The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame Review

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame was developed by TT Games and published by Warner Brothers Interactive. The game is based upon the movie released on the 6th of October (13th in the UK).

Since this game is a tie in to the upcoming movie, a lot of the story is the same as the movie, similar to most other games that are based on movies. because the movie hasn't released yet in the UK I feel it is unfair for me to judge the game based on the story too much. As there isn't that much story in the game, it feels like the game is missing context. For example, in one of the first levels you are introduced to the main antagonist in a boss fight, which is fun but you have no idea why he is using sharks to try and kill you. Maybe this is because I don't know much about the LEGO Ninjago lore, but it made me feel out of the loop.

The core gameplay is very similar to other LEGO games, however there are some differences. For example, the combat system allows you to chain attacks and build some awesome combos. This system really does fit the overall theme of the movie / game, it allows you to feel like a ninja with the types of moves that you can perform. Another large difference is how in some levels you control a giant LEGO dragon who just so happens to have a gun attached to him so you can do things like kill bosses, ships, and other fun things. The gameplay is similar to past LEGO games in that it's a linear game until you unlock free mode which allows you to explore however you wish. It's fun playing in free mode as you have secret areas to unlock, characters to meet, and races to beat.

There is a character creator mode, this asks you to pick up parts along the way of completing levels. These parts can then be used to customize your own character, although customization options only cover the basics like legs, head, and body, but it provides a layer of customization never seen before in a LEGO game.

There is also a basic skill tree, however it doesn't provide much depth, as it only unlocks simple things like more studs (the currency in the game), different moves, and other unlockables.

The game's art direction is pretty obvious considering the name of the title, but it's well done here once again. Everything is made of LEGO like it is in every other LEGO related piece of media. Obviously there wasn't much room for change here as it's a LEGO game, however the world does look incredible. The colour palette is all bright and cheery, exactly how you would imagine a LEGO world would be.

The soundtrack is what you would expect and shares the same soundtrack as the movie. With that said I didn't really hear anything that stood out to me like in past LEGO movies / games.

There is local co-op however I wasn't able to try this out. Online co-op was fine and stable, without many issues with connection, working best with friends as you can complete the story together.

Like all the other LEGO games, there is a whole host of characters to choose from, ranging from generic characters to several from the movie. Although the biggest addition here is the previously mentioned character creator. This was fun to mess around with and it was cool seeing my self made character in the game.