LEGO Battles (DS) Review

In the past couple of years, there have been a number of Lego themed games based on popular franchises that have been released on the DS. These action-adventure titles have seen the world of Lego combined with various other popular franchises including Indiana Jones, Batman, and Star Wars. These games, for the most part, have been quite entertaining and well-executed games that have received mainly positive praise. Lego Battles is quite a different concept and instead of an action-adventure title, this time we have a real-time strategy title injected with a healthy dose of Lego.

The world of Lego lends itself nicely to just about any game genre, and RTS games are no different. Lego Battles is a pretty basic RTS, though it has enough depth and options to keep even an RTS fanatic entertained. In Lego Battles, you take control of a number of different groups of Lego characters and complete a number of missions with various objectives. Objectives range from defending a certain building to exploring the map to locating and defeating enemy characters. The main mode in the game is the story mode, and this mode takes you through the various acts and missions in the game. Thankfully, instead of focusing on just characters based on one type of Lego theme, the game includes various characters from the medieval, pirates, and space themes. This gives the game an added variety that makes it more enjoyable to play due to the differences between characters.

When playing through the story mode in Lego Battles, you will discover that there are parallel stories for each group of characters. For example, you start the game with the medieval characters of which a King (good) and a Wizard (evil) are the two key characters. The game also includes a Free mode which allows you to set up your own customised battle as well as a multiplayer mode, although this only includes multi-card play and, sadly, no online.

Gameplay itself is fairly simple and utilises both touch screen control as well as button commands. Like many RTS games, the various tasks you will be involved in include collecting resources , building new characters (i.e., making your army bigger), creating various buildings such as barracks to create more soldiers, mines to collect Lego pieces, and so on. You have various options available to you, and there is good variety in the mission objectives. Like the other Lego games, there is also plenty of items to collect throughout the levels. Once you complete the main objective of the level, you have the option to keep exploring to collect the various items scattered throughout the level.

While the game isn’t particularly hard, some of the levels provide a decent challenge, though those with a penchant for RTS games may find the game a bit on the easy side. Controls work well for the most part, though there were some issues with touch screen commands being misinterpreted. The game also has a really good soundtrack and impressive visuals, particularly the cut-scenes which are excellent. There are quite a few levels to get through, and with a free play mode, multiplayer, and plenty of unlockable goodies, the game will keep you entertained for quite some time, provided you enjoy RTS games in the first place.

Lego Battles is by no means a perfect game, there are a few minor squabbles that are worth mentioning. Firstly, the game adds very little to the RTS genre and instead is a fairly basic example of an RTS game. This is probably a positive for younger gamers, but for those looking for a deep RTS, you’d best look elsewhere. There are also issues with controlling characters, as they would often fail to successfully walk around an obstacle and instead just stop . This can be a nuisance as you have to locate the character again on the map and direct them to where you want them to go. Not a huge issue, but annoying nonetheless. A lack off online play is also a disappointment, as this type of game is perfectly suited to online play.

Graphics 8.0

Simple but effective in game graphics and excellent cutscenes.

Gameplay 8.0

A simple RTS with a Lego twist; easy to pick up and play, and a good amount of variety in the game

Sound 8.0

soundtrack is very suitable and only adds to the game. Sound effects are minimal but do the job.

Tilt 7.0

A decent story mode, free play mode and multiplayer. No online is a pity.

Value 8.0

Quite a good game that offers a decent challenge and isnt overcomplicated.