Given the success of the two Hobbit films to date, it would be understandable if any video games based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy novel attempted to get by on name recognition alone. So I’m pleased to say that the new Lego the Hobbit, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by TT Games, doesn’t just toss borrowed characters and settings together with generic game play. On the contrary, it embraces one of the most important aspects of The Hobbit—the large cast that makes up the Company of Dwarves—and features a number of innovations that haven’t been seen in previous Lego titles.
I demoed the Xbox 360 version, though all editions drop players into an epic storyline that from the very beginning, introduces multiple characters to toggle back and forth between. Each has different attacks and attributes: Dwalin, for example, wields a hammer needed to push certain large obstacles out of the way. But an aspect that sets Lego the Hobbit apart is the lack of a single avatar that “morphs” from one character to the next. On the contrary, all are in play at once, so players must learn to utilize the dwarves as a team. For instance, it’s not enough to have Dori use his flail to swing across a quicksand-like pit of gold; while he’s swinging, players have to switch to other avatars, and then grab hold of Dori and use his momentum to bring themselves across, too.
The basic Lego video game rule of destroying everything to collect Lego studs still applies, but this time around, the studs are different materials that can be crafted into items. This leads to a kind of game-within-a-game, in which players select from various parts while under a timer. Thanks to its different game play modes, lots of impressive visuals, and constantly-moving storyline, Lego the Hobbit is both exciting and mentally stimulating. It’s the ideal adventure, in other words.
