Ninjas…. Assemble!
I’m almost 30 but there is no denying that I do love a good LEGO title, I’ve probably played most of them since the games first started coming over over a decade ago now. The hilarious takes on movies and the pure fun you have in them is something I think is unrivaled, which is why the folks at Travellers Tales keep making LEGO titles I guess. The demand is there and they keep producing hit after hit. With the LEGO Ninjago movie released next week, it was plainly obvious that a game would also follow, with the game being released a day before the movie hits. What can I say about The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game? Well, it’s more of the same really and that is exactly what I wanted.
With the film yet to be released yet, I was interesting to see if the game would peak my interest into going to see the film when it is released and yes, based on what I played, I think the LEGO Ninjago movie will be a film I’d enjoy, thanks to the fantastic humour, whilst the plot isn’t too bad either, although it’s definitely aimed at a more younger audience than myself. For those who haven’t paid any attention to the movie or game, the overall plot features a group of young Ninjas who are mastered by Master Wu, who teaches the Ninjas their skills and inner powers. They are there to stop the self-proclaimed ‘Worst Guy Ever’ Lord Garmadon, who is out to cause destruction to the world of Ninjago.
Straight off, you are given a tutorial level, which is a good move as there are plenty of LEGO titles that fail do give you any sort of direction and throw you into the deep end. Well, as deep as it can be as LEGO titles are relatively simple to figure out but still, it’s nice to see LEGO Ninjago introduce you to the games’ main mechanics. The tutorial revolves around the games’ combat system, which if I had to be honest about, feels like a much simpler version than found in the Batman Arkham titles. It’s simplicity is fun though, with a range of moves you can pull off in order to keep the combat from going stale too quickly. As you go through the story, you collect what are known as Ninjanuity Tokens. Relatively simple once again, these tokens allow to enhance the Ninaja’s attributes, such as how effective they can be against an enemy with a shield etc. It’s pretty basic in terms of RPG elements but the game allows you to progress their abilities naturally through the story.
One thing you can almost guarantee with any LEGO title is the narrative is going to be hilarious. It’s no change here with the LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game either as some of the things the Ninjas say are just so quirky and funny, you can’t help but laugh. It’s an amusing game to say the least and when you see a real-life version of a Cat called Meowthra crawling through the city causing absolutely carnage, you know the game is going to be just a little bit crazy, but all in all it comes together superbly, and yes it is aimed at a young audience, but if you have even a little bit of a sense of humor, I think you’ll appreciate the writing found in this, as all characters something different from the other. There are multiple personalities in this and each one of them bounces of one another nicely. Zane was my personal favourite, and you’ll see why once you play this game….L-O-L…..
The main course of action in the LEGO Ninjago game is typically LEGO style. The main story can be done in a day, depending on how long you play it. The overall level design can become a little repetitive, it’s basically chase down some enemies, do a bit of platforming and build some objects you can use with scattered LEGO pieces. Through each chapter, you’ll have to switch between the Ninjas in order to use their specific power, or Spinjitzu as it is known in the game. This power allows each Ninja to utilize a different element. Like I said, the chapters do become a little repetitive but it’s still fun to to play through at least once. There are a few performance issues in terms of framerate when there is lots of things happening, but I do expect this to be fixed in a post-release patch.
I say at least once as of course, as per any LEGO title, there is a tonne of collecting to do for those trophy hunters out there. Once you’ve completed a certain part, you can free play that part of Ninjago as it enters an open world stage. Here you can purely focus on collecting all the yellow bricks, or taking on some of the side-missions in the game. The map is laid out with the different activities you can do, sort of like what you see in the Grand Theft Auto games. All this together, the LEGO Ninjago Video Game will certainly keep you occupied for quite a while if you are interested in getting everything available to you.
A PlayStation 4 Review Code was provided by Warner Bros
