Means again when the primary Lego Star Wars sport was launched in 2005, gamers marvelled on the approach it retold Episodes I-III in a hilarious approach with no single phrase of dialogue.
When it was introduced {that a} sequel was coming that will concentrate on the unique trilogy, I bear in mind questioning how it could deal with the well-known “I’m your father” scene with out these immortal strains being uttered.
It did so brilliantly, with Vader exhibiting Luke a polaroid picture of Anakin Skywalker pre-Vader, with a pregnant Padme. Vader factors at Padme’s child bump, then factors at Luke. I laughed out loud.
Practically 20 years since then, Funko Fusion is making an attempt to do the identical factor, with a brand new group partly comprised of former Lego sequence builders Traveller’s Tales / TT Video games. This time, nevertheless, I didn’t chortle out loud.
That’s to not say the sport isn’t amusing – lots of its recreations of key scenes from the films and TV exhibits it represents did elevate a smile – however there’s one thing about Funko Fusion that doesn’t fairly hit the identical ranges of appeal and persona that its religious ancestors did.
If it’s handed you by till now, Funko Fusion is an motion journey sport that, because the title suggests, mashes up a wide range of IPs and presents them within the model of the Funko Pop toys which have taken over each online game and comedian ebook retailer within the western world for quite a lot of years now.
Though the sport boasts over 20 licences, remember that they’re not all given the identical remedy. Solely seven of those have their very own hub worlds with a number of ranges, such as you’d anticipate in your typical multi-movie Lego sport.
As such, as a way to get essentially the most out of the sport you’ll actually need to be a fan of Sizzling Fuzz, Jurassic World, The Factor, Battlestar Galactica (the ‘70s model), The Umbrella Academy, Masters of the Universe or Scott Pilgrim vs The World – or ideally as lots of these as doable – as a result of it’s in these universes the place you’re going to be spending the overwhelming majority of your time.
Gamers with a specific love for among the different IPs listed within the sport’s trailers – corresponding to 5 Nights at Freddy’s, Again to the Future, Jaws or Nope – should make do for smaller ‘cameo’ levels (versus multi-level campaigns), and need to put within the hours earlier than they will play them.
These cameo levels are hidden inside different IPs’ worlds, and earlier than you entry them you’ll need to unlock a bunch of stuff first. You’re initially restricted to particular characters while you first play by way of a chapter. Play by way of the Scott Pilgrim world, for instance, and also you’ll solely be capable of select between Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Knives Chau and Stephen Stills – the characters from that individual IP, in different phrases.
As within the Lego video games, nevertheless, when you beat a stage you’ll be able to then revisit it in what Funko Fusion calls ‘Funplay’ mode, which lets you select any of your unlocked characters from throughout any IP and use them (and their distinctive talents). You continue to need to unlock these different IPs first, nevertheless.
For example of how this performs out within the sport, let’s say you’re an enormous Jaws fan and also you’ve heard it’s represented within the sport, so that you need to test it out. To play the Jaws stage, you first have to seek out the place it’s hiding – which is a portal inside a bait store in stage 3 of the Sizzling Fuzz world – however to achieve it you then want a personality who can use a flamethrower, and one other character who has an power weapon.
Neither of those are talents that may be carried out by the Sizzling Fuzz characters, that means it’s important to unlock The Factor and Battlestar Galactica levels first, after which come again to the Sizzling Fuzz stage to unlock the Jaws space. The entire cameo levels are unlocked on this approach, from The Mummy to Invincible to Shaun of the Lifeless.
In a single sense it’s not a large deal, so long as the participant approaches it like a Lego sport – concentrate on getting by way of each world in a linear style first, then as soon as the credit roll you’ll be able to replay the sport and use all of your now-unlocked characters to tick off all of the secrets and techniques you couldn’t entry the primary time round. It simply feels much more summary than it has previously.
Fortunately, the sport itself is enjoyable to play at a core stage, so the extreme backtracking isn’t a whole chore. Performed from an over-the-shoulder perspective it has a stronger concentrate on firearms than the sooner TT Video games choices, and the character of the Funko Pop design – little tiny our bodies and large heads – means the enemies really feel like they have been constructed with satisfying online game mechanics in thoughts, permitting you to choose them off with headshots from a mile away.
“The character of the Funko Pop design – little tiny our bodies and large heads – means the enemies really feel like they have been constructed with satisfying online game mechanics in thoughts, permitting you to choose them off with headshots from a mile away.”
The sport is balanced nicely sufficient in that you just get sufficient power to absorb bullets for some time, however not a lot you can run round invincible. You continue to must be cautious throughout fight as a result of you’ll be able to typically change into closely outnumbered, however the one occasions it turns into irritating are while you wilfully run right into a state of affairs that makes this a risk.
It’s simply that it’s unattainable to maintain making comparisons to the Lego video games – as we’ve performed quite a few occasions on this assessment – given the group’s pedigree and the way in which the sport is clearly primarily based on what they labored on previously, from the aforementioned approach some issues are intentionally locked away till you come back with new characters, to the way in which that smacking any object mendacity round will nearly at all times rewards you with a bit of bathe of studs vinyl items.
When these comparisons are made, then, it does really feel that whereas Funko Fusion has been clever to borrow from the sequence that lots of its group discovered large success with previously, one thing has been misplaced in that journey by way of the multiverse portal from TT Video games to 10:10 Video games, and the persona simply feels barely off.
The choice to haven’t any dialogue in cutscenes is ok, however they simply aren’t that humorous, maybe partly as a result of they’re coping with IPs that aren’t Star Wars or Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings, and as such aren’t wealthy in iconic popular culture scenes that may be recreated in mime kind with any actual confidence. Then, throughout gameplay, dialogue is definitely launched within the type of textual content bins and speech bubbles, however these too miss the mark comedically.
The sheer quantity of backtracking additionally lends the sport a type of synthetic longevity, and whereas we do nonetheless have enjoyable enjoying the sport it may be fairly a slog having to chase unlockable characters by way of a number of ranges.
It’s nice that Chucky’s in there as a secret character, however not so nice that it’s important to first discover him (in Sizzling Fuzz stage 4) then proceed to seek out him in six different ranges (together with two cameo ones, which require their very own circumstances to unlock) earlier than you’ll be able to add him to your roster. Identical course of goes for the lieks of M3gan, Knight Rider, Xena and Mega Man. It’s a hell of a whole lot of work which signifies that getting a full 100% completion within the sport will take many tens of hours of wandering round, in search of hidden nooks and crannies.
This author continues to be completely satisfied that Funko Fusion exists, as a result of I’m a sucker for a crossover and it’s nonetheless enjoyable seeing He-Man preventing raptors in Jurassic World. Optimistically, it’ll promote nicely sufficient to justify both a sequel or DLC, resulting in the addition of extra licenses to make for even sillier mixtures.
For the time being, nevertheless, there’s simply an excessive amount of busywork concerned in unlocking the whole lot to justify recommending it to completely everyone. For those who’re the type of participant who will get a kick out of exploring each nook of a stage and gathering a bunch of several types of merchandise to 100% a sport, you’ll be in hog’s heaven right here.
Others, nevertheless, could really feel the identical approach some really feel in regards to the Funko Pop toys themselves – impressed that they have been capable of purchase all these licences, however barely disillusioned that they have been utilized in that approach.
