LEGO: The Hobbit is the latest entry in the popular Lego series of games, which seem to be releasing at a faster rate than ever before. In an odd choice by Warner Bros, they decided to release this game with content from only the first two Hobbit films, rather than waiting until the third film completes the trilogy.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug are both featured in this game (in a pretty high level of detail). Obviously, since the third film – The Battle of the Five Armies – has not yet released, its storyline does not play any part in the game. According to Warner Bros, there are plans to bring the third film to the game as DLC in the future, however, nothing concrete has been confirmed.
The game, as with all LEGO games, features the usual elements we have come to know: studs, the stud collection bar (named Master Burglar in this game), collectible minikits, mithril bricks and collectible items/treasures. While the plot is extremely accurately reproduced in the games, with the pacing being well balanced, there is something missing in The Hobbit. There doesn’t seem to be enough action; much of the game is filled with overly many breakable items and tedious tasks. Some of the levels feel very short due a lack of action, while others are too long due to an overload of breakable items.
As usual, the game is presented with the trademark LEGO charm and humour that we have all come to love. The characters, environments and animations feature in their usual styles, and there are many witty moments throughout the game. However, the game does suffer from a major problem, and that is the difficulty to make out the different characters. While LEGO characters are usually hugely diverse, each having their own unique appearance, the dwarves look very alike and it is extremely difficult to distinguish each of the characters in order to pick out their abilities.
If you enjoy the LEGO series of games, or you are a Hobbit fanatic, there is no doubt you will still enjoy this game. Also, we cannot be too harsh on it; most game adaptions of a film are awful, but the LEGO films are a regular exception to this. For this reason, we must be fair, and give the game a score based on what it offers, rather than how it compares to other LEGO games. Despite this, I would have much preferred if Warner Bros had waited until the release of the third film before releasing this game, and I think it was a mistake. Are we getting tired of the LEGO games? Maybe, but, there is still a worthwhile experience available in LEGO: The Hobbit.