With so many recognisable moments and locations from throughout the film, plus its plethora of characters, kids will certainly get their fill from what’s on offer. And only the most stubborn of parents will fail to smile, slyly wresting the controller from their child’s hand, ‘just to help you out with this section.’ Just remember to hand it back before too long.
