In its first year, Lego Dimensions made an impression with fans of the Lego video game series. Much like how you would play with Lego toys in real life, it's much more fun to mix up the different sets and items together, even if it doesn't seem like they belong. That's the beauty of what this title has succeeded at, and with the upcoming waves of Year 2 content, the developers at Traveller's Tales have much more in store for Lego Dimensions.
In Year 2, the 'hodgepodgey' Lego universe title will see the releases of new sets and figurines for a variety of settings. During an advance look at the coming waves of content, we got to go hands-on with new brands not yet released, and some throwbacks that will likely make you perk up with excitement.
For the uninitiated, Lego Dimensions pulls together a variety of different characters and locations from film, TV, comics, and video games. It allows you to explore Lego versions of their worlds by completing quests, battling monsters and other enemies, and unlock new characters to use in your exploits. Between Lego Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, and Lord of the Rings, players can freely mix and match characters to play with how they want. This is taken to ridiculous extremes in Lego Dimensions, where way more brands and locales are 'Lego-fied' and incorporated into the game. Much like Skylanders and Disney Infinity, you can purchase sets and figurines to add new content into your world.
As of now, Lego Dimensions features tons of content with characters and settings from Back to the Future, Doctor Who, DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, The Simpsons, Scooby-Doo, and many others. And with Year 2 content, the developers have way more in store for their shared universe game. To kick off, sets featuring Mission: Impossible, Ghostbusters, Adventure Time, Harry Potter, and The A-Team are releasing today. In each set, players can control a variety of characters and go through unique levels based on their respective brands.
Moreover, November will also see the release of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack, Sonic The Hedgehog Level Pack, Gremlins Team Pack, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial fun packs. February 2017 will also have the launch for new content from The Lego Batman Movie, featuring new armor types for Lego Batman, Batgirl, Robin, and the Batwing.
In a brand new hub world, players will be able to access all Year 2 content and go through levels at their own pace. During our demo, we started off with the Adventure Time pack, which transported us to the Land of Ooo. During this level, we took part in a quest to rescue old ladies that are being held captive by angry flying gnomes. Of course, you can play as Finn and Jake, and their new figurines look great, but one of the best parts of the Lego titles is playing who you want to at any time. My partner decided to give Sonic the Hedgehog a shot, and seeing the blue bomber rendered in Lego form was kinda trippy. They even managed to nail his new super speed, which other characters can emulate while exploring Sonic's Green Hills Zone level.
Next up, we gave Mission: Impossible a shot. In this level pack, several of the Mission: Impossible films are recreated in Lego form. It was oddly amusing to see the locales, characters, and even the original intro for the first movie redone in Lego style, which definitely added to the charm. The game does an impressive job of adapting the art-style and tone of the brands to fit the Lego universe. Playing as Ethan Hunt, you can throw explosive gum at your enemies and disguise yourself as key characters in the story. As with the last year's content, each set is spread across multiple stages covering the various set-pieces of the movie.
We also got a taste of the brand new multiplayer mode called Arena. In this mode, up to four players can battle against each as they capture bases and collect resources. It's a fairly neat take on traditional area-style competitive modes. There are many power-ups to pick up, and other gadgets to take advantage of. During my session, I got to take Mr. T from The A-Team for a spin, and I absolutely crushed my opponents. It's a nice diversion from the main levels and sets, but I imagine those areas will still have most of the player's attention.
If you're a fan of Lego Dimensions, then Year 2 is definitely looking to take things to a whole new level. The developers were also mindful of allowing players to have more ways to play and greater variety. So buying one set will allow you access to more content. Even if you haven't tried this title yet, now's the perfect time to jump into this wacky and jumbled up universe. The nostalgia pangs hit me hard while playing, and it feels equally like a tribute to classic shows and movies from our youth, and a way for the younger generation to get an understanding of what makes these worlds and characters so memorable.
