LEGO Voyagers Preview: A Joyful Journey Awaits

Myself and GAMINGbible’s Sam Cawley recently attended Gamescom, teaming up to go hands-on with Light Brick Studio’s upcoming co-op title LEGO Voyagers; in fact, it’s out incredibly soon on 15 September. It’s important that I properly set the scene as Sam isn’t simply my colleague. We’re also real life besties and each other’s go-to for a co-op gaming partner. It’s with this in mind that you can perhaps see how excited we were to sample LEGO Voyagers, a hands-on appointment that reunited us after a day spent apart.

When we’re together, it’s time to get silly and if you ask me, the very best co-op titles are those that permit for such an attitude, and LEGO Voyagers is exactly that, albeit with plenty of heart too. The game centres around two small bricks who embark on a journey to restore an abandoned spaceship. It’s a journey that focuses on the themes of both play and friendship, with the two players having to make use of both ingenuity and teamwork in order to progress.

While I haven’t been able to find out what engine LEGO Voyagers has been made within, I can tell you that it looks simply stunning. Aesthetically, it’s very much in line with last year’s LEGO Horizon Adventures, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re looking at another Unreal Engine 5 creation here. LEGO Voyagers’ aesthetic adds a touch of realism, whether that’s achieved by an early morning haze or the soft glow of evening light. In fact, the game felt rather grounded at times which is no small feat for a title in which everything is made out of bricks.

It’s perfect because LEGO Voyagers’ themes are so very human. This is most definitely a game about teamwork and the power of friendship; you simply can’t solve the puzzles it throws at you alone. Having that take place within a world that almost feels tangible quickly made me attach to the plight of these small bricks. Throughout the demo, we were tasked with crossing canyons, navigating rivers, and climbing tall peaks.

LEGO Voyagers, Credit / Annapurna Interactive

To do all of this, the player must survey their environment, looking for items they can gather to build a solution. This is where the facilitation of silliness arose. You see, LEGO Voyagers isn’t exactly a game that requires deep thinking, at least not in the segment that we played. Crossing a canyon, for example, saw us gather bricks to build a bridge, but it was in the carrying out of that task where things grew humorous. To transfer an item, you have to latch on and then roll to your destination. You are a brick, after all; you don’t have arms.

I can’t tell you how many times mine and Sam’s bricks would accidentally latch onto one another or the same building piece, which would then bring on a “You let go”, “No you let go” as we both let go at the same time and made no progress whatsoever on building the bridge. That may sound infuriating but we just found the entire experience to be enormously funny, especially if one of us rolled down into the depths of the nearby deathly canyon whilst actually trying to be productive.

LEGO Voyagers, Credit / Annapurna Interactive

That feeling was intensified during one puzzle that saw one of us tasked with shaking a tree while the other gathered the falling fruits, stacking them on top of each other to create a big ol’ stick. Both of us then had to slot ourselves onto the end of the stick as one player controlled the movement, flopping the stick about as we attempted to fling ourselves up a hill. It’s difficult to convey just how amusing this was in actuality. It was down to Sam to fling the sus looking stick about while I just provided the commentary of “nice” every time he failed.

LEGO Voyagers, so far, is shaping up to be a title that executes a simple concept exceptionally well. It’s a true feast for the eyes filled with fun puzzles that are a blast to conquer with a friend. Who knew that being a brick could be so enjoyable? I’m already counting down the days until I can play more.

LEGO Voyagers is set to launch on 15 September on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.