LEGO Party! Builds an Entertaining, But Repetitive, Mario Party Competitor (Review)

LEGO might be best known for its real-life colorful building blocks. But over the years, we’ve seen a number of surprisingly solid LEGO video games. From LEGO Lord of the Rings titles to the upcoming LEGO Batman, there is no shortage of fun LEGO spins on beloved franchises. But this year, we’re also getting a few more LEGO-forward titles. And that includes the Mario Party competitor, LEGO Party!

There have been attempts to create Mario Party-style board game slash mini game fests before. But it’s hard to compete with the classic. Now, LEGO is throwing its minifig hat into the ring with LEGO Party! This multiplatform, multiplayer game will let gamers choose from hundreds of iconic LEGO minifigs or create their custom character before diving into a board game filled with brick-based events. And of course, there are 60 different minigames that players will compete in between board game rounds. But how does this new competitor for Mario Party stack up? It’s a solidly good party game that’s well worth its price, with a few minor snags.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pros	Cons
LEGO character customization offers plentiful options to make your own avatar	Controls sometimes feel laggy and counterintuitive
Board event animations are fun & full of classic LEGO style and humor	Announcer dialogue gets repetitve pretty quickly
60+ engaging mini-games ensure variety & good gameplay flow	Many mini-games use only joystick controls and feel a bit simplistic
Cross-platform online multiplayer and couch co-op options let everyone get into the game
More affordable than notable competitors like Mario Party Jamboree

LEGO Party is a Brick-Building Jackbox Meets Mario Party Experience

As someone with a longstanding love of Mario Party games, I knew that LEGO Party! had big shoes to fill. But although the general concept is the same, it was clear as soon as I booted up the game for the first time that this was its own unique twist. The game is infused with brick-building shenanigans and its own style of humor, while still capturing many of the elements that make a Mario Party-style game fun for the whole crew.

LEGO Party! features fully voice-acted commentators who narrate the entire game experience. Their humor and general voice delivery reminded me of Jackbox Games, another classic party and casual gaming staple. While I wish there were a bit more variety to the voice lines from these two LEGO hosts, they did get a good chuckle out of me every now and again.

As for the gameplay experience itself, there are 4 different game modes to choose from. Players can take on a classic Challenge Zone board-game style session, or they can opt to play mini-games only with Mini-Game Rush. There’s also a practice option for mini-games, as well as a Score Chaser challenge to beat your best. In terms of game boards, there are 4 of these as well, each with varying expected lengths of gameplay. While that’s not quite as much variety as something like Mario Party, the game is also a good $20 cheaper, so it feels like a solid bang for its buck.

Once you land on your chosen game board, you’ll kick things off with a mini-game. Your standings determine your turn order – for this round only. Each round gets a bit of a mix-up as the most recent mini-game determines turn order, something my friend group really appreciated. The board itself is pretty dynamic, as well, with different build spaces that let you decide a few primary features of the board each time. Those build animations, along with other on-board events, feel very classic LEGO in a way that’s entertaining to watch, even if it might get a smidge repetitive on subsequent playthroughs.

Mini-Games Are Engaging, But Need Some Fine-Tuning 

Mini-games are a key feature in LEGO Party!, and this is one of the places where the game is at its best… and also its worst. There are 60 different mini-game options, ensuring that each session offers a good variety. Many of these games are just plain fun, with several that feel quite unique compared with competitors like Mario Party. A few feature really enjoyable grappling hook mechanics, including one where you battle to be on the dance platform to earn points.

Although the mini-games are often inventive and usually enjoyable, there are a few drawbacks to note here. The controls often felt a bit laggy, particularly on joystick-heavy games. And many of the mini-games are primarily focused on joystick controls, so the fact that this doesn’t always function quite right was a bit frustrating. Everyone at my virtual LEGO Party! still had fun, but almost everyone noted that the lag was an issue at least a few times.

That said, there were some games that tested our memory, our reflexes with the B button, and more. Despite some games being hampered by bizarre controls, I looked forward to picking a new mini-game every time the board game round ended. Whether our LEGO selves turned into frogs or had to run along a path as it built itself, the mini-games were pretty consistently enjoyable. There’s a practice screen that lets you work things out before diving in, and for the most part, the mini-games are one of the best parts of LEGO Party!, topped only by the sheer amount of customization on offer.

In True LEGO Form, Customization is The Name of the Game

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a game that lets me customize my avatar. And that’s one thing we miss in smething like Mario Party, which has you playing as iconic but static characters like Mario, Peach, or Bowser. In LEGO! Party, customization is infused in every step, but especially in character creation.

When you first load in, there are already 46 different pre-built minifigs to choose from. Or, you can use elements from those minifigs to design your own custom avatar. And as you play more LEGO Party! you’ll unlock new minifigs and options to further design your own character. Having this goal to work towards is another layer to the game that I appreciate, and I immediately wanted to unlock every minifig option. That’ll take some time, however, as the game itself tells you there will eventually be up to 400 minifig options to unlock.

Along with customizing your character, the board itself also gets built and rebuilt as you play. This infuses the LEGO building concept into the game, and it also gives players some ownership over the board. At certain points, you decide what features will be built by those animated bricks, making each game board a little more versatile. The game board itself also undergoes a few redesigns as you progress, mixing up spaces and keeping the game feeling fresh.

Overall, LEGO Party! impressed me by delivering a solid party game experience with robust and entertaining character customization options. I did find myself wishing for more variety from the announcers and the controls in certain mini-games, and the lagginess certainly held a few games back from their full potential. Even so, it’s a game that feels well worth its $40 price tag, especially when compared to pricier competition.

The fact that the game is available on multiple platforms, not just Switch, is another plus, especially given the crossplay potential and ability to mix in-person couch co-op with online play. Caveats aside, my friends and I really did just have a good time playing LEGO Party! and that’s about all you can ask for from a casual party game like this one.

A Nintendo Switch copy of LEGO Party! was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.