By Sonya Davidson
I have a 9 year old who just can’t get enough of Lego. Having attending an advance screening of the box office hit, The Lego Movie, I had suspected that we were going to enter into a new wave wanting everything associated with the franchise.
As a game loving kid, he was beyond excited to get his hands on the game for our WiiU. But let me backtrack a bit. If you haven’t seen the movie, you’ll want to see it. Even if you’re not a big Lego fan, or have kids, you will probably enjoy it. The film is clever and although it may feel a tad like a big infomercial at first…it quickly dissolves into the story line and everything clicks together.
The film’s main character is Emmet, an everyday, happy-go-lucky, and average guy who has a routine that doesn’t waver until one day when he meets Wyldstyle and his life is turned upside down. He becomes the unlikely hero amongst the Masterbuilders as he joins the team of creative builders to save the planet from the Kragl (spoiler alert: if you don’t know…it’s Krazy Glue, only a few of the letters are worn off the tube).
The film appeals to the two different style of Lego builders: the follow-the-instructions builders and the freestyle thinkers. Neither of them more superior than the other and the film uses both their strengths well.
The Lego Movie video game released on the same day as the official opening of the film. As soon as we got home from the movie, my little guy couldn’t wait to play the game. It all made sense and followed the story line of the film…although I don’t think you really need to see the movie prior to playing the game, but it does extend the movie watching experience where the child can get involved with all the action. The player takes on the role as Emmet and some scenes are familiar from the movie. Little guy had fun looking for the missing Lego pieces and unlocking new challenges. There are over 90 playable characters in the game. There are 15 levels of play that will give kids no shortage of fun. In terms of graphics, every scene (like the movie) is virutally made of Lego.
My son has been playing the game for two weeks now and still is having fun discovering new challenges and levels. This is a game that caters to a younger age group with shorter play times that is much better for little ones.
Needless to say, we’ve been a very popular playdate house!
The Lego Movie Video Game is rated E for everyone (10+). Available for Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, Sony Playstation Vita, and PC.