LEGO Bricktales is LEGO’s latest attempt to diversify its portfolio of games beyond the formula popularized by TT Games. Some of these attempts were worse than others, but LEGO Bricktales is the latest in a string of successes.
It’s a puzzle game about a young minifig who visits his grandfather, a mad scientist who lives under a seeded amusement park. You must help him fix the park before the mayor evicts him. Later, Grandpa’s robot his assistant warps from another dimension to blame the power of the Crystal of Happiness, an energy source that can restore all of his broken charms. It’s a bit over the top in terms of tone, and quite cumbersome to write. The game is content to spit out wacky scientific terms instead of making appropriate jokes. I was hoping that most of the dialogue would go strong and get to the good stuff: gameplay.
Collecting these crystals will transport you to five different dimensions, each with a unique look and feel. Some lean into the classic sets and aesthetics Lego is associated with, like the Middle Ages and urban areas, while others, like Jungle Biome, do things of their own. Each biome is different from the others and the spaces you walk through hold many secrets. The pause menu opens diorama-style camera angles to help you find everything you’re looking for on a colorful map. Ultimately, this basic exploration is just a means to lead to the core puzzle. A task such as “Build a bridge from point A to point B” provides a large number of pieces to accomplish the goal. It’s amazingly free-form, offers countless solutions to many puzzles, and harnesses the spirit and ingenuity of Lego.So what if what you’ve created isn’t the best way to go? worked.
This adaptable gameplay is the crown jewel of what would otherwise be your average exploration adventure title. The presentation is great, the color palette is vibrant and evocative, but the moments where you have to figure out how to build something are definitely memorable.
