Review for The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame. Game for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 26/02/2019
We've been asking games for years LEGO on famous licenses made in Traveller's Tales to evolve, find new ways and innovate and when they finally do, like in this one The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame, it seems strange to note the certainly not flattering rating that accompanies this review. However, it was impossible not to do a more confusing job than what TT Fusion has reserved for this videogame rendering of the much appreciated (here the review, again by the writer today) sequel to the first animated feature film dedicated to Danish bricks.
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame completely abandons the formula of the games that preceded it - last in order of appearance the more than nice DC Super-Villains - to embrace a game system more like the one seen in mediocre LEGO Worlds, a title that provided much more freedom and gameplay based on Minecraft-style constructions (distantly), while at the same time adopting the same graphics engine (definitely ugly to see, especially if played after Red Dead Redemption 2, Ed.). So say goodbye to the linearity and skill-based puzzles of classic characters from the LEGO series and welcome to bare semi-open-world hubs in which to satisfy the most mundane requests of various people around the map.
The emphasis is on building and using an arsenal of items, unlocked as you progress through the story lasting about 6-7 hours, but with good replay value in exploring the main levels and also the bonus ones to find all the purple bricks.
The death of collecting
Too bad this object-based system you sacrifice all the unique characteristics and abilities of the different characters, the backbone of the LEGO game levels so far and perfect mechanics for the local co-op. Batman's grappling hook paired with Flash's speed, Iron Man's beam in combo with Hulk's strength, Hermione's Wingardium Leviosa & Harry's Patronum: none of this matters here, just equip one item or another and every mini LEGO figurine gets the right power to overcome the obstacle. Theoretically you could finish the whole game with Emmet.
Which makes it quite useless and uninspired the presence of so many characters in the game: if none of them bring anything new to the table, why change them? Not to mention that the way in which new characters, equipment and constructions are earned is an absolutely useless system of lootboxes found by exploring the levels, which randomly (after tedious opening at the shops scattered in the various hubs) will offer us new items. Did you really need loot in The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame?
But the story?
And all this wouldn't be so terrifying if it weren't for the fact that we are dealing with The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame, the game that should adapt and present the hilarious story of the film, its characters, its situations. Instead, TT Fusion has almost completely dropped the narrative in favor of this sandbox approach: there are practically no scenes in the film, let alone the dubbing and the story is told in a very impersonal way by Lucy as an external narrator through short sentences at the end of the level. If you have not seen the film in the cinema you will understand absolutely nothing and every stunt / cameo / line that made the film funny is either absent or thrown in the corner of the game.
To make you understand, it is as if each level takes free inspiration from the relative moment of the film, and then adds completely random and recycled elements and situations, without any detail taken from the original material, unlike the curated levels offered in the past by the series. There is the same difference between eating good ramen in a restaurant as warming up a bowl of instant ramen at home or outside the games pavilion at Lucca Comics: the second has a bit of the flavor of the first, but it is absolutely not the same thing.
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame is one of the most soulless video games we have touched in recent years, which completely misses the goal of bringing a great movie to console too. If it was released as a LEGO Worlds themed expansion for one thing, we would have accepted it more favorably, so simply avoid it.
► The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame is an Adventure-Platform game developed by TT Fusion and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 26/02/2019
