Lego The Hobbit

The Lego toys and game series that spawned from it have been tremendous successes over the years. If you’ve grown up in the last half decade, you’re more than likely familiar with them. We all had our own or have played with Lego toys in the past. On the other hand, the game series has been equally successful. There have been many entries spanning numerous popular universes such as DC Comics, Marvel, and even the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Lego The Hobbit aims to the tale of the books and movie trilogy The Hobbit.

There and… Well Not All the Way

If you’ve read or watched The Hobbit, then you’re well aware of the story. For those who have not, let’s go over a quick summary. The great wizard Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield – the heir to the fallen Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor – and his company of dwarves are invited into the home of Bilbo Baggins.

This lonely hobbit lives a live of routine and complete ignorance to the world outside is home in the Shire. However, he is then invited to go along on an adventure to reclaim the Dwarven kingdom that has been ruled by the dragon Smaug for a generation.

The sad news for fans of the trilogy is that Lego The Hobbit only follows the story of the first two movies. There were plans to release a DLC for the third movie: The Battle of the Five Armies, but that was later cancelled. While the games follows the story quite closely, you still won’t get to see the eventual conclusion to the trilogy, which is disappointing for fans and new players alike.

Following the Formula

Lego games are designed for kids to be able to play through to completion, but that does not keep adults from being entertained either. There’s something about breaking blocks, collecting pieces, and seeing the worlds recreated with Legos that never gets old, no matter your age. If you’re a fan of the games, this should be right up your alley. On the flipside, you could argue the formula had gotten stale up to release of Lego The Hobbit. It all depends on how much you love the series.

During your quest to defeat the dragon Smaug and reclaim Erabor, you’ll come across a few different gameplay elements. At its core, Lego The Hobbit is a platformer that features both combat and puzzles along the way. The combat is very basic as you’ll be spamming the attack button and hoping you made contact. The hit registration isn’t the best, but it’s quite mindless fun, nonetheless. As far the puzzles go, it’s either very simple or quite difficult. I found myself laughing at how easy some are and then getting stuck for 30 minutes on one later in the game. There isn’t much in between.

During the combat and puzzles, you’ll make use of the full cast of characters in Thorin’s company. That includes Bilbo, Gandalf, and all 13 Dwarves. Each one has an ability that will help you during both combat and the puzzles. For instance, Gandalf can shoot from his wand and use his sword to melee enemies. Dorian can use his flail to pull something lose, while Dwalin can push a block back using his mighty hammer. This is quite a clever mechanic and much appreciated as it tries to incorporate each and every character in the story. Unfortunately, this can also lead to difficulty when trying to find the dwarf that does the specific action you need as there are 13 of them after all. Still, I enjoyed this mechanic, I just wish it were a bit easier to control.

Lord of the Legos

As usual, the developer Traveller's Tales nailed the look and feel of the source material but make sure to add that patented Lego humor and touch. The world is wonderfully recreated in Lego form, making it so fun to just explore. Luckily, parts of the game are open world and allow you to complete side quests to explore even more. You can even earn new characters by completing these side quests, so it’s much appreciated.

What really adds some shine to the game is the cutscenes and voice acting. Since the game follows the game so closely, the original voice actors were able to be used. This adds a truly authentic feel to the game. The cutscenes are well done and help push the story along far more than the gameplay could. My favorite stage and cutscene involved the massive Stone Giants. You make your way up the side of these titans as they clash, making for an epic gaming moment.

Pros

• Beautifully crafted world of Middle-earth in Lego form
• Unique character system that adds variation to the platforming, combat, and puzzles
• Has the original voice actors

Cons

• Puzzles are either too easy or very hard, no in-between
• No conclusion to the story as the DLC for Battle of the Five Armies never released