LEGO Party! Review

Over the years, LEGO has made games in almost every genre, from action and racing to superhero adventures and open-world explorations. But LEGO Party! is a significant new step for the famous brick brand. 

This isn't just another LEGO game with a story. SMG Studio created it, and Fiction published it. It's a full-on digital board game that bears a strong resemblance to Nintendo's Mario Party, but it also features LEGO's trademark humor, creativity, and visual appeal.

LEGO Party! doesn't need epic quests or movie-like stories to be fun. It just needs surprises, laughter, and a bit of competitive tension. It sounds like a title that would make families sit together on the couch, but at the same time, it tears them apart with silly revenge plots and rivalries that break bricks. If you love LEGO or just want a fun party game, this game could become a regular at your game night. 

LEGO Party! is like a crazy, colorful game show. You and up to three other people—friends, family, or AI-controlled bots—are racing to collect golden bricks, which are the game's ultimate prize. Ted Talker and Paige Turner, two very funny animated hosts, narrate your every success and failure throughout the whole thing. Their funny banter brings the game's showtime to life, adding both charm and comedic chaos to every round.

It's nice that the game stays true to its premise. At the start of each match, there is a big stage introduction with spotlights, confetti, and a dramatic reveal of the contestants. The presentation does a good job of capturing the spirit of a fun competition show, although it can become repetitive after a few matches.

It feels like LEGO, full of life and random. 

At its core, LEGO Party! is a virtual board game  for up to four people  that takes place in four different themed worlds: Pirate World, Space World, Ninjago World, and LEGO Theme Park. Each board has its own unique look and feel, along with its own set of rules that make the game feel fresh and engaging.

Before each match, a mini-game is played to determine who goes first. After that, you roll the dice to move around the board, pick up studs (the game's money), and interact with different kinds of spaces. Before the rounds are over, the goal is to collect as many gold bricks as possible.

Mr. Gold, a shiny minifigure, is the person who sells you your golden ticket. He appears in random places on the board, where you can purchase golden bricks for 50 studs each. He moves after each purchase, which means that players must constantly adjust their plans and movements. 

You can earn studs by doing well in mini-games, landing on lucky spaces, or stealing them from other players in smart ways, like by using traps or special tiles.

Movement also has a layer of tactical depth. Power-ups, which you can buy from shops all over the board, can change the course of the game in a big way. These items can cause hilarious and unexpected situations, such as doubling your roll or switching places with another player. LEGO Party! is more than just a simple dice-rolling game because strategy is just as important as luck.

LEGO Party! features more than 60 mini-games, each unique and always enjoyable. These include quick reflex tests, smart memory tests, and skill-based games. The best part? All of them are made to be easy to use. 

Every mini-game features simple controls, typically consisting of movement and one or two buttons. This makes them fun for both kids and adults. In some mini-games, like Quick Bricks, you have to quickly put together LEGO things by pressing certain button combinations. This tests your coordination and muscle memory. Some games, like "Snailed It," ask you to remember the path that a wandering snail took. 

There is even a mini-game called "Takes Two to Tanko" that is a tank co-op. In this game, working together is the key to success or failure.

Not every problem is just about reflexes. Some mini-games require you to use logic, recognize patterns, or even learn a little bit about LEGO history. Adding both solo and team-based mini-games makes each round unpredictable, and the 2v2 "Brick Battle" challenges make it even more competitive.

But the game isn't perfect. When you play with fewer than four real people, the AI teammates can be very inconsistent. Sometimes they are great, and other times they are dumb. This imbalance can make things less fair when teams compete against each other. However, the fact that there are numerous mini-games helps alleviate the frustration and keeps things enjoyable.

LEGO Party! features an XP system that makes the game more engaging and enjoyable to play again. You get XP for both your player profile and the map you played on after each match. You can get new minifigures and "carrots," a second in-game currency that you can use to buy even more customization options in the Bunny Shop, by leveling up.

There is a ranking system for each map that stops at level 26, but your own level can go all the way up to 100. This layered progression gives you a lot of reasons to keep playing, exploring, and unlocking themed minifigures that are linked to certain worlds. It's surprisingly addictive, especially for people who want to unlock everything.

You can also change your own LEGO avatar. You can mix and match faces, hats, torsos, legs, and accessories to make a minifigure that really shows who you are (or how crazy you are). The many customization options make LEGO Party! Feel more personal than most party games.

LEGO Party! Looks like every other LEGO game: bright, colorful, and full of personality. Each board is meticulously crafted to resemble real LEGO sets, featuring iconic designs such as pirate ships, alien planets, spinning roller coasters, and ninja temples, among others. The environments are filled with amusing animations, tiny moving elements, and plenty of visual humor.

The attention to detail is most clear in how each board seems to come to life. In Space World, an alien might zap a player in the middle of their turn, taking over their moves for a short time. In the Pirate World, a cannon might go off without warning and steal the studs from the first-place player. These unplanned events make things less predictable and keep the board looking interesting.

Character animations are just as good at showing feelings. Minifigures wobble, jump, and flail in over-the-top ways that fit with LEGO's funny style. The background presenters even react in animated ways that match the chaos going on, making the whole thing feel like a cartoon.

LEGO Party! fills the room with bright sound design from the start of the show. The music is a mix of happy songs and carnival-like melodies that fit the mood of each board. The two announcers' comments, which can sometimes be repetitive, lend the show its personality and humor. They often make fun of the person in last place.

Some people might think the announcers' teasing is too harsh, especially for younger players, but their timing is perfect for a funny game show. The sound effects are clear and familiar, with satisfying clicks, clacks, and "snap" sounds that sound like real LEGO pieces connecting. 

The little jingles that play when you win or lose a mini-game are so catchy that you can hum them after the game is over.

LEGO Party! runs well on most platforms and keeps a steady frame rate during mini-games and transitions. There have been reports of bugs while playing online, especially crashes when trying to connect to servers. This problem appears to be specific to certain platforms and may vary in different regions.

The good news is that local multiplayer works perfectly, and people can play together online and on the couch. Crossplay allows you to play with friends on different platforms, making this one of the easiest LEGO games to get into.

The only big problem is that there is no public matchmaking, so you can only play with people on your friends list. It's a minor but crucial mistake for a game that excels in multiplayer chaos. We hope that future updates will address issues with matchmaking and improve the stability of the internet.

LEGO Party! is not just a copy of Mario Party with LEGO bricks. It has a lot of polish and is a lot of fun to play with other people. It celebrates creativity, competition, and the joy of laughing together. The game is easy to understand yet offers a lot of strategy, making it enjoyable for both kids and adults alike.

The bright graphics, humorous announcers, and numerous customization options make each session feel unique. The XP and unlock systems give you goals to work toward long after the first match is over. LEGO Party! is still one of the most family-friendly and replayable LEGO games to date, even with a few small technical issues and AI quirks.

LEGO Party! is a must-have for game night if you want to relive the past and have a lot of fun at the same time.