LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game – Combat is King

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game doesn’t break a ton of new ground for famed developers Travelers Tales, but the game does enough to differentiate itself for the dozens of other LEGO titles currently available across almost every gaming platform imaginable. If you are familiar with LEGO Ninjago, you’ll know that in the movie and show, Ninja combat is at the forefront of almost every encounter. It makes sense, then, that Travelers Tales would rework the standard LEGO game combat to better fit the Ninjago franchise. From what I’ve played, it works really well!

In previous LEGO games, outside of boss fights, taking down enemies was as simple as mashing the attack button until you drained their three hearts. Unless you became swamped by enemy minifigures, combat was NEVER a challenge in previous titles, nor was it the focal point of the experience. In LEGO Ninjago, however, it most definitely is, highlighted by the opening prologue were you will learn combos that will aid in your future battles.

Combos, something not seen fleshed out in LEGO games before, but is at the forefront of the action here. You’ll learn a variety of moves, ranging from quick dashes and slashes that will quickly deal with ground enemies, to jumping attacks that will aid in the destruction of flying vehicles, to a special move that will allow you to hit and enemy multiple times, lifting him or her farther and farther from the ground. For the most part, it works really well, and getting crazy combos will be the key to collecting enough studs in each level to earn that extra Gold Brick.

In most other LEGO titles, you can generally nab enough studs to get your Gold Brick, regardless of stud multipliers or multiplayers gained from defeating enemies. That’s not always the case with this release. Each level is broken down into checkpoints, and each checkpoint will task players with defeating a number of enemies. Quickly destroying the environment when the multiplier is at its highest will net you 100s and 1000s of studs quickly, and will be key to obtaining that Gold Brick at the end of the level.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game sets itself apart form the other LEGO games released by Travelers Tales in a good way. The new combat system fits the franchise being brought life in Video Game form, so the additions that Travelers Tales have implemented do not feel forced.

We will have a ton more on the LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game, so stay tuned to GamesReviews for more!