LEGO Online Minfigure Game Review

[SEK527]

Thanks to TNB, my husband (also a TNB forum member) & I attended a demo of Funcom’s newly upgraded LEGO Minifigures Online multiplayer game in NYC. We got to meet the game’s designer & one of the developers who showed us a short game trailer after which we played the game. This was the first time that I ever played a video game, but my husband is an avid online gamer. They gave us a complimentary copy of the game which we installed on our laptop. This review is based on his play experience & mine as an onlooker. Yes, the game is so engaging that every night I sat by his side for hours & watched him play.

I will try to post Flickr links to screenshots soon.

Without delay here’s the review letting you know why you should buy this game.

On Mon June 29th Funcom will release the newly enhanced LEGO Minifigures Online game. The PC version is $29.99 & the IOS & Android versions are $4.99 for the first world with options to purchase additional worlds. There is a one time fee – you don’t pay a subscription. There are plans to expand the game past the initial five worlds to enhance the play experience. Funcom definitely put FUN in this game. There are so many excellent features (the minifigs speak), quick enemy & item regeneration, story lines & a multiplayer option that make it an all around enjoyable game. It’s worth the money & I’ll be buying a PC version for one of my nephews.

Players of other online games will recognize a lot of the same features such as mini maps, quests, achievements & teaming up with other players. Most games are usually one genre and the characters are related to the type of game. What sets LEGO Minifigures Online apart is that there are five worlds (Pirate, Kingdom, Space Colony, Mythology Mountains & Dinosaur Rise) & each world is like being in a different game & you can play any minifig you have unlocked or activated in any world. For ex. use the Man in Pig Suit in Space Colony (remember Pigs In Space from The Muppet Show), The Hotdog Man who rolls over his opponents in Mythology Mountains or The Starlet who smashes opponents with her trophy in Dinosaur Rise. You can even switch characters at any time. In addition, the simple & intuitive interface is easy enough for young kids (or beginners like me) to use, but the game has enough options to keep adult players interested. There is a new story line in each world (not to spoil your fun I’m not revealing them), the graphics are good & colorful plus there’s lot of action to keep players engaged. The scenery in each world is a blend of LEGO and non-LEGO items. One of our favorite scenes in Pirate World is a small group of monkeys dancing around a banana bonfire. I especially like all the trees in the various worlds, because of the combination of LEGO elements used in their design. We haven’t gotten to Dinosaur Rise yet, but the game designer told us that Funcom created the dinosaurs in that world so your minifig hero will encounter dinosaurs that aren’t available (yet) in any LEGO set.

So, how’s the game played? You initially pick one of three minifigs or enter a bag code. Then you name your minifig. After a brief intro to the first quest, your minifig hero enters the Pirate World. Game play starts easy (minifigs can’t get defeated) and the game gets progressively tougher. I like that minifigs can’t fall off bridges or high elevations. This cuts down on the frustration level & lets you focus on the situation at hand. Your minifig will face an increasing number of enemies and come across plenty of treasure & small LEGO builds to smash in addition to small piles of LEGO elements to build things. While on the quest your minifig will have the option to enter side adventures (some of which unlock minifigs). When minifigs smash items they break into LEGO elements. What makes this funny is what they break into. For ex. when a small building is smashed among the LEGO element debris there might be a drumstick & other elements which obviously weren’t used to build the smashed item. There is humorous narration to provide players with additional story line information and periodic tips. Players accumulate experience points to increase their level, healing potions & stars which are used to buy power upgrades for their minifig characters. When you uncover hearts your minifg will recover a small number of health points if he or she is wounded. Otherwise it has no effect.

Once you complete the quest you proceed to the next world. Minifigs can’t jump so they propel themselves among tiers in each world & to other worlds once they complete the quests. The propelling devices vary by world – cannons in Pirate, catapults in Kingdom & giant fans in Space Colony.

As you move through the worlds there are more & more enemies & items to smash & both regenerate quickly. This is something that those playing solo or on a multiplayer team will enjoy. Solo players will like the challenge & those playing the multiplayer option will find that there are plenty of enemies and items for all the team members to smash.

In addition to the five worlds minifigs can go to the LEGO Center which is a great place for players to meet up, try out their new characters or navigate back to worlds that they have previously visited to gain more stars.

Incredibly there are about 100 CMFs that you can acquire. Each has unique abilities or powers, as well as unique voices & sayings, From The Pizza Delivery Guy who flings pizzas to The Rock Star who sings & smashes opponents with sonic electric guitar riffs – minifigs can do it all (except jump). You’ll never look at your LEGO minifig collection the same – they are cooler than you ever knew. By the way, when you unlock The Rock Star & hear him sing & play the guitar you may think to yourself – gee this guy sounds like he can be in a band. That’s because the developer who voices this minifig does play in a rock band.

While you can unlock a slew of minifigs, you must select three minifigs that you can interchange quickly. You can still pick any other minifigs you unlock, but you must go to a separate screen to do so & while you’re doing that your hero is still under attack so you must chose your top three for a particular area carefully.

Five ways to get minifigs
1. Enter the code from series 12 & series 13 minifig bags.
2. Complete side quests
3. Uncover the three parts (head, torso & legs) from treasure (extra parts can be converted to stars)
4. Unlock a minifig in a story line
5. Entering new worlds


While this game is packed with features here are a few suggestions for future enhancements:
1. The ability to transfer upgrades to other minifigs.
2. The option to use stars to buy temporary buffs at the ice cream trucks for your minifigs.
3. A list of the minifigs available in each world so you’ll know if you’ve missed any.
4. LEGO pets that can provide a minor bonus.


Anyone who enjoys LEGO & online games should certainly enjoy this game.

Edited - I added some screen shots.