LEGO® Builder’s Journey was first released back in 2019 as an Apple Arcade exclusive title. It was also the first game to be created by Light Brick Studio, a studio set-up in-house at the LEGO Group, before becoming independent last year. Since launching on Apple Arcade, the game has also made the leap to PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox. It’s now finally available on PlayStation consoles and has added new content along the way. So here’s a re-review of LEGO Builder’s Journey.
The game begins with a simple isometric island of LEGO bricks. There are few indications as to what you need to do, slight prompts appear but little else. Just like being faced with a pile of LEGO bricks, the way you proceed is by experimenting. Clicking the lone element picks it up, tapping the button will rotate it and long-pressing the button clicks an element into place. The digital bricks act in the same way as physical ones. So they can only be connected to studded surfaces.
The aim of the game is to help the father and son explorers find their way across the level. They can only move via jumper plates. These can be moved around the area to help them reach their goal. There are also additional elements on each of the maps. These can be combined in different ways to help move them along, by creating bridges or pathways.
Additional content has added further levels to work through and slight variations on how bricks and the environment works. So once you discover your robot friend, it will provide studs which replicate themselves and create further bricks. So stacking the stud twice will create a 1×1 brick and so on. There’s also machinery puzzles, you either need to use these to create bricks or as a pathway through a level.
Another the biggest nee addition to the game is called Creative Mode. This places you in a simple environment similar to one of the game’s levels. Here you can build basic structures using limited LEGO elements. You can also change their colouring by picking up a bucket and splashing them with brick-build paint. Don’t expect an in-depth building platform but it’s a fun and simple to use bonus to the main game. Plus a surprisingly efficient way to build digitally.
The game’s minimal appearance also allows it to show a high level of visual quality to the small number of bricks on the screen. The surfaces of some elements feature scuffs and fingerprints. So Builder’s Journey always looked nice but once it made the leap to PC, it got a visual upgrade and Ray Tracing support. This is included in the PlayStation 5 version of the game. Plus there are Trophies and Achievements to earn as you play.
Compared to other LEGO Games, Builder’s Journey seems very basic doesn’t appear it would make for a fun LEGO game but it really does capture your attention. There are no voices or Minifigures, instead, the brick-built characters help you connect with the world along with the soothing soundtrack. The story of a father and son having their playtime cut short due to the monotony of work is easy to see and something adults have experienced. Regardless of how or where you play the game, it provides a unique LEGO gaming experience and I’m just glad now it’s available on all platforms, so more people can experience it. Having also played it on iOS and Switch, I enjoyed the PS5 version the most, you can’t beat buttons and the upgraded visuals really add to the experience of Builder’s Journey
Access to this game was provided to BricksFanz by LEGO Games for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or LEGO Games. Providing access to a product for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of it.
