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Back in January we looked at Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and couldn’t get enough of those little bricks. While predominantly a child’s game, there was enough humour and fun for any gamer of any age. That’s why we’re eagerly awaiting Lucas Arts’ next Lego adventure; Lego Indiana Jones. Promising the same comedy, parody and simple, addictive gameplay as Star Wars, it’ll be a nice change from the grime of Liberty City. Couple with that the universal love of the Indiana Jones series (and the obvious tie in with the new film’s launch) there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a hit. A demo for the PC version was released today and we’ve jumped on it, bringing you this hands on.

The demo gives you about 30mins of gameplay, the complete first level of the game. It’s instantly recognizable what it is (the opening from Raiders) and after a cheery cut scene you’re put in control of Indy and his shovel carrying assistant.  Just like the movie, the aim is to navigate through the forest, to the hidden shrine, solving any puzzles, avoiding traps and eventually escaping the giant rolling boulder. The fact that the game is based on the films, it’s difficult to speak about the story as if it were fresh. The same applies to what actually happens in the level. The developers have attempted to add some length to the levels, elongating a 10minute scene to about half an hour of game time. For example you’re tasked with crossing a crocodile infested lake, climbing up vines and ladders, navigating an intricate cave system and then finally fighting some of the natives as you make your escape for the plane.

The controls are simple, with movement mapped to the usual keys. Jump, attack, action, special attack and switch character are all usable and the game allows you to re-map the keys. The controls are typically responsive and you’ll pick them up within a couple minutes. Being a completely co-operative game, a second player can join at anytime and take over from the adept AI sidekick. There’s no problem playing through alone as your ally has no problem engaging in combat, navigating puzzles or simply jumping over gaps. You’ll be tasked with using your whip to navigate chasms, build items to get past obstacles, destroy everything in sight to collect those precious bricks and dodge traps. The gameplay is addictive, with a mild learning curve. It doesn’t punish you if you die, simply taking away your collected bricks. Combat boils down to punching or whipping enemies which range from tribesmen to giant spiders. The animations are solid and the game looks delicious.

Lego Indiana Jones is colourful, joyful and crisp. It’s a flawless engine that looks terrific. It’s genuinely surprising that such a ‘cartoony’ game can be so good looking. The vegetation is lush, the water realistic and Indiana looks as good as you’d expect. As soon as the music chimes in you feel you’re playing the movie. Just look at the screenshots that we captured from the demo; truly marvellous. We want the full game, no questions asked. If the developers manage to draw out such genius for the duration of the game then this should be another hit adventure.

Check out our exclusive screenshots from the demo below.

 

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