The Lego Movie Videogame

The Lego brand has been around for over 60 years. Every child since then has had some experience playing with the legendary construction toy, be it building random models or rigidly sticking to the instructions in the box. Over time Lego have branched out from their original themed playsets, to licenced sets. From big names such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Marvel, DC and Lord of the Rings to less successful themes like Speed Racer, Prince of Persia and The Lone Ranger.

Building (no pun intended) on the success of the toys, Lego have moved in to other areas. The most obvious spin-off is the line of video games developed by Traveller's Tales, the latest of which is based on another Lego venture....their venture in to cinema.


The Lego Movie has been a bit of a phenomenon. Reviews have been almost universally positive and children and adults alike have been enchanted by the tale of Emmet, a regular Lego construction worker, who discovers he could be something a LOT more important. The film spans many different Lego themes and is packed full of surprises, which I would spoil if I mentioned any more of the plot. In fact, the game follows the story of the film almost exactly. So because of that I'd have to recommend avoiding if you're planning to see it in the cinema any time soon.

On to the game itself and, first off, if you've ever played a Lego game in recent years you know exactly what to expect with The Lego Movie. Not much has changed in terms of gameplay. At it's heart it's still a standard 3D platformer. The initial hub is viewed from a 3rd person viewpoint while the actual levels are viewed from a series of fixed views. There are 15 fairly substantial stages to play through and as with other Lego games there are collectibles scattered within. This is where the majority of the replay value comes from, as you unlock characters with different abilities that will then allow you to get previously unreachable items.

Those who have played either of the Lego Batman games will be familiar with a lot of the abilities. It's no secret that a selection of DC characters appear in the movie and, as a result, they also feature in this game. Batman's batarang and grapple rope are invaluable as are Superman's flight and heat vision. Your main character, Emmet, also has a couple of important abilities with him being one of few characters able to repair machinery or drill special areas.

There is always something featured to set each Lego game apart from the others. Star Wars III had real-time strategy sections. Lord of the Rings introduced some minor RPG elements. The eclectic cast of characters would normally be enough, but the Lego Movie Videogame also includes some minigames to keep you on your toes. There's a rhythm game which occurs a couple of times and a Pac-Man style maze game when you try to hack computers. They're all pretty easy but don't crop up often enough to annoy.


There are also a couple of unique twists on building. The usual Lego building action is there, but on ocassion you will be confronted with "instruction builds" which only construction workers can complete using instruction pages scattered nearby. You then need to select the correct pieces in order to proceed. The faster you complete it, the bigger your reward. There are also "master builds" where seemingly random objects can be selected and formed in to some weird and wonderful creations. It's not much, but it adds a little bit more variety to a formula that at times seems perilously close to becoming stale.

If there are any drawbacks to this game then it's in the longevity. After finishing Lego Marvel Superheroes recently (and, to a greater extent, Lego City Undercover on the Wii U last year), The Lego Movie comes across as pretty minuscule in comparison. The world feels smaller. There isn't as much to unlock and there are fewer collectibles to hunt for. As fun as it is, you just can't shake that nagging feeling that it isn't giving as much value for money as previous titles. It won't take as much time to complete and the replay value of Lego games upon reaching 100% is always lacking. It feels like a bit of a step back in that regard.

Back to the positives though. It looks great and sounds great. The music, FX and dialogue are almost all lifted directly from the movie itself and the cutscenes are all actual movie clips which is an obvious first for the Lego series. Also, after experiencing several huge glitches in Lego Marvel, I was pleased to get through this game almost glitch-free, save for one console freeze while hunting collectibles.


Overall, this game was a great surprise. I was initially concerned, as this game seemed like an afterthought for Traveller's Tales. Especially considering that we're only a couple of months out from their last game (Lego Marvel) and less than 2 months away from their next one (The Hobbit). I shouldn't have been too worried though. Yes, it's relatively short compared to recent Lego games but the presentation and the sheer sense of fun should win most people over. I mean, where else will you be able to team up Green Lantern with Shakespeare?

8/10

Okay....all together now!

Stellar review mate!!!

Can't wait to see both the movie and play the game now!!

KENT HAMMER wrote:Stellar review mate!!!

Can't wait to see both the movie and play the game now!!

Like I said in the review, SEE THE MOVIE FIRST.

I enjoyed reading that mate. Taking kids to see the movie on Saturday.

Great review GOTD!

I'm also feeling the need to go and see this film, and it's nice to know that the game tie-in is another worthy addition to the Lego series. Will add it to my list of games to bargain-hunt in future!

Good review fella. I was a bit concerned they were milking the games a little, but sounds like this is one for the list

Nice work mate

Awesome Review GOTD!

Really Enjoyed the read
love the Lego Games but was a little worried that the main character would be overshadowed by the Huge Cast of lego they had but glad thats not the Case! once iv seen the Film ill be sure to Pick this up

My current man bought me this for Valentine's day... now I need him to take me to see the film before I can play it! Nice review GotD.

Great review Graham, i really want to see the Movie, hopefully i''l get to see it either over the weekend, or early next week. As for the game i'll keep an eye out for a bargain offer.

RabidHellBunny wrote:My current man bought me this for Valentine's day... now I need him to take me to see the film before I can play it!

Ha, he didn't think that through, did he?

Great review mate

Concerning the movie it is great, bit lacking in narrative but it is a kids film so that is to be expected. Would recommend that everyone see it

A great read mate. Puts the game firmly on my radar.

Awesome review mate. I've seen the movie and loved it so went and got the game and can't wait to start this.

Cheers everyone!

Got 100% on this earlier this evening. A couple of sneaky gold bricks had me looking up a guide.

Waggly Bean wrote:

RabidHellBunny wrote:My current man bought me this for Valentine's day... now I need him to take me to see the film before I can play it!

Ha, he didn't think that through, did he?

No and now he's saying he's not interested in seeing it at the cinema... now what do I do?? I was thinking about telling him to wear the suspenders and cook the dinner (not at the same time) but I don't think I want to see that or eat that (the dinner not the suspenders). I'll just pull my sulky face and hope that works.