I’ve been a Lego fan for as long as I can remember. From physical blocks to mixed outings in video games, LEGO has survived for decades through its creative and strategic use of license. Released last year, LEGO Builder’s Journey was a great little puzzle game that used the mechanics of the LEGO pieces themselves to tell simple, creative stories. LEGO Bricktales are mechanically more complex, but feel very close to the originality LEGO is known for. It might be a little too repetitive for adults, but if played with a young family, this game is just plain fun.
In LEGO Bricktales, you control a custom-made avatar who’s visiting his inventor grandpa. A few hijinks have caused him to lose power to the theme park. is. As you travel through different locations such as jungles and deserts, you will come across people who need your creative building skills. A builder who manipulates a character through a small Lego diorama with gameplay transitions between exploration segments similar in design to his Journey. You can explore small caves or walk behind buildings to find secrets and additional puzzles. Then there’s a puzzle segment where he has to build a structure out of LEGO in a way he can imagine.
Each structure you build in Puzzle Segment is completely open to its own design. You start the puzzle with a specific selection of blocks, but they can be freely stacked, rotated and placed as long as they are within the allotted building space. It can be as simple as recreating statues, rebuilding bridges and stalls, or designing colorful theme park attractions. To solve the puzzle, you will have to withstand simulation tests. The robot will try to cross the gap using the bridge you created and give feedback if the design needs to be tweaked to withstand weight or movement. For example, a simple 2×4 bridge needs supports to help the robot cross gaps. The zipline must be balanced and also have a small roof for the connection. Each puzzle builds on the previous design you created. Once the puzzle is complete, you are free to use whatever blocks you like to creatively enhance your build. Swap colors, add more creative components, or completely design the puzzle.
One of my favorite things about LEGO Bricktales is that it constantly forces you to think about the physics of the bricks themselves. By arranging the bricks most effectively, you can stack them above or below the bricks. Moving from the physical act of connecting Lego blocks to the digital environment is difficult, but the folks at ClockStone Software have recreated what it’s like to build to their heart’s content and explain the weight of the method. You’ve done a great job…and movement affects builds. This makes each puzzle feel very unique, even when designing quite a few bridges and connecting locations.
Some of the toolkits were a little disorienting. Most of the time the controls work fine, but it can be very difficult to place bricks in 3D space. This is especially true if you start with a simple build and have to redo certain parts due to the physics that affect it. Moving around bricks is easy, and you can use the directional pad to connect bricks above or below pieces that have already been placed, but often you’ll want to move back and forth from available pieces to the construction zone. Getting around is a bit tedious. I noticed. The puzzles here can sometimes feel like a tough break from the exploration segments of the game, and made me want to slip through them and get back to exploring. However, the pacing can be a bit of a disadvantage if you want to rush through the puzzles.
Ultimately, the core mechanics are as solid as a brick of plastic, but the overall presentation leaves a little to be desired. The game feels a little lacking in polish, from the ridiculous number of text boxes to describe dialogue to the extremely boring UI and graphical interface. The Lego aspect is perfectly matched with dioramas using studs and flat pieces for some gorgeous designs in different worlds, but this makes the UI stand out even more. It feels like you’re playing the game it was designed for, and the game runs well on the system, but sometimes the final product feels a little cheap and inconsistent. It does a decent job of complementing the , but has little impact on the overall experience.
That said, LEGO Bricktales is probably the best game to play with younger players. For kids, the whimsical style of the characters and world would be a great introduction to a puzzle game that encourages creativity, especially if kids are excited to go back and redesign previous builds to their heart’s content. While regular LEGO games are all about action and cooperation, Bricktales’ emphasis on creativity and puzzle-solving makes it feel more grounded than the fantastical LEGO Star Wars and Marvel games. This is a game that anyone who understands toys can pick up and enjoy. A more mature single player probably won’t last long, but this is something families will definitely appreciate no matter what platform they play on.