Developer: TT Games

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Category: Adventure & Puzzles

Release Date: 5^thof September, 2017 (NA) & 8^thof September, 2017 (PAL)

I don’t care what anyone says, you are never too old to play with LEGO. Granted there comes a time when we should leave the actual bricks and blocks behind us, in favour of the films TV shows and video games, the fact is, LEGO is for everyone and LEGO Worlds is a great example of that fact!

Developed by Traveller’s Tales (TT Games) and finally out on Switch, LEGO Worlds is the latest LEGO related title to make its way to a Nintendo platform and while in my personal opinion, it is not better than LEGO City Undercover, it is still a content packed title with some stunning HD Lego visuals.

Still since it is one of those games that not everyone might not know about, LEGO Worlds differs to most LEGO games, in the sense that it is less about the story and more about creation. It isn’t as well written as a few of the later LEGO games, but it is the ultimate LEGO toy box in sandbox video game form. If you were anything like me when I was a kid, then there is every chance that once upon a time that you too had a huge box all of your bricks, blocks and LEGO people were stored in. Before I played video games, I played with LEGO and I would spend days created not just houses and cars shown in the instruction books I got with a lot of “my” purchases, but I would create my own versions of things, which includes my own little worlds, with each one having a particular setting and characters with their own little story I would write for them.

Well that’s what LEGO Worlds is. It’s the box you had as a kind, where the only limitation other than not having enough pieces, is your imagination. It is a LEGO game where if you can conceive it, you can build it and even if you don’t want create your own worlds straight away, or own your own, then you don’t have to. Aside from Sandbox mode, which is where you are free to create whatever the heck you want, there is also an Adventure Mode that allows you to explore pre-made worlds and you can do it with a friend.

Yes that’s right, LEGO Worlds supports co-op play and if you know anything about LEGO, LEGO really is much better when played with a friend, especially when it’s Worlds. So in light of that, I grabbed a Player 2, and we tackled Adventure Mode together and it is definitely something I would recommend to anyone who tries to play Worlds, as being a game that is more about creation, as you can truly create wonders with it, there is a lot you need to know, such as Building Tools and their functions, so let’s tackle that for a moment shall we?

Each tool is unlocked at various stages of the game in the first couple hours of playing and each one differs in how they function. The Discovery Tool is a handy implement that lets you discover and purchase objects and characters so you can save their details and use them for your own personal builds later on, as well as removing items and characters. The Landscape Tool lets you remove and add bricks, as well as make adjustments to the terrain such as flattening it, which is exceptionally great for creating deep tunnels that can be used to easily find treasure chests containing goodies, in record time. (Sure you can try to find the proper opening to a tunnel to try and find the chest, but when you can use bombs or the Landscape Tool, the quickest way is the best way, as those tunnels are all too easy to lose yourself in.)

Another two useful Tools are the Paint Tool that lets you paint things and the Copy Tool, which allows you to copy and place structures you wish to duplicate and save for use later on, so if you haven’t got the time to build a house brick by brick like some do, with the Build Tool, you can just can just copy and paste instead, leaving you more time to explore and with the Adventure Mode being as packed as it is with worlds to explore, missions to accomplish, things to discover and Gold Bricks to be gathered, any bit of time saved, is a great thing! (There is plenty of time to be a Master Builder later on with Sandbox mode.)

So if you are in no hurry to build anything, what you should really do is take in the sights and the local wildlife. From Seagulls, to sharks and even dinosaurs, thanks to 100 available animals, LEGO Worlds comes packed with life and while some may not act a special way when interacting with them, the ones that do makes meeting them worthwhile. Not only are a lot of them able to be ridden, but sharks can be ridden on land and guerrillas ridden in water, but you can even make them attack to and with hordes of undead occasionally chasing after you, it’s worth having an animal in your corner if you find yourself defenceless. Although you shouldn’t as there is a huge array of weapons that can be discovered and used, such as the Black Katana, Crystal Bomb and a Flintlock Pistol!

Then again, if the animals don’t interest you, maybe the people will. With over 90 base characters able to be discovered, with more available thanks to DLC (which comes automatically with the physical version of the game, whereas you need to purchase it if you brought the game from the eShop,) there is quite the bit of variety and every time you Discover someone else, you also snag yourself a couple more customisation options, so if you ever get bored of your current look, you could always mix and match parts until you find a new character of your own creation that does tickle your fancy!

However you choose to play though, whether you create, destroy, or just explore, there really is no wrong way to play LEGO Worlds. Worlds is what you want it to be and how you want it to be. No more, no less. So whether you make it your next buy, your next obsession, or just your next piece of relished video game delight, the fact of the matter is, LEGO Worlds will have something that will appeal to you and for me, it was the ability of me creating an underwater environment, complete with a gigantic Jumping Shark structure that I then surrounded with sharks. (I may have yet to do it in the real world, despite all my scuba diving experiences, but at least I can boast gleefully that I have done it with LEGO!)

Conclusion:

Since LEGO video games have come into being, there have been some great games and some not so great ones, but there has never been a LEGO game that pays a true homage to the physical version of LEGO, quite like LEGO Worlds does. LEGO Worlds is a video game of LEGO at its truest state and is just a fantastic title to have on Switch. My Player 2 and I still prefer LEGO City Undercover, but there is no denying how compelling and special Worlds really is! Even if the game does glitch every now and then and especially when burrowing huge holes into the ground/sea!