Lego games have long been a staple in gaming with almost everyone having a favourite. Yet, through it all, there’s never been a party game – until now! Lego Party! is precisely that – a nifty spin on the creativity of Lego games, with the fun dialled up to 11. Not only does the game lean into that element of chaos and fun from a usual Lego romp, but here we see it rebuilt into a replayable collection of board games loaded with minigames galore. Up to four players can jump into the fun with custom minifigures and even cross-platform play included alongside some solo score attack content. But does Lego Party! have what it takes to stack the bricks up high enough to the like of Mario Party when it releases?
We were invited by SMG Studio in Melbourne to preview Lego Party! ahead of its launch on September 30.
It’s an easy comparison to say Lego Party! is just a plastic rebrand of other genre heavyweights, and rightly so. Yet, having had the opportunity to play it during a session at the studio, I was honestly left shocked that LEGO hasn’t made a move on this genre sooner. SMG Studio’s expertise in party games, however, no doubt shines the way, with the overall experience feeling like a fresh twist many players will be craving. This is definitely not Lego Mario Party.
During my session with Lego Party! I was able to spend time in the Challenge Zone, Mini Game Rush, and Score Chaser. It’s quite an energetic game too, with the set up phase, of course, including character selection and even the ability to make minifigures out of more parts than you can even dream of. I’m sure if the group I was in was let loose on this, we’d still be there finding that right pants shade or hair piece for the motely bunch.
Challenge Zone is definitely the game’s main draw for players seeking that board game feel. Across four themed boards, players can select a game length before jumping into the action. We got to go hands-on with the Pirate-themed board which was an instant delight, calling back to the original Lego theme. Players race to collect gold bricks around the board with tiles affecting the gameplay and even moving players around the board. A unique element to Lego Party! is the buildable sections that let players control the additional parts of the map. The idea here is to increase the combinations and give players more variety from game to game. Each turn, players also play minigames where you earn studs which can be used to buy power-ups or even activate traps like a giant roast turkey that launches onto another player. It’s definitely packing that signature Lego humour we’ve come to love across other Lego games.
This would likely be where the main comparison to Mario Party is, however upon playing 6 rounds it’s evident where the line in the sand is between the pair. While they both allow players to engage with board games and land on tiles that affect the gameplay, Lego Party! feels a lot less fussed with the random elements that grow incredibly frustrating in Mario Party. Between fun mini games, Lego Party! never quite feels as punishing, even if you happen to be losing or having a bad run. While my time with the game has been limited, this does feel like it lends itself to younger and more casual players who aren’t explicitly gamers. There’s little of that punishing element or those situations where a player gets three stars at the end of the game and ends up winning. One could argue these moments are equally fun but really Lego Party! is a more rounded take with a focus on making sure everyone is at least having a good time.
During our session I snagged the lead by around turn three thanks to some mini games and decent dice rolls, but it wasn’t long before the other players were passing me or I was hitting their traps. Studs are a valuable resource throughout the game, yet I never got to buy any power-ups at the iconic Hot Dog vendor found on the board while the other players hit them multiple times with lower roles.
Mini Game Rush essentially removes the board game element for players who just want to blast through a selection of mini games. The mode also includes a placement celebration at the end for the highest scoring player across the playlist, so it definitely encourages that competitive element across whatever mini games that are selected. This is a great mode if time is limited or if you just want to play your favourite mini games.
Score Chaser is the game’s single-player mode, a feature that allows players to grind away on specific challenges to achieve that all-important high score. During the session, we had a challenge at the end to see who might score the highest in a mini game where you have to grapple through a mine. It was much harder than it looked!
Thanks to its game show theme, Lego Party! wastes no time in setting players loose on the fun but what also rounds out the experience is the game’s presenters – Paige Turner and Ted Talker each fire up the game with that signature quirk we’ve come to expect from Lego games, whether it be off-beat humour or general parody and quips, yet they are so much more lively here. Not only does the game feature around 13 thousand voice lines of dialogue, but the presenters even react to smaller details like the day of the week or even how long you’ve been sitting on a menu. Graham Goring, known for his writing on Lego City Undercover, the first ever Lego game with voice acting, was personally sort out by SMG Studio to write on Lego Party!
While Lego Party! doesn’t exactly break the wheel in the genre, it does at least make its own mark on the board game format in a way that only something as iconic as the Lego brand could achieve. For starters, everything is made of Lego, which is to be expected from a Lego game of course but here it’s effortless. I lost track of the number of times I was left speechless at the level of detail in the game. Not only is it possible to build practically everything we see but it’s as if we’ve stepped into a Lego set. There’s an instant playfulness that comes from this. One of the developers even explained to us how Lego requires all digital builds to be physically buildable – an effort no doubt that pays off when your see them in-game and wish you could build it yourself.
The other focus thats evident from really early on is how player-friendly the game’s design is. On start-up, each of the 60 mini games is accessible, so there’s no unlocking or random element built-in. Players can choose the experience that’s right for them and start having fun. This isn’t meant to be a grindy experience by any means, but more of a rewarding one that lets players do what they enjoy.
While we only got to see a limited selection of the mini games in Lego Party!, every single one felt like a relatively easy pick-up, though some had higher skill ceilings than others. Still, the chaos of jumping in after a short tutorial is where the real sauce is here and rightly so for a game built around mini games.
While players earn currency from playing, which can then be exchanged for character cosmetics, there’s not a microtransaction to be seen anywhere. The pricing for player cosmetics is also incredibly kind, unlike other games that would ramp up the prices to encourage grinding. Here, all cosmetics only require you to play a few games to save up enough currency.
While the game does feature entirely original Lego IP, this definitely doesn’t hold it back. Thanks to the game’s modular design, there is at least the potential for more content to be added down the line in the form of DLC. I am definitely getting ahead of myself with the game not even released yet, but it does make me very excited.
The fact that Lego Party! also features cross-platform online play via code is a nifty inclusion as well. This will make jumping into friends’ sessions a lot more straightforward, whilst avoiding friendlist dramas.
Lego Party! is a party game that knows full well you’re going to compare it to the likes of Mario Party, and it’s not afraid of that. At its heart, though, this is a delightfully brick-built take on digital board games that stands on its own thanks to its mix of chaos, personality, and refinement, benefiting every player’s experience. SMG Studio have built something worthy of their experience in multiplayer games, while toying with the original formula and making it their own. I’m more than confident that this one will be a party hit for mini game fanatics and even those less confident around games. Definitely keep Lego Party! on your radar!
Lego Party! will be available September 30 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
NextPlay was invited to SMG Studio in Melbourne for a Lego Party! group play session.
