With a new coat of paint and the same gameplay mechanic LEGO Indiana Jones has an expansion pack feel to it. Many of the irritating gameplay quirks of the LEGO Star Wars games are evident and unchanged, while the replay value has taken a dive. Aside from Indy himself, this one feels stale.
Past the opening level from Raiders of the Lost Ark players will be free to roam the halls of Barnett University, both to find more hidden objects and select levels from the other two films. Crystal Skull failed to make the cut, more than likely to be included into a sequel.
Without lasers to fire, LEGO Indiana Jones becomes more about close range fighting. There are some guns dropped by various enemies, but the majority of the time it’s all about sloppy fisticuffs. This franchise retains its overly loose feel, which makes characters slip around the stages and occasionally directly off cliffs. As a game aimed at the younger set, death is more of a slap on the wrist, and for the non-completist the game will offer no challenge.
There are 60 characters to find, though Jones hardly offers the wide ranging base of popular names as Star Wars does. Generic German soldiers (of course, sans Nazi symbols) are not the premium choice to play with. Short Round is definitely more appealing.
Traveler’s Tales has made some adjustments. It’s no longer necessary to swap characters as often, though you’ll still need to on occasion. Basic objects are not character specific, so picking up a shovel can be handled by Indy if need be. Special abilities have been toned down, though that has more to do with the actual playable characters. Without force powers, the developers have stretched logic by making some female characters jump higher for example.
The trilogy of films is well represented, with all of the key action sequences included, or heavily expanded for length reasons. Vehicle segments are non-existent, and the creative design decisions to work around that are likely to disappoint fans. Granted, deleting the tough to control vehicles may not affect everyone, but the lack of online co-op will. That’s an inexcusably huge loss, keeping everything local when friends want to play.
If anything remains intact from the first Star Wars to now without losing anything, it’s the core sense of humor that brings a sense of unmatched charm to these games. Cinematics are hilarious, and those not looking to break every object in search of a 100% completion rate, this gives them something to play for. The stories still come through without a spoken word. Those who want famous quotes should look at the Achievement list, each bringing back memories from the films.
Regardless of the imagination used to tell the Indiana Jones saga in LEGO form, playing through this one makes you wish they would have spent time fixing the gameplay issues instead of swapping a few textures. Level design is questionable and pits are sometimes hard to spot (and at other times unavoidable). The license of building blocks is only going to take gamers so far before wearing out its welcome, and this is the first step towards that happening.
3/5
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