Are you still not afraid of no ghosts?
Now you can ask your kids the same question with the newest expansion pack of the most ambitious LEGO game video yet. From Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Lego Dimensions is the expansive and ever-growing video game multiverse of worlds linked through the titular little plastic bricks. This year, the citizens of Lego New York City have someone to call now that the Ghostbusters have opened up shop, in the Ghostbusters Story Pack, the latest installment to the Lego Dimensions universe.
Before jumping into the paranormal action, kids will have to construct the gateway, but with Lego, building is always part of the shared fun. The story pack’s physical set is a moderate build at 259 pieces, a little under an hour if you have a tiny assistant on hand. The new gateway for the Ghostbusters world might be familiar to fans as Zhu’s Chinese Restaurant from the film. The new set also comes with the revamped Ecto-1, which can be retooled and customized with different kinds of weapons during gameplay.
The protagonist of the Ghostbusters Story Pack is Abby Yates, a plucky inventor and believer in the supernatural, as played by Melissa McCarthy in the film. The remaining three Ghostbusters are not physically included in the set, but are playable characters within the game. The box touts that you can “Play the complete movie,” and it does not disappoint. The six intricate levels in the game mirrors the progressions from the film, but the game’s dialogue still feels fresh with comedy and even features a few callbacks to the original ’80s films.
The game opens on a familiar note, with the paranormal professionals getting their shaky start in a skeptical New York when they discover a mad scientist using a machine to amplify supernatural activity and terrorize the Big Apple. Players then have to lead the Ghostbusters on several missions to clear out the city of the Slimers and ghouls terrifying its residents.
The gameplay mechanic is very similar to other Lego video games, challenging players to solve puzzles and follow story objectives, while smashing objects in their lived-in environments, and gaining more valuable bricks in the process.
An endlessly interesting gameplay element to Lego Dimensions is that you can throw in up to four characters or vehicles to help you out on your quest. Who would ever think that Harry Potter, Princess Leia, Doctor Who, and Homer Simpson would come to help you defeat the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man? Lego Dimensions not only explores that supreme childhood wish fulfillment, but it takes it to the extreme.
This game is perfect for big kids with kids. If your children haven’t watched any of the Ghostbusters films, this is a great way to introduce it to them and experience it all over again together. Something that I will always admire about Lego games is that even though they aren’t the most challenging or complex games, they are rich with detail that can only come from a place of love and admiration for these stories and characters. Get ready to lose more than a few hours and weekends home from school exploring the seemingly endless worlds and character team-ups this game has to offer.
