“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
The Hobbit is the latest game to come from Lego creators TT Games and Warner Bros Interactive. This time stepping you out of the role of Frodo and into the brick shoes of his uncle Bilbo Baggins. The games story spans the first two-hobbit films: The Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug.
You are at first greeted by the main menu, and this in itself is a beautiful delight. You are put in the very hobbit hole of Bilbo Baggins. We see him at his book table while over scored by Howard Shore’s brilliant piece “Bag End”. This immediately brings a nostalgic value to any middle earth fan and brings a sense of immersion and authenticity into the games prime value. For minutes I was sat staring at this menu watching and taking it in.
Like the Lego Lord of the rings the cut scenes are adapted from the film into a Lego form, adding a touch of humor on the side. Once you start the game you are met with Bilbo’s voice over telling you about how Smaug invaded the once great city of dwarves, and like the film it sets the mood of the whole game. Keeping it authentic to the visuals of the film and keeping true to the source material of the book.
The graphics are stunning for a Lego game, keeping the lush and realistic backdrops in view that are interlinked with Lego elements puts you into the feel of middle earth. Playing the game on the Xbox 360 didn’t quite live up to its Xbox One counter part but still kept up the immersive aspect.
However this immersion was somewhat taken away, making you once again realize you a playing a game once the gameplay started. In total since the first release there have been a total of 19 licensed Lego games, Lego Star Wars of which is one that stands out, however among recent years the feel of repetitive gameplay has cropped in detracting the fun away from the experience. Unfortunately for the Hobbits case the repetitive nature strikes again. Tedious level design has you smashing everything in sight to find pieces to build with while on the side collecting studs. Puzzles that aren’t explained quickly leave you in an element of Limbo causing frustration of how to solve them. However despite these flaws new mechanics have been introduced that vary the pace.
The Hobbit is effectively a two player game, whether you are playing with a friend or with an A.I. the game requires the help of a second player to progress foreword. This helps to make you feel more involved by being able to perform new abilities. It also takes away the agonizing stress of constantly switching between characters to make the stay in position to unlock a door.
Along side this is a new creation method where you can forge new items and visually see a object you are trying to build, matching up the relevant pieces to create a bridge or a from of zip line. Yet despite these new additions the feel of repetitions does draw the otherwise immersive gameplay away.
Sound design is by far one of the games best features. Focusing highly on creating the feel of middle earth by using sounds like sword clashes and orc moans used in the films. Original actors from the film are used from voice samples taken from the film bringing in the authentic value. Over dub this with the beautiful and amazing score by Howard Shore earns this game a spot in the extensive middle earth franchise. This is then mixed in by the use of Lego sound effects that keeps the line between serious game and playful. Which again this game, although based on a serious story manages to make it humorous and playful at the same time.
As per usual in a Lego game there is a prominent replay value offered from the very beginning. There are over 98 characters to unlock and also mini kits that will keep you going for hours on end once completing the 16 levels of the game. To be expected the game finishes on the same cliffhanger that the most recent film ends on. Smaug has left the mountain and sets his sights on destroying lake town, ending on the line “What have we done!” from Bilbo. Once again staying true to the films while setting it up for the next game and the latest film “There and back again” (Subject to title change).
In a whole the Lego Hobbit has the potential of being a great game, it has the humor, the graphics, the brilliant sound design and most importantly the authenticity. The only thing that makes it shy of being the great Lego game that it could of been is its repetitive gameplay that becomes a chore and drags the fun away from what should be a fun experience. That said it is worth a play for any gamer and especially for any fan of the middle earth franchise. For that the Lego Hobbit gets a 3 out of 5.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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