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LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES (X360)
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Publisher: LucasArts.
Developer: Traveller's Tales. Released: June 2008. Genre: 3D Platformer. Other versions: WII; PC; PS3; PS2; PSP; DS. Posted 8th June 2024. By Shane Battams © 2024 |
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In 2008, with LEGO expanding their playsets to multiple big-name franchises, it seemed natural that the formula established by Traveller’s Tales with LEGO Star Wars could work its magic on another classic film anthology. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures was the logical next step. Recreating the eighties trilogy in brick form (and mercifully omitting Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), it proves another cheery, charming and consistent game that packs in decent puzzles, a spirited take on classic movie moments and plenty of levels to mess around in, which are especially fun in co-op.
Spreading the three films across 18 levels, LEGO Indiana Jones reimagines each entry with a cheeky aspect, still conveying the stories in mumbles rather than spoken dialogue. While it’s difficult to fully appreciate these films for the first time via the game, anyone with previous viewing experience should find a lot to like here, with genuine wit applied to certain iconic scenes, whether it’s to create a laugh or perhaps side-step some of the darker moments of the films. It remains rather funny as a result and should please fans of the trilogy greatly. While some may bemoan the lack of melting faces, seeing sequences such as Lego Indy dressing up with a wig to distract a guard provide plenty of laughs.
Memorable characters make an appearance throughout the adventures, including Indy's father!
Like LEGO Star Wars, Traveller’s Tales mixes platforming, puzzle solving and brawling. Each level revisits locations from the movies, usually extending your time there for gameplay purposes. As you navigate the levels, you’ll always have a second character with you (be it AI or player-controlled), and both are needed to progress, with puzzles requiring certain abilities. For example, Indiana’s whip can be used to pull down hooked objects, while Satipo has a shovel to dig up buried items. Broken Lego can be reassembled to create contraptions, such as bridges and climbing points. Enemies will make an appearance, with the basic combat getting the job done, though you can use weapons and special abilities to help. Sometimes, old-fashioned jumping is required and this works well, though static long-distance cameras can make judging jumps tricky at points. All these elements form a solid game, one which keeps you interested for the eight or so hours of gameplay, and there’s even some smart improvements, such as streamlined puzzles that help improve pacing while still challenging your brain.
The fun comes with Free Play mode, which unlocks after initially completing a level. As you initially play, you’ll notice a ton of areas can’t be accessed as you lack characters with the required abilities. However, Free Play lets you take along a dozen characters at once, letting you switch between them instantly. There’s a satisfaction to collecting all the artefacts, with unique rooms you can only enter outside of Story Play. There are also Red Bricks which, when posted, allow you to unlock cheats that prove useful or comical. Lastly, studs serve as the currency of the game, allowing you to unlock more characters, including iconic stars of the film, henchmen of the baddies and most characters in-between. Several bonus levels are available to those who find all the collectibles as well. These addictive extras add up immensely, adding spades of longevity to the game as you vie for the 100% completion, and this is without adding in co-op, which lets you jump in and out with ease.
The fun comes with Free Play mode, which unlocks after initially completing a level. As you initially play, you’ll notice a ton of areas can’t be accessed as you lack characters with the required abilities. However, Free Play lets you take along a dozen characters at once, letting you switch between them instantly. There’s a satisfaction to collecting all the artefacts, with unique rooms you can only enter outside of Story Play. There are also Red Bricks which, when posted, allow you to unlock cheats that prove useful or comical. Lastly, studs serve as the currency of the game, allowing you to unlock more characters, including iconic stars of the film, henchmen of the baddies and most characters in-between. Several bonus levels are available to those who find all the collectibles as well. These addictive extras add up immensely, adding spades of longevity to the game as you vie for the 100% completion, and this is without adding in co-op, which lets you jump in and out with ease.
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While certainly not the most technically advanced game, LEGO Indiana brings a solid performance and nice effects to jazz up the visuals. Environments capture the film sets very well, with the mix of Lego and more realistic ground fitting nicely. Characters capture the look of their real-life counterparts, animation is great and the cut-scenes are particularly good, with expressive moments making up for a lack of voice acting. The music, pretty much ripped from the films, works great (though sometimes it’s a touch loud and blares out everything else) and the smashing of Lego, satisfying assembly sounds and mumbling ambience of the characters all work. The only sore spot, really, is the camera, which feels a bit distant and makes certain segments trickier than they should be.
Expect perilous platforming, stud collecting and fun co-op platforming as standard
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures proves another solid outing for the TT Games-led LEGO series. Younger players will find it highly enjoyable, and there are enough cheeky jokes for adults familiar with the movies to appreciate. It reimagines Steven Spielberg’s archaeological adventures with great wit and care, and while some gameplay elements could have used fine tuning (be it the less than stellar friendly AI, or the camera woes), these aren’t enough to stop LEGO Indiana Jones from delivering fun gameplay. Whether you’re a fan of the films, are looking for a charming adventure, or are simply partial to Lego, Indy’s adventures should prove a solid choice.
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VERDICT
"While some gameplay elements could have benefitted from some fine tuning, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures reimagines Spielberg’s trilogy with great wit and care." OVERALL: 7/10 |
OTHER LEGO GAMES BASED ON FILM SERIES' REVIEWED
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006, PlayStation Portable)
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LEGO Jurassic World (2015, Xbox One)
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