LEGO Bricktales is the most recent try by LEGO to diversify its gaming portfolio past the method popularised by TT Games. While a few of these makes an attempt have been worse than others, LEGO Bricktales is the most recent in a line of successes.

This is a puzzle recreation a couple of younger minifig on their approach to go to their grandfather, a mad scientist dwelling beneath a gone-to-seed amusement park. You should assist him restore the park earlier than the Mayor evicts him. Then your grandfather’s robotic assistant warps in from a distinct dimension decrying the facility of happiness crystals, an vitality supply that may restore all of the broken-down points of interest. Tonally, it’s a bit a lot, and the writing can get fairly tiresome. The recreation is content material to spout wacky scientific jargon in lieu of telling correct jokes. It left us wishing we may energy via most conversations and get to the great things: the gameplay.

Collecting these crystals takes you to 5 completely different dimensions, every with a particular feel and look. Some, just like the Medieval or City areas, lean into basic units and aesthetics LEGO is related to, and others just like the jungle biome do their very own factor. Each biome is distinct from the others, and the areas you stroll via home many secrets and techniques. The pause menu opens a diorama-styled digicam angle, permitting you to search out something it’s possible you’ll be searching for on the vividly vibrant maps. Ultimately, this primary exploration is only a means to information you to the core puzzles. Tasks resembling “construct a bridge from level A to level B” provide you with a lot of items with which to perform your aim. It’s impressively freeform, providing innumerable options for lots of the puzzles, and it faucets into the spirit and ingenuity of LEGO. So what if what you created isn’t the optimum approach to do it? What issues is it labored.

This malleable gameplay is the crown jewel on what would in any other case have been a median exploration-adventure title. The presentation is superb, and the color palette is vibrant and thrilling, however the moments the place you need to determine methods to construct one thing are the moments positive to stay with you.