Charm and wit along with style and class are easily found in Indy's latest adventure.
The story of the game revolves around Indy's first, second, and third adventure broken up into six different chapters and includes the third movies opening scene as a secret chapter adding up to a total of 19 chapters to play in with and without friends. While the story takes the entire movie formula it adds on a good dose of humor to keep you grinning and laughing during the cut-scenes. Funny tidbits are scattered throughout such as one scene where Indy tries to be clever and attempts to hand Belloq a rubber duck. These cut-scenes can sometimes hit the funny bone but other times some of them seem wasted such as a cut-scene where Indy pulls Marion out of the Well of Souls through a hole in the wall and nothing really humoring happens. Still the cut-scenes are great and they play off the Lego structure rather nicely; but if you want humor that stays with you throughout then the in game hilarity has got you covered. In game you'll find lots of neat little things to find such as Indy's amazing strength that has him able to take down baddies with wrestle inspired moves. You'll soon be seeing Indy fist pounding one second and then drop kicking his opponent into smithereens the next; and some moves aren't even wrestle but still are funny such as Indy's killer noogie attacks. These humorous moments also stack up on each such as in the second movie where Indy uses his whip to get the girl and her kiss so too is it implemented into the game. Using your whip on a feminine character Indy can make out with the girl right next door; still to do this amusing little nod of humor you'll need to spend many minutes just whipping the girl to get it right. These funny tidbits also hold references to Lego and George Lucas' last great game/movie as there are several hundred Star Wars references and there is even a Star Wars character in the secret character select. The humor rides on simple kid antics but still manages to make a little smile on you so it's all worth it in the end.
The game play is of course where it's all at and it makes sure to stick with the Star Wars formula. Indy can take down enemies and pick up Lego studs to fill up a meter that when filled up marks the ending of your stud gathering for that level and the beginning of your story completion days. The game also sees the return of the great red bricks; these bricks will unlock cheats for you to use and win the game easier or to just have a fun time. However, sadly for Lego Star Wars fans Lego and Travelers Tale's have gotten rid of the mini-kits that unlocked cool bonus items and instead replaced them with treasure chests. Although really it isn't that bad, Lego and TT are just making the core game play of Lego Star Wars into an Indiana Jones setting and treasure certainly fits the Indiana Jones style. These extras unlock cool new things such as new artifacts for the Barnett College and while they don't do anything they look good and are a good incentive to go through the levels and finish your collection. However, the fun doesn't stop there; you can go through the levels after an initial play through in Free Play mode and find the hidden mail boxes when delivered you will soon get more extras like characters and such. Overall, the extras are just too good to be true; you have standard cheat codes, secret characters, artifact room, a secret hidden level, and so much more. The extras are just sampling staggering and while they will involve some thinking they give great incentive to replay a level over, and over, and over, and over. Now as for the real game play it's incredibly hard to describe as Indiana Jones incorporates a wide variety of different game play styles into one package. The game is basically a mix of platforming, beat'em up, action, adventure, puzzle, and driving all thrown into a blender with the addition of Lego bricks. This is great as it gives the game play variety and makes sure to keep you engaged in experience and nothing in the game will ever go stale.
The platforming sections are relatively easy but sometimes tricky as some unexpected hazards can get in your way right as you're about to reach the end of the level. Another annoying thing is that sometimes the sequence is too long and difficult and if you happen to die while on the platform you'll have to go back and do it all over again. The slow and frustratingly difficulty of the platforming make it a low point in the game, but it still is a charming moment to see Indy whip himself into action with just a press of a button. When enemies come on screen get ready to see a secret that Indiana Jones didn't want to reveal: he's a professional wrestler. That's right, enemies beware as Indiana Jones will drop kick you into brick oblivion; Indy has a wide variety of attacks on his foes. The simple punch attacks are notable but Indy can also attack with a noogy, a WWE kick, pick up and toss, or just simply whip out his whip and uppercut the Nazi/Native/Soldiers into submission. The attacks aren't deep as other games but that doesn't matter because it's just simply charming and fun to see Indy dispose of his foes with a serious look on his face while noogying the attacker to death. The combat does have some draw backs though, enemies carry guns and bazookas so it can be tricky to win a fight where all you have is your fists and whip and your enemy has a tank and soldiers at his side. Still combat is easy and enjoyable and I'm sure you'll get a kick out of the funny moves Indy has in his arsenal. As for the action and adventure portion of the game they also work out incredibly well even though the game is linear. The action portion is all here with all your favorite Indy scenes with a charming Lego twist to them. Some of them aren't really laugh out loud funny but they are amusing and at least it follows the story of the movies which is pretty interesting. What's also amusing to note is how Lego really liked the Lego Star Wars game; looking carefully in game there are many cameos in secret spots of the past characters of the Lego Star Wars game and even a playable character from Star Wars is in Indiana Jones. As for adventure it isn't free roaming range such as GTA 4, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, or Metal Gear games but it at least has a lot of places to discover hidden secrets and items to get so it balances. Puzzles are another factor that Lego got right as the puzzles are sometimes dastardly clever but easy to figure out and accessible to children. The driving portion isn't up to par with the others as driving in a 3D world would be easy but doing it from the side view is quite annoying. It also doesn't help that sometimes it can difficult to judge when you can jump gaps in cars and turning in a boat can be sloppy. Luckily, the driving portions of the game are small in numbers so you should be able to overlook the small frustrations easily. Overall, each piece of game play blends smoothly into the experience and in some cases each one is as great as the last mechanic which will entertain kids and wow older audiences at the sheer variety of mechanics at work in this bricktastic adventure.
The graphics aren't amazing but the art direction certainly is. The backgrounds are not in tone with the Lego people that inhabit it but they are still quite good, from the jungle of the first movie to the desert of the third, Lego Indiana Jones really is a pleasure to the eyes. The art design is really strong but the graphics sure aren't; the characters are once again the Lego people which are good but it really isn't anything amazing or spectacular. Animations are fluent but unlike the game play lack variety and as for the AI, well, let's just say they can be troublesome when you're near an enemy respawner. Still though the game remains great because of the world the Lego guys and gals inhabit. The jungles and the sounds bring to semi life and the fine artistic touch will make sure that you aren't battling in some brick world (which is still fun) but instead in a vast and beautiful landscapes. In sound however, the game does well in bringing the brick world to life but in terms of voices, well, you're not gonna find anything in here. Instead actors who play the grunts and moans of the Lego people are all the voices you'll be hearing; this is somewhat of a bad thing since in earlier Lego games, people did speak and they were funny and amusing to listen to, while on the other hand it's quite charming to know that they are just being Lego people. In real life Lego people can't talk so it makes sense that the only thing we can hear from them is the muffled groans and grunts indicating that they cannot speak but do try.
Still though, there are some problems that hold Indy back from achieving the treasure. The game has some really long load times but then again that could be just the machine it's running on. The levels start to go on for quite a while and while it is fun it can get tedious especially if you're going through them again in Free Play mode. But, the big flaw that really hampers this game, the difficulty; the game is geared towards kids but the easy difficulty will make problems seem more frustrating that fun. The game is easy as all you lose is studs and can make that up from all the enemies, objects like crates, weapons, and such. However, there are some weird puzzles that you may not enjoy such as the volcanic level in the Temple of Doom where you must get to Mola Ram is tedious as one slip of climbing up the spinning platform and you come crashing down into magma and die. It gets boring and frustrating in this relatively easy game so they do stand out among the other great moments within the game. What also doesn't help is that the game sometimes is a bit too much like the movies and if you haven't seen them then some levels will be also frustrating. An example would be the Last Crusade end level where you must go through the entire game based on the three challenges that Indy himself had to face and these can be quite challenging. You have to spell out Jiova but you have to spell it out with an I luckily the floor is marked green so that you can easily find all the right letters. Not only that but you must take the leap of faith but if you don't know of the movie then you'll be running back through the entire level to see if there is another way out. Not only that but once you get to the end and must fight the knight while finding the Holy Grail it isn't fun when you haven't seen the movie and keep grabbing the shiny goblets instead of the dulled out one. Luckily these are only for first timers who once have played the level one time will be able to go back without much sweat.
The game like its Star Wars counterparts also has a mode in it called Free Play mode. In Free Play mode you and maybe a buddy or not can really enjoy; in Free Play mode you are given a number of characters that you have unlocked and can transform into them with a scroll of the wheel. This allows you to have the game play out much easier for if you want to play as someone other than Indy you can and don't have to go out and grab hat to fool soldiers into letting you into secret areas. Not only that but now you don't have to go through the level and find a wrench or shovel because now some of your characters already have one and are experts with it. What's also great is that now in Indy's time there is no droids; it was nice to have the droids in Lego Star Wars but with their only ability to open doors they soon lost their luster and it was a bit sad to be the only one slicing and dicing Storm Troopers without a friendly AI that could help you out. Now all characters are useful and fun to play as which means that when the AI changes it's character into a specific character just remember that it's better than the droids. Free Play mode has nothing new from the old Star Wars games before it but it still provides fun hours and days ahead for collectors and gamers alike. In fact, just like in Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy you can create your own character to play as; this does have advantages and disadvantages. It at least allows your creativity t be inputted into the game but sadly that's about it. The character no matter what weapon has the whip to act as Indiana Jones which is good but it really doesn't make him or her stand out. Not to mention some weapons that he or she can be given are useless such as a bottle that once thrown is lost forever. Even with some oddities, the Free Play mode is still an outstanding mechanic giving way to lengthy play-throughs and fun times.
Pros:
-Sheer variety of game play
-Humorous and charming cut scenes
-Follows the movies closely
-Amazing scope of extras
-Smooth combination of game play
-Fun and easy puzzles
-Art direction is great
-Red Bricks
-Han Solo…you'll see
-Give the game your own style
-Did I mention an entire level is also an extra?
-Fun and funny combat
-Clever references to Star Wars
-Free Play mode
-There is just no end to the amount of fun you can have
-Sound effects fit with the Lego style
-No droids
Cons:
-Graphics are ho hum
-Easy, this means noticeable frustrations
-Too easy
-Statues aren't that much in the way of rewards
-Sticks a little too closely which means watch the movies before the game
-Driving is a little stiff and sterile
-Lack of real personality for player created Lego people
-Long load times
-Wanna make out? Good luck…
Traveler's Tale has done it once again; it has crafted another fantastic Lego iteration of an iconic hero and still retains its core game play and adds so much content to it. Even with some noticeable flops in the road, Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure still holds so much content into a little package. So get out your Lego blocks and relive the glory days for this my friends is most definitely not a temple of doom.