LEGO Party preview: building off the competition

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one surprised by the announcement of the LEGO Party, which is exactly what it says on the tin.

I’ll be honest, when I first saw it announced during Summer Game Fest’s live show I thought the same thing many people did, it’s Mario Party, but LEGO…

After playing it here at Summer Game Fest though I have a slightly different opinion on the game. It’s definitely Mario Party, but without all the filler.

Now I love a good game of Mario Party with some mates but it always feels like the games go on for just a little too long, and the series has a reputation of ending friendships for a reason, it’s borderline unfair at times.

While playing LEGO Party I was asking the developers I was playing with for more of an insight on the game, and walked away from my demo pleasantly surprised at how well it differentiated itself from Nintendo’s beloved party series.

LEGO Party games work like this, players partake in minigames to earn studs, which can then be used to purchase a gold brick. Whoever has the most gold bricks at the end of the game wins, so doing well in the minigames is of paramount importance.

It’s treading familiar ground for sure, but the speed of the games is not to be ignored. I don’t know about you but when I play Mario Party I often find myself checking my phone or talking to someone when it’s not my turn, as some of the turns can last a good long while before you next have to pick up the controller.

A good example are the V.S minigames, as in Mario Party these are often between two players and two players only, meaning in a full party of four, two players are left as spectators.

Not in LEGO Party though, as the Battle Spaces as they’re called utilise two teams of two, with the winning pair walking away with a gold brick each to celebrate their victory.

The same can be said for the board itself, as it’s incomplete when you first start the game. Throughout the match, upon reaching a certain part of the board the player who lands there gets to choose what gets built in that area. For example the pirate-themed map I played on gave me the choice of a pirate hideout or a cannon island, both of which serve different functions for those who land on them later in the game.

I felt engaged throughout the whole thing, which says a lot as we only played for around 30 minutes and that was more than enough time to get through a game. The pacing was excellent, and it never felt like you were losing any time.

Yes there are several comparisons to be made between LEGO Party and Mario Party, but LEGO Party makes plenty of minor changes to separate itself from the competition, plus you’ll be able to place this one easier as it’s not restricted to Nintendo platforms.

I’m looking forward to playing it again, and from the sounds of things there’s plenty of potential for post-launch support.