Though it’s perfectly serviceable, Lego Jurassic World’s lack of interesting characters and its aesthetically similar locales make it one of the less memorable Lego games. There’s lots to do for super-fans of the Jurassic Park/World series, but not a lot of it stands out as particularly exciting or addicting.
Lego Jurassic World
Developer: TT Games
Price: $40
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch (reviewed), and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
I have a lot of fun with Lego games, and the first Jurassic Park is one of my all-time favorite films. This means that the idea of Lego Jurassic World should be pretty appealing to me. Though I had some fun with Lego Jurassic World, it feels like a franchise that would have been better served as an expansion for something like Lego Dimensions instead of a full game, as there just isn’t enough memorable content in the series to fill a Lego title.
Lego Jurassic World covers the plots of four films: Jurassic Park, The Lost Kingdom, Jurassic Park 3, and Jurassic World. The stories are all faithfully recreated in Lego format, with voice-clips and sounds taken directly from the films. It’s fun to see some of the more iconic moments in Lego’s style, especially with some of the goofier gags that are often added in, but once you’ve finished the first film’s story, you’ll likely feel pretty satisfied. Lost Kingdom takes place primarily in dark wooded areas, as does Jurassic Park 3. Jurassic World has some fun moments and more interesting locales, but it all feels a bit stretched.
This isn’t like Star Wars or Marvel where all of the films and stories have unique characters and settings. The Jurassic Park series primarily takes place in forests, plains, and labs, and primarily features regular people whose main appeal comes from their personalities. Unlocking different versions of John Hammond or most of the cast from the Lost Kingdom or Jurassic Park III just isn’t that enticing, and that’s coming from one of the few people who has a soft spot for Jurassic Park III. I will say that some of the character-specific abilities are pretty creative, like Grant’s use of his Raptor claw for vine-cutting, or using Ellie’s knowledge of dinosaur droppings to properly feed and recruit sick dinosaurs. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough to make a large chunk of the playable roster interesting.
“Exploring the park for yourself is genuinely fun and nostalgic, and the many unlockables scattered around simply add to the experience.“
Playing as dinosaurs is the most unique part of Lego Jurassic World, as they have a diverse set of abilities and ways of movement that make you feel as powerful as a Lego game could probably make you feel. Stomping around as a T-Rex and ramming everything as a Triceratops is a wonderful feeling, especially when the things you’re destroying fall apart into Lego bricks.
If you can look past the thin source material, the main levels and side-content are as robust and stimulating as they always are in Lego games. Puzzles are simple but satisfying (largely because of that glorious Lego-building sound), and there’s always something new to unlock across every corner of each level and hub. The hub is huge and intricately detailed, and you can tell TT Games spared no expense when it came to recreating the iconic park (as well as its less iconic follow-ups). Exploring the park for yourself is genuinely fun and nostalgic, and the many unlockables scattered around simply add to the experience.
Visually, Lego Jurassic World looks incredibly accurate to the toys it’s based on. These iconic film locations are incredibly charming when built from Lego, as are the characters of the films in minifigure form. The non-Lego environment pieces are exceptional as well, as they evoke a childish nostalgia, as though you’re playing with Lego pieces outside.
The Final Word
Lego Jurassic World is a completely alright Lego game that is hindered by its thin source material. Too many of its characters and stages are similar and fairly uninteresting, with only the first film’s levels standing out. As much as I love Jurassic Park and Lego games, this game would have worked best as a level pack in a larger, more diverse Lego game.
MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average
