LEGO Worlds – Early Access Review

LEGO Worlds is a much-anticipated game that was recently released via Steam Early Access for $14.99. LEGO Worlds is an open-world game that allows the player to explore and build freely. 

Gameplay

You start the game in a randomly generated world, playing as either a Paleontologist or an Explorer. However, you can switch between these two characters at any given time. You have pre-made buildings at your disposal; as you explore, you can unlock vehicles, animals, and new characters.

Users play in a highly customizable world. Many of the game tools remind me a bit of the tools found in The Sims 3 and 4.  You can level terrain, build mountains and valleys in a snap. You can change the color and texture of the bricks as well. 

It’s impossible to talk about LEGO Worlds without discussing the big free-building game on the block, Minecraft by Mojang. At face value, the resemblance is obvious. TT Games has created LEGO Worlds as a sandbox game, and everything within the world is interactive. As in Minecraft, LEGO Worlds has an emphasis on altering landscapes and building whatever that player wishes.

For all it’s similarities though, LEGO Worlds is certainly its own experience. It places a larger emphasis on exploring, rather than surviving. Worlds builds off the gameplay and tools that are implemented in other Lego games. The characters move the same as they would in any other Lego game, being able to climb and swing about very freely, which is a limitation in Minecraft. LEGO Worlds also has a great emphasis on tools and vehicles; the game compels the player to explore, and it’s easy to move around quickly on horses, goats, in cars, and lots of other forms of transportation.

Despite the shiny world that’s been created as if something from one of my childhood dreams, this is an early access game, and it shows. As of right now there are no cut-scenes to welcome the player to the world of Lego. There are also no tutorials, which I sincerely hope will be added in the future. There are a vast number of tools in LEGO Worlds, so tutorials should definitely be released as the game’s development concludes.

First Impressions

Playing LEGO Worlds is a lot like playing Minecraft with mods.

So I can only imagine how massive LEGO Worlds could become if users had the opportunity to add mods of their own. The graphics and visual style look absolutely stunning, though keep in mind that I have a color deficiency and ultimately had a difficult time seeing the depth of the world.

Given this issue the world itself looks a little cluttered, I will need to adjust the color settings to see if I can improve the quality of the game for myself. I am on the lookout for anyone else with similar issues for whether or not they have found a solution.

I’ve also found it fairly difficult to line up bricks properly when building. I hope that guidelines will become a little clearer at some point.

Overall, this game is about discovery. It’s a polished and massive world to be explored, and I am very excited to see new additions to the game. Even as an early access game, it is still very playable and enjoyable. I recommend it to any Lego fan, especially those who find real Legos too expensive and cumbersome.

I’d also be very interested in seeing what avid Minecraft fans think of the new challenges that Lego Worlds has to offer.