I’ve reviewed so many Lego games now, I like to think myself something of a connoisseur of them. But it’s a type of game that my wife and I can really enjoy together. The Wii U is the best platform for playing them too, since it allows both players a full wide-screen view at once with the Gamepad.
This one is unique from other ones in a few ways. Firstly, it’s based on only one movie. Some of the superhero ones have a single story but it’s a new one for the game so they can design levels for it. What you notice about this is that they have to insert extra happenings in between scenes of the movie, to make up more of a playable experience. This is not a bad thing; one of the strengths of adaptations is fleshing out the source material in various ways. However the result is that the game is quite short compared to pretty much every other Lego game. There are several hub areas with things to do but nothing like the expanse of Middle-Earth or Gotham City. There’s a fine line between the game feeling focused or self-contained and feeling brief or lacking.
Of course, this game is also different in that its source hasn’t been Lego-ised for the game. The source is Lego in every way. This means that scenes from the movie can be played directly as cutscenes, which works very well at making you feel like you’re playing the movie, and reminded me how good the movie itself is too. Newly recorded audio material for all the characters is also used over gameplay which is cool. The movie’s Lego-only aesthetic is embraced in the game too and well delivered on. The game isn’t quite as universal an IP mash-up as the movie is but there’s a fun range of characters of different types and origins. Near the end Gandalf shows up individually, and I think you can see the hints of Lego Dimensions there.
Despite its brief length, TLMV was one of my favourites yet. Part of this I think is due to its smaller scope, letting them polish it more instead of rushing out a gigantic buggy mess, although I will also chalk that up to this being developed by TT Fusion, who predominantly helms the handheld games which I view as more stable. Partly it’s also the bright, fun aesthetic of the world, it gives a happier mood than the pervasive dim gloom of Batman’s world or the Middle-Earth games. It’s also just easier to see when it’s light and colourful and there isn’t constant rain. Another part is it being based on a comedy movie where everything in the movie and the game is geared towards fun. Its biggest weakness is some levels seeming inconsequential due to being inserted in the movie’s events, as well as being over too quickly, but if you expect a smaller game you won’t be disappointed.
EDIT: Upon spending more time in Free Play, several bugs and glitches have come to light. So never mind what I said, it’s about on par with the other Lego games.
