Paula’s Game Ramblings: LEGO Games

Welcome to another edition of Paula’s game ramblings. This time I’m going to ramble a little about some of my favourite Lego games that I’ve played on a Nintendo system.

LEGO games might seem like they are aimed at children more so than adults. But, in fact, all the Lego games are suitable for all ages, adults included. They are filled with humour and little side joke. Lots of humour occurs in the background of cut scenes within the games. In addition, there are plenty of things to collect, such as LEGO studs and mini kits and numerous characters to unlock.

Since emerging a couple of decades ago, LEGO games have been putting their unique twist on pop culture hits and expanding the universe of its original characters. These are some of my favourite LEGO games on a Nintendo system.

LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER

LEGO City Undercover is an action-adventure platform video game developed by TT Fusion, originally released for the Wii U by Nintendo in 2013. It was later re-released for Nintendo Switch in 2017.

Wow, I can’t believe it was that long ago that I played Lego City Undercover on the Wii U. Anyway, the story of the game follows cop Chase McCain as he returns to Lego City and pursues escaped crime boss Rex Fury. The gameplay features McCain exploring the open-world hub of Lego City and completing self-contained levels featuring puzzles and combat.

It is a 3D action puzzle platformer at heart; LEGO City Undercover requires Chase to take on the criminal underworld and infiltrate different games. You’ll need to take on different appearances to complete your job and the puzzles for which LEGO titles have become renowned. The entirety of the story itself is generally a bit of a homage and satire on many classic cops shows from the 80s and 90s.

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures 1&2

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures are based on the first three Indiana Jones films, released in June 2008 on the Wii. I love the Indiana Jones movies so playing a LEGO game based on the movies was a treat.

Like all LEGO games, there are many playable characters in the game. Best of all you can take control of Indy, his friends, and even his enemies. The gameplay revolves around problem-solving and manipulating the environment. Of course, many baddie Lego guys will attack you like in all the other LEGO games. However, a quick mash of the attack button will take them down relatively easily. The rest of the time, you’ll be using the powers that come with each Lego character. The best part is playing Indiana Jones as you can use his whip to pull down levers, fight enemies and disarm them, and swing over perilous pits.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was released in 2013; it’s an action-adventure video game. This game’s storyline sees various heroes from the Marvel Universe joining forces to foil the schemes of Doctor Doom and Loki, who have also recruited several villains to aid them.

If you have watched any Marvel superhero movies, you will recognise the characters in the game. It’s filled with the usual high jinks of collecting studs and building lego to advance your progress in the game. My older grandchildren are fans of the Marvel movies. I have good memories of playing this game on the Wii U with them.

Lego Builder’s Journey

LEGO Builder’s Journey is a complete change of genre from other games in the LEGO franchise. Instead of an adventure game, LEGO Builder’s journey is an atmospheric, geometric puzzle game. It asks us to sometimes follow the instructions and sometimes we just have to break the rules too.

You use the LEGO bricks to build the little puzzles in the game; it’s not a long game either, as it only takes a few hours to complete. But for LEGO fans and particularly puzzle fans, it’s a great departure from the adventure style of previous LEGO. You can find our review here.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

I could mention a few other LEGO Star Wars games that have been previously released on various Nintendo systems that I like. However, since the release of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga on the Switch, this game is the best of all the LEGO Star Wars games and bundles them altogether.

The developers have made many improvements to the LEGO formula and changed up the fighting for the better. You also have an open-world galaxy to explore with signature LEGO humour added. You can find our review for the game here.

Of course, you can imagine my next question: do you like LEGO games, and which one is your favourite?