Lego games have always been a staple of gaming in my house. They are so popular that my wife got her mom playing them. She’s much more thorough than I am. She has no problem attempting to get that 100% in a Lego Game. Me? I just don’t have the time. That being said there are games that have come out that I don’t need to dedicate a bunch of time to if I don’t want to. Minecraft is a great example of that. I can login, check on my world, get some resources, fight some monsters, log out. I remember thinking “This is like, video games Legos! Why isn’t there a Lego game like this?” Well, Lego Worlds has finally answered that question for us.
Lego Worlds is a Lego game mixed with Minecraft-like elements. You finally get to live the dream of building virtual Lego worlds all while running around breaking things in traditional Lego game fashion. You set out on a brief tutorial in different worlds where they slowly introduce different game concepts to you. After that you are free to create your own world, or visit any randomly generated one to explore.
Controls for moving your Lego figure around will feel very familiar if you have played any Lego game the past. Run, jump, double-jump, attack, they are all back. What Lego Worlds adds to the mix is the introduction of tools. Each tool has a specific designation on what it’s supposed to do in the world. There’s a tool to scan objects and place them in the world. There is a tool to copy part of the world and place it elsewhere. There is a tool to raise or lower the landscape. There is a tool to paint, and there is a tool to set down Lego bricks one-by-one. Getting used to the tools will take a little bit, especially since like most Lego games, the camera can be a pain. I often found myself placing bricks down incorrectly or copying only part of what I wanted. The game also has an “auto climb” which can get pretty annoying when jumping in small spaces. There were a number of times I was jumping and my character would auto climb the ceiling or just hang on without me wanting them to do so.
As far as gameplay is concerned in Lego Worlds, there isn’t much to it. Run around, build stuff, visit other worlds. There is no real story and no real objective. There are plenty of NPCs that will give you quests but there isn’t any rush to complete them. In fact a large portion of the quests are simple fetch quests or “I need something placed”. While in each world completing these quest (as well as exploring) will let you grab Gold Bricks. Gold Bricks will allow you to explore more of the universe. The more you collect, the more you can explore. It can get pretty repetitive, but so do most of the standard Lego games.
One aspect of the game I wish I could have spent more time with was the Multiplayer. During my review period not many friends had the game so I couldn’t jump into any games. I attempted to find random online worlds but most of them seemed to look the same. I feel that with time, the online worlds will be vast, expansive, and amazing. This isn’t a knock on the the multiplayer aspect, it’s just that with so many games coming, I feel that I might end up forgetting about Lego Worlds and never get to experience it.
There isn’t much an upgrade to the visual style of Lego Worlds. If you’ve played one Lego game, you’re already familiar with the style. Not that I was expecting anything crazy, but we’re getting fancier TVs, graphics, and hardware so a few upgrades might be nice. I will say that the shine on lego pieces look great and there is a definite “plastic” look to a lot of the animals.
The same can be said for sound. The smashing noises are incredibly satisfying, but they always have been. There isn’t much else new added to the sound. With the movie Lego games we started to get dialogue from the films but since there are no tie-ins, there’s very little dialogue. Animal and character noises are adorable and there’s fun music in the background but overall there isn’t much else to get excited about.
With the randomly generated worlds there will be a ton of amazing content for Lego Worlds. The addition of a multiplayer aspect also promises a lot more content for players to explore. If you’re looking for a fun new Minecraft alternative then Lego Worlds is a great one. At $30 you’re looking at game with plenty of replay value, charm, a little frustration, and some amazing creations.
