LEGO Indiana Jones: Hands-on preview

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We've played levels from all three movies. But how does plastic Indy stand up against plastic Han Solo?

Playing through the first few levels of the game’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark segment, it felt like something was missing. All the correct elements were theoretically there; smooth platforming, combat evocative of a bunch of toddlers having a fist fight, the movie’s iconic original score juxtaposed with all manner of tinkly, plasticy, LEGOey sound effects… It should have been bliss for a bunch of ‘80s-vintage man-children like ourselves. But it all just felt a little flat. Flat and repetetive.

Now we know that the LEGO games aren’t intended to be epic, medium-defining groundbreakers. They’re clever, knowing, knockabout fun, and that’s why we love them dearly. But the initial stages of the game found us dangerously close to losing interest. The new, more puzzle-focussed direction of LEGO Indy suits the source material perfectly and is a recipe for ahuge amount of laughter and shouting in co-op play, but its implimentation in the early part of the game eventuallymadethe experiencefeel very bland indeed.

David Houghton
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.