What do you get when you combine millions of digital LEGO® bricks, hundreds of digital minifigures and a frantic array of LEGO-themed minigames? The answer is LEGO Party! Party games, in various forms, have been a staple of gaming for a long time. But the genre was truly born when Nintendo released the first Mario Party game on the N64. This saw Nintendo characters battle against each other across short minigames. The party game is best described as a digital board game where players move around said ‘board’ and compete in various minigames. LEGO Party! is the latest attempt to capture a similar feel to Nintendo’s long-running Mario Party series. Despite the comparisons to Nintendo’s efforts, it would be a lazy comparison to call LEGO Party! a LEGO-themed rehash of Mario Party. I’ve been playing the LEGO Party over the last few days, and here’s what the latest LEGO Games title has to offer.
Product Description
Game Title: LEGO Party! | Publisher: Frictions | Developer: SMG Studio
RRP: From £39.99/$44.99/44.99€ | Availability: PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One & PC
This year marks the 30th anniversary of LEGO Games. Since 1995, there have been many different titles inspired by LEGO characters and themes. After a brief period of enjoying TT Games’ licensed titles, in recent years, LEGO games have become a lot more varied. They have also seen a new wave of developers work on digital LEGO experiences. But none have really offered what LEGO Party! does. Similar to Mario Party, LEGO Party! puts players onto a digital board, where they compete across various rounds of LEGO-themed minigames. It’s framed as a TV show, where four different stages have been created for players to visit.
Before you begin, you can choose to play locally, with up to four players. These can be friends, or you can opt to use CPU-controlled players. With an online connection, you can also play with others online. There are options to invite friends or host a game and share its unique code. I’ve been playing against CPU characters, whose skill level can be adjusted. Before heading off to tackle the minigames, you’ll need to select a minifigure avatar. You can choose from plenty of different characters. These range from classic LEGO characters, including many from the LEGO Minifigures range, Classic Space, NINJAGO and even VIDIYO. You can also get creative and build your own digital minifigure. There are plenty of customisation options with more unlocked as you play through the game. Once players’ avatars are locked in, you can choose how to play.
The main mode is the Challenge Zone, where you head to one of four themed zones. These are based on Pirates, NINJAGO, Space and a Theme Park. These digital arenas are decorated with plenty of LEGO creations, including unique builds created for the game, some by fan designers and others based on current or previously available LEGO sets. You can adjust how many rounds you’ll play, giving you plenty of options to tailor your play experience. Other modes include Minigame Rush, Minigames and Score Chaser.
- Challenge Zone – race across zones, claim gold bricks
- Minigame Rush – play a series of themed minigames
- Minigames – play any of the 60 minigames
- Score Chaser – get the high score on selected minigames
Regardless of how you play, the focus of each mode is completing minigames. These are where the LEGO connection really comes into play. Some of them include direct nods to LEGO fandom, such as guess builds from swirls of elements, piling bricks to create towers and guessing rogue elements after looking at some instructions. Others are a little more generic, but still lean into the LEGO connection with relevant minifigures and themed builds dotted around. With over 60 minigames to enjoy, there’s plenty of variety, plus players get to vote on which games to play at the start of each round.
Making your way around the ‘boards’ is also quite fun. After determining your moves, you’ll have to choose which routes to take, special builds to construct and other events which may affect the game in various ways. Winning minigames will determine the order in which each player moves around the board, and if you time it right, you can grab the all-important Gold Bricks. These are how you win the game. You can collect them from spaces around the board, by triggering certain events or by purchasing them from Mr Gold. You can also steal them from others by employing the monkey-powered services of The Thief. You can also inadvertently gift your own stash to other players. Studs are also given to players; these are used to buy those aforementioned services and power-ups. They can also determine the overall winner of a game if players hold the same amount of Gold Bricks.
Collecting things has normally been a big part of previous LEGO titles. In LEGO Party!, it’s a little different. You’ll be unlocking minifigures and trying to experience each of the 60+ mini-games. The best way to do that is by playing Minigame Rush, where you’re able to blast through games and level up to unlock new goodies. Or simply experiencing all 60 of the minigames from the Minigames option.
Thanks to a wider array of developers now able to create LEGO Games, we are being treated to new experiences. LEGO Party! is the perfect game to play with others. Little skill is needed to be able to play the game; however, some minigames are easier than others. The four core worlds do a great job of showcasing beloved themes, but should the game receive any additional content or DLC, there are plenty of others which could make great challenge zones. The same can be said about the minifigure avatars; the game already features plenty of favourites, plus the ability to create endless custom ones, but others could be added. One of the key aspects that the game nails is the classic LEGO humour and its minigames. These are nicely varied and, above all, fun to play. The hosts of the game pepper play with fun quips and comments. LEGO Party launches tomorrow on all major platforms.
LEGO Party! will be available both digitally and in physical formats for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC from September 30th.
PlayStation 5 & 4| Nintendo Switch | Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One | PC Stream
The version played: PlayStation 5 (digital). SMG Studio provided access to the game. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or SMG Studio. Providing a product for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the product.
