Why You Can Trust CNET The LEGO Movie Video Game (iOS) review: Fun action game, but only if you've seen the movie
The popular Lego Movie from last year is now a game for iOS that lets you play as many of the characters from the movie as you try to save the world.
The Lego Movie Video Game ($4.99, £3.99, AU$6.49) for iOS lets you take part in the adventure to save the world with a huge cast of characters from the movie. You play initially as Emmet, Chris Pratt's character from the movie, but you'll be able to switch over to other characters when their unique skills are needed as you explore all the areas of the game.
The LEGO Movie Video Game (iOS)
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The latest in a long line of Lego video games for mobile, The Lego Movie Video Game has that unique Lego atmosphere that challenges you to complete tons of missions, but keeps the gameplay light and fun.
One thing to note is that if you haven't seen the movie, the game is still fun, but as you move through the movie's several different worlds, it won't make much sense.
Choose your controls first
I'd advise starting right off with control configuration because I could almost not play the game with the default control scheme. The game defaults to a swipe system that feels just a little too abstract, but fortunately you can go to the settings and switch it over to a gamepad-like interface. Whichever you use, the game is always a little hard to control. Just know that if you don't like the controls, you can switch.
Starting your adventure
The Lego Movie game follows the movie's storyline and lets you take part in the major scenes from Flatbush Gulch in the old west to Cloud Cuckoo Land. There are 45 levels in all and the game shows cutscenes from the movie so you know where you are in the action. As you play, you'll explore levels to complete missions, each with challenges that require you to switch characters to use their unique skills.
As in other Lego games, most of the scenery is destructable and gives you Lego "studs" that can be used to buy other characters from the movie. There are also areas that require you to "build" objects such as ladders and bridges to help you move forward in the level. The trick here is that some objects can only be built by specific characters so you'll need to switch to one that has that capability before pressing the button that builds the object.
Each level has goals you need to complete in order to pass the level. Sometimes it means gathering pages of building instructions to build a vehicle or finding parts that build a bridge so you can escape.
Plenty of variety
While most of the game is as I've described so far, there are other levels that give you new challenges as you play. For example, when warping to different areas, you get a top-down perspective as you fall down a long tube while avoiding obstacles. Other levels have you driving the giant motorcycle from the movie or manning a turret on the back of a vehicle so you can blow away pursuing police.
You should really watch the movie
The game stands on its own for fun factor, but if you haven't seen the movie, it won't make much sense. I say this because, to be honest, I hadn't seen the movie myself when I first downloaded the game and I quickly got lost when I started playing. Even with the occasional cutscenes, the changes from area to area are really jarring if you don't know why they're happening. In the beginning I was in a city, and then in the Old West, and by the time I was up in the clouds (Cloud Cuckoo Land), I knew I would never understand what was going on without seeing the movie.
There are also places where missions just seem to end and it's not clear what you did to finish the area. After seeing the movie I understood that it was simply pushing the plot forward, but if you're playing without that knowledge, it can be pretty confusing.
Conclusion
The Lego Movie Video Game stays true to the movie, letting you act out all of the fun scenes across the movie's many Lego worlds. The character-switching system is smooth as you find the right character for the job at hand and the varied character skills keep the game interesting.
There are a couple of different control systems to choose from, but neither is as precise as I would have wanted. I still would recommend the onscreen gamepad over the default swiping system.
The main thing to note about this game is it won't make much sense unless you've seen the movie. So if you haven't seen it, I can't recommend spending 5 bucks for this game, but if you have, I think you'll find that "everything is awesome."