Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Developer: TT Games
Format Reviewed: Xbox One (also on PS4, PC and Switch)
Provided By: Publisher
Price: £24.99 – £49.99 (Depending on Format)
The Lego Ninjago Movie Game is the latest in the Lego Games and is based on the movie based on the tv show based on the toy.
You might be thinking “not another lego game” and you’d not be wrong for thinking that – however this one does make some much needed changes to the usual formula which hopefully might carry on to future lego titles (at the very least i expect some of them to carry on to Lego Marvel 2).
The first is the massively improved combat, no more do you just need to tap one button – there are combos and if you just keep spamming the same one against an enemy they will block you.
Collecting studs has changed slightly too – no longer does the meter apply to the level , it is now a continuous meter which you can fill several times over and get a gold brick each time. This means you aren’t punished for not finding that one line of studs in a darkened corner of a level anymore. You also don’t need to use studs to unlock characters any more (something i hope carries over to Lego Marvel 2, because there’s going to be a lot of characters in that one!)
Mega builds and Arenas make a welcome return, arenas especially as they allow you to experiment with the new combat system. There are also a series of Dojos with various rewards for completion.
The main let down of the game, in much the same way as The Lego Movie Game is the story, there are presumably large chunks of the story missing (i’ve not seen the film yet, as it isn’t released in the UK until the 13th October) which leaves the story mode short and disjointed. Luckily the areas are large enough that when you’ve quickly plowed through the story there is still plenty to explore.
The load times for the new open areas are also an area of concern, they are quite long, however once loaded there is little to no loading after that. The framerate in some of the city sections has a massive drop as well – this could possibly be optimised in a patch but as it stands now the framerate does drop what appears to be under 20 at times.
The Lego Ninjago Movie Game is a good entry into the Lego franchise, but you can’t help feeling that maybe it should have been a story addon for Lego Dimensions rather than it’s own standalone game. Your kids will love it (they also won’t find it too difficult, this is the fist Lego game they haven’t asked me for help with!), don’t just take my word for it:
My 6 year old Stepson: “I really really enjoyed playing this, it is awesome 10/10”
My 8 Year Old Son: “This game is amazing, I love Ninjago”
And at the end of the day, their enjoyment is all that matters.
