The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame Nintendo Switch Review

An excuse to return to the world made famous by the film.

Reviewed by Max C. on Mar 01, 2019

Rating:

The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame is here to bring you back into the world of the movie. Read on at Kidzworld to see our thoughts on this new game.

By: Max Cannon

I've often been critical of the LEGO games for being pretty samey. There are tweaks here and there that make some of the games better than others, but few really stand out as feeling special or unique. So when I'd heard that The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame would be ditching their formula for a more LEGO Worlds-like approach I was excited. Unfortunately, while the changes to the game's structure are welcome, they don't all come together quite right and performance -- specifically on the Nintendo Switch version of the game -- is rough.

If the film didn't give you your LEGO fix, then maybe this game will.

A Land of LEGO

The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame appears to be a simplified take on the story from the film. The memorable characters show up like Emmet, Wyldstyle, and, of course, Batman. At face value, the world is full of charm and positivity as you'd expect from the franchise. You can still smash objects to get your hands on some LEGO pieces and you'll see a mishmash of LEGO'd characters from the movies and more. The open world areas are super fun to explore and you'll always be rewarded for your curiosity. If you think that the game wants you to investigate a certain spot you're probably right.

The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame - Official Launch Trailer

The characters move and animate with the unique style popularized by the first film but something does look a bit off about them this time. Their movements don't always feel as precise and stop-motion-esque as they did in previous games in this series, like last year's LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game, and something is odd about the look of their faces, Nothing looks bad from an artistic standpoint it's just that at times something feels a little off in this entry.

The diverse locations are visually interesting but things may feel smoother if the game was less open.

A Change of Pace

If you've played LEGO Worlds then these changes to the series' structure may not feel so weird to you. Most other games in the LEGO franchise have a few decent sized hub areas for you to explore while you are taken through linear story sections when you kickstart a mission. This game focuses much more on these open areas, so much so that even some of the game's mechanics have changed. Almost every puzzle solved in this game is from breaking and building. When you'd break down some bricks in a previous game then you could use those to create a pre-determined structure that's specific to the challenge at hand. Now the game has you grabbing certain LEGO pieces and building preset creations from a menu. It feels more like you're choosing how to solve the puzzle but in reality it's just an extra step. I'm all for trying new ideas but I would've preferred the older, more streamlined, approach.

Returning characters bring their own charm into the game.

I can only speak for the Nintendo Switch version of the game, but this game is unfortunately bogged down with some performance issues. Choppy frames and a so-so resolution keeps the game as a rough looker on a technical level.

Final Thoughts

I'm glad that The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame has tried to shake things up a bit but the changes haven't all felt for the better. While the open environments are great to look at, I would've preferred a more straightforward game that performs a bit better. Things here are far from bad, but I hope that the team over at TT Games can find new ways to innovate in future games. At least it's still as charming as ever.