This mechanic is a novel idea within the genre of “toys-to-life”, though it can be troublesome once your collection of LEGO grows. There are only seven spaces on the Portal Pad and if all of those get filled up, you’ll be quickly trying to swap figures around to ensure they stay in the game and to do accomplish whatever the game is asking you to do at that time. For the keystone puzzles, this usually isn’t too bad as you can always swap to a particular character that’s already in the right section. Some character abilities, like Wyldstyle’s “Master Builder” power, and boss encounters, however, require you to move figures around more frequently. While I wanted to freely play as anyone and use any vehicle during the story missions, I eventually got to the point where I only had Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf on the pad to makes things easy for myself.
Finally, there are the figures, vehicles, and gadgets themselves. Every vehicle/gadget has three forms. Instructions on how to assemble it into it’s default form are provided from within the game (there are no physical instructions). Gaining access to the alternative forms requires upgrading via the portal located in the hub world (Vorton).
Once the new forms are unlocked, you are provided a new set of instructions that walk you through how to reassemble the gadget/vehicle. I quickly found myself blowing through all of the studs and gold LEGO bricks I had acquired just to unlock the next form of a particular vehicle just so I could assemble it in a different way. What’s more, those different forms changes aren’t purely cosmetic either. Each form has its own set of abilities, such as being able to dive underwater or pull down walls with tow cables, that are needed to acquire all of those collectibles scattered throughout.
There’s an underlying idea to LEGOs that has inspired so many throughout the years: if you can dream it, build it. People will look at a pile of LEGO bricks and then think of way to make them into something more, like a dinosaur, or the Empire State Building. I feel that that same idea has translated over into LEGO Dimensions. TT Games looked at the idea of “toys-to-life” and the rote gameplay mechanics of their previous titles and merged them in a way that is not only greater than its parts, but so very true to the LEGO spirit.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Play Alone or with a Friend. Players can let imagination guide their solo journey or have a friend join the adventure with co-operative, drop-in/drop-out play.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.