Summary
At long last, the team behind the brick-bashingLegoclassics has returned, and this time they are tackling a whole host of different TV shows, movie characters, and games to give players heaps of fan service, recognizable heroes, and collect-a-thon madness inFunko Fusion. Letting fans play through the stories ofScott Pilgrim Vs. The World,Jurassic World,The Umbrella Academy, and more, the worlds ofFunko Fusionare filled to the brim with cartoony combat and plenty of easter egg collectibles.
While the new gameplay ofFunko Fusionis very obviously influenced by the classic Legotitles, the newer game distances itself from its predecessor in several ways. Whether it makes the game better or worse remains to be seen, butFunko Fusionmanages to make itself unique.
1Gore And Violence
Brutal Stories Deserve Brutal Pops
While fighting through hordes of enemy minifigures was always a big part of the Lego games, these battles always ended with foes scattered into blocky pieces and dropping piles of gold and silver studs.Funko Fusiontakes a different approach, though. Having players approach the vicious killings inHot Fuzzwouldn’t be the same without the gory and nonsensical nature of the crimes.
Fans of the Lego series might be taken aback, butFunko’s first game wants to make it clear that it is for a different audience than the kid-friendly games of the past.Fans who grew up on the Lego gameswill have a great time with this equally grown-up take on the formula.
2Careful Respect For Story
Goofy, But Tone Sensitive
While the stories ofHot FuzzandThe Thingare made more colorful and cheesy,Funko Fusionnever feels like it is hand waving away the complexities of the properties it utilizes. The levels in the Antarctic, where the player is stalked by the shapeshifting alien horrorfeel tense and frightening. TheHot Fuzzsections play out like a crime scene investigation that quickly careens into blasting and boxing with evil townsfolk. Even theBattlestar Galacticasections manage to nail the over-the-top shooting and explosive set pieces to which they pay tribute.
Funkomay be playing fast and loose with the properties fans love, but they never go so far as to mock them, instead acting as loving homages to the stories that gamers love. Lego tended to make every property into a similar blend of silly scenes and puzzle-filled mayhem.
3Text-Based Story
No Mute Brickfolk To Be Seen
The Lego games, for the most part, assumed that players were familiar with the stories that they emulated.What little narrative players were givenwas in the form of gestures and grunts from the mute minifigures and recognizable scenes.Funko Fusiongives players a little more.
While the Pops themselves don’t really talk, dialogue is delivered in text boxes to give hints and little jokes along the way. This lets the developers tell a much larger narrative, and ensure that any players that aren’t familiar with the movies that they are playing through are never left behind.
4Overarching Narrative
An Invader To All The Worlds Unites The Heroes
Making a mash-up of multiple stories is never easy.Lego Dimensionstried it but the characters never seemed to collide into a solid story, instead always remaining a bit “blocky.“Funko Fusionfinds a happy medium, letting each world’s story play out in its own way not to take away from it, but finishing each adventure with a boss fight against a character from the property after they have been infected byEvil Freddy - or Eddy’s - purple goo.
Saving the “Heart of Creation” is allowed to fade into the background when tackling each level, but becomes the focus in the hub world and at the climax of each tale in a way that goes a long way to making the whole game a cohesive battle for good.
5Staying Far From The Toys To Life Genre
Redeemable Unlocks Are As Far As They Go
While it seems thatFunko Fusionwould be the perfect avenue for a “Toys-To-Life” game, likeLego DimensionsorSkylanders, the team behindFunko Fusionhas made it abundantly clear that they will be avoiding the model thatwent dormant with those series. While Nintendo found a way to make the genre work in the amiibo line,Funko Fusionwill tie in with the collectibles that spawned it in only one small way.
Fans who manage to nab one of theFunko Fusionspecial Pop Vinyls will be gifted a code which they can then redeem and be gifted a random reward. There are five possible unlocks - three unique cosmetics and two special characters.
6Combat Focus
Damage Numbers And Special Weapons
Lego featuredincredible set-piece boss fightsagainst formidable foes like Darth Vader and Galactus. While simple, the brick-based combat was fun and easy to learn, letting characters use their distinct weapons and even perform flashy combos according to who they were.
Funko Fusionplaces more emphasis on combat, though. While the gameplay is still simplistic, dodging is much more important, and death is punished with real consequences - losing progress and money. Shooting becomes much more vital in the game, andweapons have to be carefully unlocked and considered. Some reviewers on Steam even claimed that the game has a tricky difficulty spike, so players who are used to the breezy block fights should prepare themselves forFunko Fusion!
