LEGO The Incredibles doesn’t do much to buck the trend that we’ve all grown rather used to over the last several years. That’s not to say that it’s not fun, on the contrary I’ve had an absolute blast, but if you’ve grown tired of the formula, I wouldn’t expect too much from the game. LEGO The Incredibles is loosely based on both of the hit Pixar movies, The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2. The game allows players to take on the role of a host of different characters from the movie’s universe, as they go about their way bashing everything in sight whilst moving through a dozen or so levels that take place within the confines of the game’s source material.
The foundation of play remains pretty much inline with that we’ve endured several, several times before. One baffling design choice is that the game forces you to play through the events of the sequel, which is based straight after the predecessor, before being able to play through the events of the first movie. I’m not sure why that’s the case, but that’s how it is and as such, the game almost robs you of the shocks at the end of the first flick. Though, in fairness, that movie has been out now for over a decade, so you’ve had plenty of time to catch up. If, however, you’re a youngster and have yet to see it, well, take it up with game’s developer.
Whatever the case, it’s a shame we didn’t see more structure here, but it’s not too hard to overlook, I must point out. Much to be expected, the gameplay typically consists of moving through the aforementioned levels whilst solving a range of various puzzles and beating enemies and the environment to a LEGO-brick pulp. If we were to disregard that this is the billionth LEGO game to release and doesn’t try much to reinvent the format, it’s hard not to love what’s on offer. Remove those tinted glasses, if, like me, you’ve played a shed load of LEGO games and it gets old, fast. I don’t think the main problem here is with the game itself, though.
LEGO The Incredibles doesn’t do much wrong, in fact it’s a competent and lengthy adventure that offers hours and hours of fun, but it just doesn’t do much differently. I really wanted to emphasize that because I feel like that’s going to be its one major criticism, that it ultimately “plays it too safe”, so to speak. Either way, I’ll reiterate, this is still one hell of a worthy addition to pick up if you’re looking to spend north of twenty hours platforming, puzzle solving and unlocking new content. On that front alone, LEGO The Incredibles does not under-deliver. There’s so much content here, and heaps of fan-service, that it easily justifies a purchase.
The new Super Moves and the Family Builds adds a nice kick to the fields of play, the latter requiring that you collect special bricks in order to construct mahoosive builds to access new areas. Traditionally, you’ll be using a host of super powers to overcome those level puzzles and enemies by the bucket-load. The pacing of the game is outstanding and the action is nonstop. I have to say that I enjoyed the innovation as far as the level design is concerned. Each level, alongside the sprawling hubs, perfectly reflects that of the source material. Furthermore, The Incredibles’ theme and personality fits exceptionally well with that trademark LEGO touch.
The game truly opens up after the first level, granting you instant access to its massive open-world hubs. Here, you can either return to the story missions or explore until you heart’s content. There’s no shortage of side-quests, puzzles or secrets to work through, easily offering north of fifteen hours worth of content alone. I have to also commend the pacing here too, as this open-world is probably the best in any LEGO game so far, chased closely by LEGO Jurassic World. The addition of drop-in-drop-out multiplayer maintains that co-op allure that the series has donned since it was introduced, and it works just as well here as it does in any LEGO game.
Each character brings their own unique abilities to the fold, forcing you to think carefully about how to assess each situation within. The difficulty curve is, as always, quite open to appeal to the wider audience, but it was nice to see such a diverse and distinct cast of characters nevertheless. There’s a staggering amount of characters to unlock (over one hundred in total), many of which are obtained through completing set objectives or challenges out in the open-world. There’s also the addition of characters from other Pixar properties that can be unlocked, which adds a nice bit of variety, on top of, of course, the ability to create your very own hero.
Problems present in previous LEGO games are sadly present here too, such as the awkward camera that will infrequently obscure the view of something you need to activate or collect. The same can be said when you’re neck-deep in combat in tight enclosed spaces. It’s frustrating that TT Games continue to slip up here, because if anything, it totally breaks immersion. The next issue sits with the controls when utilizing the game’s vehicles. I’ve never particularly stuck with using vehicles in LEGO games unless the story calls for it, but to see them still controlling like tractor on ice, is a little bit disheartening to say the least. I expected little else to be honest.
The bottom line in all of this is that LEGO The Incredibles is very easy to recommend. If, and only if, you’ve not grown tired of that tried and tested LEGO formula. Despite the new theme and the few new additions, this is the same LEGO game you’ve been playing over and over again, but with a new skin, a new story and a few new tricks. I love The Incredibles and I absolutely adore LEGO, but even then, I had far more fun playing in the hubs than I did with the story. The story’s well worth a trip, I wont deny it of that, but its hubs are what steal the show. TT Games know how to craft one hell of an open-world and then pack it with mountains of fun.
There’s something truly addictive about seeking out the world’s secrets in the hopes of finding something new. Whether you’re chasing collectibles, hording gold and red bricks, taking part in races or ticking off side quest after side quest, there’s always something to do. I’ve purposely avoided speaking about the plot(s) within, simply because it’s something that should be witnessed first-hand. What I will say is that the voice acting is top-notch and, one more time, the level design and quality remains gorgeous and diverse throughout. More importantly, I cant say that I have witnessed any major problems whatsoever with the game’s performance.
Conclusion
LEGO The Incredibles is very easy to recommend if, and only if, you’ve not grown tired of the tried and tested LEGO formula. The game doesn’t do much to evolve or build upon the foundation that we’ve endured time and time again. However, with that being said, there’s no denying that LEGO The Incredibles packs a great deal of action-packed content across its exciting story and its sprawling world hubs.
This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox One. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version.
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