LEGO Party, the upcoming multiplayer party game, is building towards an official launch next month with the game slated to release on September 30th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Announced earlier this year during the Summer Games Fest, LEGO Party does exactly what it says on the tin. Developed by Aussie outfit, SMG Studio, and published by Fictions, this new licensed LEGO video game hurls four players into a vibrant, board game-like gauntlet where they must compete to earn the highest number of gold bricks.
Clearly, the developer (who also worked on the brilliant Moving Out series) is looking to emulate some of Nintendo’s Mario Party magic. As players navigate the board in LEGO Party, they will land on spaces that transport them to one of 60 mini games.
What sets the game apart from main influence, of course, is its LEGO universe setting. Instead of leaning on crossover IPs such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Marvel, Party features scenes and characters from familiar themed sets including Space, Pirates, and Ninjago. One of the game’s main draws for LEGO fans will be collecting various character customisation components, with over a billion minifigure combinations.
Whether or not the game appeals to you, it’s been interesting to see the uptick in more experimental LEGO video games that don’t lean on popular franchises. For a good long while, developer Traveller’s Tales was dropping new LEGO games year after year, plumbing every Star Wars film, both the Marvel and DC comic book universes, and more. Always a hit with younger audiences, the overarching blueprint of these games was beginning to stale until 2022’s Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga which evolved the formula with its open-world focus and free camera.
More recently, we’ve had games of all shapes and genres from LEGO 2K Drive and LEGO Bricktales to the upcoming LEGO Voyagers, complimenting Epic’s ongoing free-to-play LEGO Fortnite. Exactly where LEGO Party will ranked among these games is something we’ll be finding out very soon.
