Lego Builder's Journey
Lego Builder's Journey
Innovation: Early in my exploration into all games Lego produced, I stumbled across an episode in a podcast that touched on something new I have never heard of. They went into detail in how this new project builds on the most basic principle of building and story-telling in the most minimal way possible. I thought that was pretty interesting... up until I noticed the $20 price tag for something that can be completed in 2 hours. Even when it is currently 66% off, there is very little here to get excited about. I could try to explain what happens but then you would be spoiled of the main premise of the game. At least The Epic Game Store made it free for a day during the holiday break.
Gameplay: If you go by the achievements, there is roughly 12 different segments composed from about 35 levels. They slowly introduce different kinds of concepts like building, interacting, and solving puzzles. Although there is no high score to seek out and allow for multiple solutions, certain levels will require you to react quickly. Necessary pieces that fall out of bounds will generally respawn. The game auto-saves each level. The music is great to listen to and the graphics are pretty solid.
Issues: I was hoping not to encounter any difficulties for such a high-priced game and for such little content. Sadly, my experience only got worse when trudging through the timed portions of the game. I received multiple bugs from a piece-filling pot not replenishing, an important piece flying out of bounds and not respawning, pieces not connecting as smoothly as I hoped, and being unable to move after somehow removing a brick underneath my character. I was also not happy at how certain objects had to be built a specific way before advancing. Instead of a proper chapter select feature, replaying levels requires you to pan through each one as it is displayed on the screen. Vibration was overly-tuned and prevented me to continue playing on a gamepad since there is no adjustment option. The mouse seemed intuitive enough to imitate the feel of picking up pieces and snapping them together, but the levels that required you to spin dials (that gauged by how fast you spin them and for how long) made that control scheme terrible. The keyboard setup allowed you to cycle through what was interactable, but execution felt more robust for such an immersive playstyle.
Summary: The problem with Lego Builder's Journey is that it was specifically designed for Apple Arcade that was released in 2019. The $4.99 subscription fee for the service and the touchscreen interaction is probably more fitting for this type of game. Unfortunately, the $20 price tag for any other platform on top of the clunky controls and technical hiccups prevents it from giving out an enjoyable experience. The puzzle-solving and platform jumping isn't exactly original in its production. Still, there is a certain amount of charm to be had if you are willing to pursue this game. It feels less like a game and more like a small distraction in a sea of mobile apps. I suggest skipping this one.
3-19-2023