LEGO Worlds Xbox One Game Review

Reviewed by Max C. on Mar 20, 2017

Rating:

LEGO Worlds mixes the open world building of Minecraft with the structure of LEGO games. See what we liked and disliked about LEGO Worlds Xbox One Game over at Kidzworld.

By: Max Cannon

Drawing even more comparisons to a certain famous building game, LEGO Worlds has been in a Steam's Early Access for over a year. This means players could've played the game on PC before the game was officially released but they would have to deal with glitches, bugs, crashes, and all of the other hurdles that come alongside a game still in development. Now it's officially come to consoles and we've been lucky enough to receive an Xbox One copy to review.

The LEGO shaped box that my LEGO Worlds game came in.

A Foundation Built on LEGO

The original Minecraft was clearly inspired by the LEGO franchise but it took the world by storm by out-LEGOing the original LEGO brand, specifically when it comes to video gaming. LEGO Worlds seems to take the ideas expanded upon by Minecraft and mix it in with the guidance of a modern LEGO game. (Stylistically, I think the opening tutorial shares a lot in common with the LittleBigPlanet series of games -- mostly because of the narrator.)

Don't be fooled though, this isn't Minecraft, it's a LEGO game through and through. The game positions your custom character as an explorer of various LEGO settings who travels in a LEGO rocket that'll bounce him/her from world to world. That's really where any semblance of a story ends as LEGO Worlds is the closest parity of playing with LEGO in the real world and playing with LEGO in video games -- aside from the obvious comparisons to LEGO Dimensions.

LEGO Worlds Launch Trailer

The opening tutorial does a good job of pacing out the mechanics of LEGO Worlds and the game should be commended for how well it shares that information. After reflecting on the tutorial I realized that I had learned a lot of information in a short amount of time. There's an impressive tool set in LEGO Worlds: one tool will build mountains and holes, one tool will copy structures to speed up the building process, and another free building tool will allow for a slow, steady crafting process.

Letting Loose in LEGO

LEGO Worlds encourages players to build and explore procedurally generated worlds and assist NPCs on various fetch quests. Some of these quests will require exploration through a medieval castle, some will require building a barn based on a set of instructions right behind the NPC asking for that barn. These quests will reward players with Gold Bricks that are thrown onto your rocket and will take you deeper and deeper into the universe of LEGO Worlds.

LEGO Worlds has a divirse set of climates.

The game's values are reflected by the mission structure, there's an openness and sense of freedom to the game but sometimes there can be a little too much independence given to players. The solution to the various quests given by NPCs aren't always obvious, sometimes you'll need to go to an entirely different world to get what you need and other times you'll find your treasure within arm's reach. I like that variety but it had me confused at times, should I keep searching around the world or am I wasting my time? For a game that prides itself on being accessible for all ages, mission structure seems prohibitive for younger players.

When it comes to actually playing the game, I always felt at odds with the camera. I was constantly getting stuck on walls, mountains, and doorways but the game offers a fair solution: switch to first person. Some players may not think of this so I hope it's moved into the tutorial in future patches. Climbing, jumping, and running feels like every other LEGO games -- aside from the inclusion of sprint and the ability to climb any wall, but if you've played past LEGO games you'll feel right at home here.

If you can think of it in LEGO then you can build it in LEGO Worlds.

Final Thoughts

LEGO Worlds feels like a game that could've used a little more time in the oven. Camera issues and vague mission structure hold the game back from greatness but the potential for this game is bursting at the seams. Since the game is launching at a cheaper price of $29.99, I would assume that LEGO Worlds will grow into something stronger. What's here is good but I can't help but imagine that it'll develop into something to set itself apart.