LEGO Battles DS

Paul Govan's guide of LEGO Battles. Subscribe to this column via RSS or Newsletter.

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Column:
Family Gamer

Format:
DS

Genre:
Strategy

Style:
Turnbased
Singleplayer
Competitive

Written on:
25/06/2009

Further reading:
Strategy games
Family Gaming Awards

After the success of the action adventure LEGO games on the DS comes this full on strategy experience that looks to recreate those imaginary conflicts played out over long summer holidays on your bedroom floor?

It's one of those type of game genres...

Strategy games provide experiences that require quick thinking, and forward planning from the gamer. They combine the unfolding tactics of classic games like chess, with more recent board games such as Risk. Usually focusing on a theatre of war context, players enjoy the tactical overview of the battle these games provide.

But why is it any better than the others...

LEGO Battles provides a real time strategy game not a million miles away from early Age of Empires games on the PC. Players choose between the popular Castle, Pirates, and Space LEGO sets before doing battle with each other and the computer players. The LEGO theme permeates everything from the battleground, soldiers and horses to the menus and navigation.

The top screen provides information on the current unit and an overview map. The bottom screen houses the battlefield. The action here is all controlled with the stylus. Players can tap to select and then direct a LEGO man to chop wood, farm food, fight, build and generally do their bidding.

The game is unusual on the DS as it is a real time (rather than turn based) strategy game. Age of Empires DS for instance is a turn based version of the PC game. This makes the action a little more frantic as there is no waiting for your turn and time is of the essence.

As the game progresses players need to balance defensive and offensive resources as well as ensuring a strong supply of workers to keep the armies fed and watered. Groups of men can be select by dragging a box over a group or double tapping a particular type of unit - much like Age Of Empires. This can be a little tricky as the LEGO's sense of direction can be a little haphazard and need a lot of hand holding.

The action to viewed from overhear - top down. This enables them to cram a lot of information onto the screen as the battle unfolds. When it gets crowed care is needed to select the right characters and buildings, but generally this works well considering the space available.

The game offers a strong solo campaign (story mode) and a free play multiplayer. You can play wirelessly against others with a DS.

So what experience should I play this game for...

Although younger players may be attracted to the game because of the LEGO theme, it is those with a little more planning and dexterity that will get most here. The sense of achievement that comes as you micro-manage a little flock of LEGO archers to victory can't help but put a smile on the face.

And when can I take a break...

Although the game size has been tailored to the DS portable capabilities, games can still last a good half an hour as the balance of power swings back and forth. It is useful to remember that you can save or sleep proceedings if you need to get some work done.

This is a great game for who...

Novice and very young players will find the demanding controls and complex planning hard going. With a little help there is scope for some co-operative play if they have someone more experienced on hand.

Intermediate players are best placed for this one. The combination of happy childhood memories of playing LEGO and the chance to take that into a proper strategic theatre of war will keep them happy for hours.

If experts find the LEGO theme a little simplistic or juvenile they can always opt for the turn based Age of Empires DS. Or if they want something more involved there is always Viva Pinata DS. Other than these alternatives though, there is plenty to discover here for strategy players of even expert ability.

Thanks for reading the reivew, visit our Family Gaming Awards - the best games for the different people in your family.

Game People family video game reviews support Association of Family Gamers. They also offer niche and anecdotal dad, mum, teen and senior video game reviews.

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