Lego Bricktales is the sort of game that would’ve been seismic to me as a child. Lego obsessed from the moment I held my first set, I’ve nevertheless felt that Lego video games have more often than not deliberately dodged or accidentally avoided the freedom of expression and creativity that these magical little bricks allow in the real world. When a game embraces that angle, it’s often gold, as was the case for many of the classic Lego games of the nineties. In Lego Bricktales, we finally have another such game – and it’s brilliant.
Bricktales is a clever, casual, and devilishly challenging experience. It’s a low-key genre mash-up bringing together puzzle-solving curios with light adventure and exploration elements. Rather than a franchise tie-in action game where the Lego aesthetic is… well, an aesthetic, here it’s at the heart of the experience: this is a game about building.
Bricktales essentially takes place inside small dioramas, many of which are based on classic Lego themes like Pirates, Castles, and Theme Parks. Your protagonist travels through this world with a superpower: the ability to build. Your job is to travel through each of the game’s stages by building items and structures that’ll help solve puzzles and open up new areas. Along the way, you’ll also acquire a few non-building abilities and tackle some light traversal puzzles.