LEGO Party is a rather enjoyable party game that takes the best parts of Mario Party and mixes them with some neat new additions. The way that luck can completely flip a game isn’t my favorite thing, but if you don’t mind the silliness that comes with this sort of game, there’s plenty to do in this one.
LEGO Party
Developer: SMG Studio
Price: $40
Platform: PS4, PS5 (reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PS5 code for review.
I’ve admittedly never been a huge Mario Party guy, but I don’t mind playing this sort of game every once in a while with pals. Plus, I’ve certainly got an affinity for LEGO, so I’m always down to check out a LEGO game. I was pleasantly surprised by LEGO Party, as it feels like a strong take on the party game genre with plenty of LEGO flavour.
The boards are based on specific LEGO themes, like pirates and Ninjago. It’s quite charming to see these themed areas made up of LEGO creations and characters, and there’s a good deal of nostalgia to seeing these old minifigures pop up here and there throughout. The entire game is presented as a sort of television show, featuring two goofy hosts who narrate everything going on. Admittedly, they talk a lot, which can feel like a bit much at times, but they’re largely pleasant and funny enough to work for the game’s concept.
And naturally, what’s a party game without minigames. LEGO Party has a wide variety of minigames to take part in between turns, with most of them being a real blast. They utilize the aforementioned LEGO charm in unique and intriguing ways, giving players a ton of goofy challenges and objectives that never feel boring or too similar to one another. As should be the case with this sort of title, I always looked forward to the minigames and was rarely disappointed with them.
“There’s a ton of stuff to unlock in LEGO Party, bolstered by a very addictive levelling system.“
Unfortunately, another frequent element of these games is luck. Naturally, you’ve got to know that going in, and I certainly did, but some part of my brain just struggles with suddenly going from first to last place because of bad luck. It’s less bad with friends since it adds to the silliness of a group hangout, but when you play against the AI, it can be a huge pain to suddenly by blindsided by pure luck. If this sort of thing doesn’t bug you at all, then you’re absolutely in the clear, but if that’s your least favorite part of Mario Party and the like, be warned that the luck factor is in full swing here.
There’s a ton of stuff to unlock in LEGO Party, bolstered by a very addictive levelling system. Playing on boards levels up the boards and your player level, granting you all sorts of new stuff, such as minifigures to play as. I was quite happy to see Johnny Thunder – the main character of the LEGO Adventures theme of playsets – appear as a character that you could buy with in-game currency (carrots, if you can believe it), as this serves as a great throwback to older LEGO content and reminds me of my own childhood.
Of course, the visuals of LEGO Party are nothing short of delightful. Most everything is made up of LEGO, so there’s plenty of creativity and ingenuity to each board and its many decorations. The loading screens even provide fun facts about the number of studs used in each board, which is a very cool detail to include. The voice acting is also great, with the hosts giving off a very suitable, overly enthusiastic vibe that’s perfectly fitting for game show hosts.
The Final Word
LEGO Party is a solid take on the board game genre that rarely works outside of Mario Party itself. There’s a ton to unlock, plenty of LEGO charm, and interesting board themes. It’s definitely got a lot of luck to it, but if you can look past that, you’ll find a great game to play with friends and family here.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
