The LEGO games tend to target a specific audience and by continuing to focus on that niche, this brand of simplistic games has been around for so long. That said, some games in this umbrella franchise, such as LEGO Star Wars features gameplay mechanics and competent storylines that end up being a fun time for players of all age groups and skill levels. But the latest from Red Games LEGO fights is not such a game; it’s a cheap imitation of similar games that lacks depth in mechanics or gameplay variation – making it a surprisingly shallow experience through and through.
One point to note is that: LEGO fights is not a new game; it is a console and PC port of a mobile game released in 2019. So if you measure it in terms of target demographic and original platform – LEGO fights can be an acceptable game despite its many flaws. But on console platforms where so many great contemporaries are available, it just falls flat on its blocky knees.
” But on console platforms where so many great contemporaries are available, Lego Brawls just falls flat on its checkered knees.“
At startup LEGO fights for the first time you will be greeted with a short tutorial on how the game works. There’s a single attack button you can use to hit your enemies next to a jump and a dash button to crawl out of the way. Apart from that, there are two special slots that each contain a power-up that you can take from the arena. And that’s all there is to the battle loop, in case you were wondering.
There are two main game modes in: LEGO fights – a Brawl mode and a Party mode. Brawl mode is basically quick play in online mode, while party mode allows you to play with friends via local bank game or online via an invite code. Regardless of whether you’re playing in Brawl mode or Party mode, there are only two basic types to choose from: a free-for-all brawl and a team-based target mode.
The free-for-all is your standard affair – you pick a stage and number of lives for each player and battle it out against the backdrop of a stage. The stage itself is littered with constantly reappearing power-ups, which you can use to devastate your enemies. Any downed opponent will restore your health bars and the last man left is the winner. Then there are team-based battles, where teams of 4 compete against each other for a common goal that can be anything from collecting x number of peaches to capturing a control point to anything else.
” Aside from a single attack button, there are two special slots that each contain a power-up that you can grab from the arena. And that’s all there is to the battle loop, in case you were wondering. “
The stages themselves are based on various themes, ranging from a pirate ship to a cyberpunk dystopia to an alien planet. Some of them are also based on popular IPs such as: Jurassic Park and Monkie Kid among other things. Each of them has their own themed props and special items in addition to a gimmick to shake things up. For example, a ship-themed level requires you to climb all the way to the top of the ship to reach the checkpoint – and the stage has a shark ride power-up that allows enemies to fall off the checkpoint quite easily. And another lava-themed stage makes the lava level rise periodically – forcing you to jump to higher platforms to avoid dying from the molten stuff.
The variety is new in concept, but in light of the game’s ultra-thin gameplay mechanics, they don’t amount to much. With the exception of some micro-strategic elements for various objectives, the gameplay often boils down to jumping into the fight and continuing to spam your attack button to defeat the opponent. Then do it again, rinse and repeat. What weakens this element of variety is the fact that Brawl mode has a phase rotation mechanism where you can only pick a phase from a pool of four picks and a random pick. This means that stages that are popular among players are repeated over and over, and you can’t even queue for a stage you like that isn’t present in the current pick pool.
LEGO Brawls has a roster of fighters ranging from a castle knight to an intergalactic warrior to a guardian of death. Each of these characters has different designs, but they are functionally one and the same. Each will deal the same amount of damage and have the same attack move – essentially reducing the difference between these characters to a purely cosmetic level. There’s also a pretty fleshed-out character creator, which lets you mix and match different blocks to create your own custom brawlers. There are plenty of blocks to choose from, and there’s a lot of potential to create wacky characters or dress up as your favorite characters from other games or movies.
Players start with less than a handful of brawlers, and additional brawlers are unlocked through play. Each win or defeat earns you a number of points that contribute to your active theme progress tree, which unlocks blocks and elements within that specific theme. For example, if you select the Wild West theme, you can unlock hats, guns, masks and more. There are more than a handful of themes to choose from, meaning you’ll have plenty of work to do if you’re willing to put in the hours.
Overall, though, the progression feels very stingy. You have to achieve mastery with each unlocked Brawler by playing as that character to unlock the next fighter which is of course functionally identical which is really frustrating. Some unlocks are hidden behind chests, which are opened when you unlock all the pieces of a particular outfit in a specific theme. It purposely feels inflated its audience to keep coming back for minor unlocks, and it clearly failed to grab my attention in a similar way.
This is something that can be said about LEGO fights as a whole – it’s a game that just can’t hold someone’s attention for long. The mechanics themselves – while simplistic – are functional, and the variety of stage designs and game modes does make the game fun for a while. But when you get past that short period of time, an inescapable sense of repetition starts to set in – exacerbated by stingy progression systems and little variety among fighters.
Of course, some of these issues wouldn’t have been as great if the game had been part of a subscription service, as was the case with the mobile version included with Apple Arcade. But even for half the retail price, LEGO fights just can’t justify the price tag – and is a forgettable fighter that doesn’t offer much for anyone who wants a meaningful and engaging experience of this game.
This game has been reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
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