Massively Multiplayer Online games are difficult things to review, especially so soon after they release, but LEGO Minifigures Online is something fairly unique in the crowded world that is the MMO scene. The game has just been released on PC via the games own website as well as through Steam for $29.99. So to begin with we are dealing with a game that is floating just above the budget marker, but still under what full-fledged games price at. This serves to work in the games favor as you will be getting a lot of content, but does LEGO Minfigures Online have the legs to stand in a crowded MMO market, as well as one that see’s all manner of LEGO games.
The LEGO license used here is a little different than what other companies use as LEGO Minifigures Online only uses the actual LEGO minifigures that the company sells. You won’t be getting any movie/television tie-in here, instead you use the generic worlds that were recently represented in things like The LEGO Movie. You get to explore a number of worlds like Medieval World, Pirate World, Space World, and many, many more. After having LEGO games rely so heavily on singular franchises it’s really nice to get back to basics and explore the original LEGO worlds. This opens up the world to offer up a lot of unique characters and locations as the game isn’t chained down to some movie script.
If you have played any of the multitude of LEGO games that have come out over the past decade then you’ll feel right at home in LEGO Minifigures Online. You can run around using the keyboard, but it works best with the standard point-and-click nature of the MMO genre. You can attack enemies and build LEGO structures just as you would in any other game, but instead of collecting LEGO Bricks, you are collecting stars. These stars will become your in-game currency that allow you to upgrade your character and the multitude of Minifigures you can collect. You see, you begin the game by choosing a single Minigifure from a group of three with different strengths ala Pokemon, but you’ll quickly earn new friends as you play. Some will join you after you defeat them, others tag along after completing one of the games various side missions, or from buying LEGO Minifigures at your local toy store and punching in the code that comes with them.
LEGO Minifigures Online isn’t a deep game, but the collecting aspect of the game is extremely addictive, even to an adult like myself. Before I knew it I was breaking every box, killing every enemy just so that I could upgrade my Minifigures with new abilities through the games basic tech tree, as well as searching out every side quest to add parts to by chest. This chest is important because not every figure will just join your quest to save the LEGO world. Completing quests will award you parts (Minifigure legs, torsos, heads) that you collect within your chest. Once you have the three required parts for a character, said Minifigure will be unlocked for use in your group. This gives players a lot of incentive to go back and do more raids to earn that coveted Sad Clown Lego head.
Each Minifigure offers up their own strengths and weaknesses as you play. Some are better fighters with high strength, some are quick and nimble, some have a higher defense, while others are great builders. All of these Minifigures have abilities that represent their character, and since you can have three characters in your party at once, mixing things up will make your experience much better. While LEGO Minifigures Online is technically an MMO, it’s just as suited to let you enjoy everything if you go though it single player. While you do get three characters at any given time in your given party, you’ll only be able to play as one, but be able to swap out on the fly. This is great and makes boss raids a fun and rewarding single-player experience as if you die, you’ll be cycled to your next party member. You can also swap in/out characters whenever you want into your party just by opening up the menu and selecting them, as well as being able to upgrade each Minifigure in your collection.
The number of Minifigures to collect is simply huge. From Knights and Jesters, to Pirates and Clowns, to Paleontologists and Hotdogs, and my favorite, the mighty person in a Unicorn onesie. LEGO Minifigures online has that same addictive quality that makes the Pokemon games so popular. But I haven’t even got into what makes this game special for kids and families. LEGO Minifigures Online lives on a single server world, so no matter when or where you log into the game you can be sure to find your friends to run around with. The game is also cross-play compatible with mobile devices. If you or your kid is playing on their tablet, you’ll be able to load up the game on your Laptop/PC and join them regardless of the different platforms. It really opens up the game to be played with the entire family and share on some fun adventures together.
What makes the PC version special, aside from being on PC, is that the $30 you spend completely unlocks all the games features. All the Minifigures will be there to collect without having to buy them, all the worlds will be open to you and you can see and do everything the game has to offer. The mobile versions will run you only a couple of bucks, but you’ll have to pay more money to unlock additional features like with most mobile games. For the $30 that LEGO Minifigures Online is asking, you are getting a lot of family friendly content that lets you have a lot of fun alone, or with the rest of your friends and family.
LEGO Minifigures Online is a very simple game, but one that uses the LEGO license to lay out a really fun world to explore. While hardcore gamers can pass this one up, those looking for a fun and relaxing MMO that you can easily play with the whole family, LEGO Minifigures Online is for you.
*A copy was provided for this review*
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