GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	THQ
	PUBLISHER
	THQ
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	No
	BUY NOW AT

LEGO has been one of the world’s top toy companies for some time now. After Bionicle became a huge success for the company, it was only a matter of time before they brought out another toy line with its own unique storyline and characters. Enter LEGO Knights’ Kingdom. The toys launched sometime in July of this year along with a collectable card game. There’s no chance that a franchise like this wouldn’t get its own video game, especially with THQ’s backing. They’re the biggest GBA independent developer out there and with the LEGO license, there could be some great things to come of it. After playing through this game, which didn’t take very long, we can definitely say that it’s one of the best LEGO-based efforts by the publisher.

visuals

One may know what to expect from the artistic stylings found within LEGO Knights’ Kingdom. To be fair, though, the game does a very commendable job with bringing out the colors and characteristics of the franchise. The only real complaint about the visuals is that each character looks the same, including the enemies. There’s no real way to differentiate one character from another save for the colors. There are some enemies that look physically different, but all in all, everyone looks almost exactly the same. The level design offers nine rather large levels, each with their own style and look. It doesn’t feel as if you’re crawling the same “dungeon” over and over again.

audio

Honestly speaking, the audio really surprised us. Not so much in the sound effects, which are produced to a strange level of mediocrity, but in the music. The music alone will make you want to turn the volume up on the Game Boy Advance. It’s high tempo and really sets the heroic mood for the game. It’s feel good music, really. If you’re climbing a flight of stairs, you’ll want to have this game by your side just to listen to the motivation music. No kidding. The quality of the music is crazy and certainly blew away any low expectations.

gameplay

There really isn’t a whole lot of this concept in the game. It can be fun while it lasts, though. There are nine different levels in the game that follows the four central characters throughout the classic Good Vs Evil storyline. Each of these levels has their own little perks, but they all have one thing in common: Length. In fact, that isn’t even true. The first level is a very brief tutorial level that takes about five or ten minutes to complete. From then on, you’ll be able to beat the game in about the same amount of time as it would take to build a really awesome castle using real LEGOs. However, you’ll still have about as much fun.

The combat system is very simple. Hit, block, strafe, and use your special powers to fight your way through the Shadow Knights. Solve a few puzzles and maybe even do a few mini-quests before you reach the final confrontation with the Dark Knight Vladek in the Grand Tournament.

There are a couple of other gameplay modes aside from Story mode which manage to lengthen the replay value. Aside from the meat of the game, there’s also a Tournament mode as well as a Last Man Standing mode. These are simple one-shot game modes that offer a little bit here and there and the player should definitely be grateful for the extra effort.

multiplayer

LEGO Knights’ Kingdom offers up a couple of different multiplayer modes using the GBA link cable. With two-player games like Head-to-Head and Jousting, the replay value hits a new height. It’s simple fun that can get old after a while, but once again, the extra effort has paid off.

overall

LEGO Knights’ Kingdom is a fun game, but with its relatively short length and simple visual design, it may not be attractive to most gamers out there. No cartridge save feature marks the final nail in the coffin. The game is still good, but could actually have been that much better. If you’re a fan of the franchise or if you know someone who is, you should definitely check this one out. If you’re up for a bit of fun without having to commit, check it out for the heck of it.

6.8/10