Another month another LEGO game. By now, chances are extremely low you never heard of LEGO games. With every new major movie release, there’s a new LEGO game waiting behind the corner. Although most of the LEGO games are really enjoyable, it often follows the same formula a bit too much. Time to see if The LEGO Movie 2 videogame can change things up a bit.
Enter the semi-open worlds
Unlike the other movie based LEGO games, this ones tries things differently. Instead of offering level after level, the game gives you some semi-open worlds to discover. It comes closer to games like LEGO: City Undercover or even LEGO Worlds. At first, this feels like a step in the right direction. To be honest, the standard formula of finishing level after level why collecting everything there is to collect started to feel like work rather than fun. I applaud these semi-open worlds although they still come with some issues.
But, let’s start with the positive first! The LEGO Movie 2 -The Videogame comes packed with content. It’s amazing to see how much variation the game offers when it comes to menus. If you’ve seen the LEGO movies before, you know the franchise doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is also the strength of the game. Instead of serving you serious mission after serious mission, there’s enough time to mess around in the LEGO universe. I loved the crazier missions where things didn’t really make sense but somehow added to the main plot. Exploring everything will keep you busy quite a while though. Take the unlocking of extra character for example. Gone are the days where you could easily unlock does, now you have to find a crazy amount of LEGO bricks before you can unlock the entire roster. Personally, I’m not a big fan of this new system but for those who like to see every inch of the LEGO world, it’s certainly a nice extra challenge!
It feels rather empty
Having semi-open worlds instead of linear levels sounds like a great idea and with a little more time and budget, it could have been amazing. In reality, the worlds feel a bit too empty. Instead of feeling like vast worlds, the semi-open worlds often feel like a central base where you go from level to level, just like the old games. While going from one level to another, there’s not that much to see or do. It’s a shame since the LEGO franchise already demonstrated they can handle an open world. Remember all the fun little details in LEGO: City Undercover? Well, this one is nothing like this. Instead of having a couple of intriguing worlds filled with fun things to discover, we’re stuck with these rather generic worlds instead.
On top of that comes the story. Since this one follows the events of The LEGO Movie 2, it has far fewer jokes than the other LEGO games. The story feels rushed and it’s not always clear what’s happening. It’s clear that the creators wanted to release the game in time for the movie release but it comes at a rather high price. It’s sad to see the lost potential on this one. It looks amazing and has some solid segments offering hours of fun but it all could have been so much better. A better worked out story, some more extra elements in the worlds… All of this would have elevated the global experience to new heights.
Conclusion:
The LEGO Movie 2 – The Videogame has some good ideas on how to innovate the classic LEGO game formula. It’s a shame the team didn’t take more time to polish the semi-open worlds. Instead of a truly great game, you’ll get a fun game to spend some of your time with. It’s a fun game for the younger gamers but with some research, you’ll find a lot of better games currently on the market. Not bad, just a mediocre entry in the franchise.
