LEGO Dimensions

LEGO Dimensions is the most fun I've had with a LEGO video game since the whole idea was new back on the PS2. It's full of cool new ideas and a story rammed with iconic references and witty humour.

Of all the Toys to Life games, Lego Dimensions is perhaps the most literal interpretation of the genre yet. Thanks to some clever ideas with the Toy Pad and the inherent flexibility of Lego itself, it’s able to breach the divide between the game and the real world in some interesting ways. It doesn’t always get that blend quite right, and the price of entry is very high, but it’s an excellent first attempt that’s full of nostalgia and more than a few moments of brilliance.

A game in which Batman rubs shoulders with the Stay Puft marshmallow man, where Gandalf solves puzzles at Aperture Sciences and Wyldstyle punches orcs, LEGO Dimensions is a smile-inducing mash-up that revels in everything that makes LEGO such a joy.

LEGO Dimensions’ kitchen-sink approach to packing its worlds full of great characters and fun references consistently left me with a big dumb grin on my face. While the puzzles that required physically moving the pieces became tedious, the act of exploring dozens of locations based on things I’ve adored since my childhood was genuinely entertaining. The collision of worlds is smart, the references are handled with care, and the story is genuinely smart.

I’m sort of torn in LEGO Dimensions. It’s one of the most expensive propositions in all of gaming right now, but the gameplay is there and the Starter Pack stands on its own. While the campaign can be a bit uneven at times, the always reliable LEGO charm and the innovation of the physical aspect of Dimensions allows it to excel.

Lego appeals to all ages and it knows it. Recent years have seen a host of blockbuster franchises turn a child’s plaything into a collector’s paradise.

Overall, I’m placing Lego Dimensions on my great games list. I’ve adored Lego ever since despite being just fairly new to the collecting part of it and I’m also fond of the humor that Traveller’s Tales placed into their Lego games even way back when the characters didn’t have full voice acting. So if you liked the previous Lego games, you would also like Lego Dimensions. Yeah, there’s the fairly high price tag on its packs but even after you finish the whole game, you still have the minifigs and bricks you can play with. And the minibuilds are so cute and so fun to build and you’re never reall...