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A little known time in Lego game history is the early 2010s, where Lego created mobile games for their new themes. Most of the time these mobile games where some sort of highscore based endless runner, but some of their bigger successes, like NInjago, got complete games.
Flash-forward to me a few months ago remembering that this game existed. Surprisingly this game is actually a (more or less) complete game especially because while Lego Hero Factory is a spiritual successor to the Bionicle line of Lego sets, it never really struck me as to successful or known.
The game itself is a wave based top down shooter. Due to the limitations of a phone being the primary platform this game is very simplistic in nature. This actually helps the controls of the game. A lot of mobile games control schemes are either to overblown or way to simplistic. Lego Hero Factory: Brain Attack strikes a nice mid ground between these two extremes.
The most important actions, being moving and shooting, are located on the left and right side of the screen respectively, meaning that they are accessible in any situation. The only other actions you can perform are switching between primary and secondary weapon and using an item, which are both located in the bottom middle of the screen, in theory creating a sort of risk reward when using them.
Unfortunately the controls are the only redeeming quality of this game.
The content of the game is divided into seven levels, which themselves are segmented into 20 waves each.
The level design is okay I guess. My only problem is that there isn't much differentiating them from each other. Of course there are some level gimmicks like the city level being split into two parts divided by a train station going through them, but there is also no reason to ever go from one to another side as the object of the game isn't to defend something from the enemies, but just to not get defeated and the enemies spawn inside a radius from the player and always move towards them.
I am also positive that 4/7 stages being the sewerage, the spaceport, the power plant and the obligatory mall level don't even have a gimmick.
I also don't get why these stages are segmented into waves, because there isn't any difficulty curve to talk of.
The number of enemies in a stage is, as far as I know, random. The first wave could have 37 enemies while the 18th might have 12.
The game (only) boasts a whole ten different enemies (not the actual number of enemies, just a guess, could be even less to be honest). These enemies, with one exception, don't even have different variations.
Most of these enemies aren't even a threat due to them only being able to damage the player in close combat, but even if they could damage the player using a projectile, they probably would even be able to do that, because of their AI not noticing the player until it is to late or them taking way to long to actually be able to attack the player.
There are only two types of damage that might pose a threat to the player, being some enemies sending out projectiles when they are defeated. These projectiles do way to much damage when compared to other ones and are practically not able to be reacted to, because of either the enemies being defeated before you even notice them, or because of the enemies all looking the same. The only other threat can only be found in ever 20th wave of a stage.
These waves only end after defeating around 200-500 enemies called "Brains" (you are able to see one in the cover art).
These Brains themselves aren't too threatening, even with some of their stronger variations, but being attacked by 200 of them at once poses a threat. Especially the red colored ones. These not only take away a bit more than half your health, when hitting you once, but also leaving the burn effect on the player, meaning that they take around 90% of your health with just one hit; around 80% using the strongest character. They also take around a minute to be defeated themselves, meaning that the most effective strategy in every 20th wave is finding a big circle to run around in them beforehand and shooting constantly. While meaning that you are basically able to cheese the enemy AI this way, this also means that these waves alone take around 20-60 minutes each. This isn't what I would call fun gameplay.
Did I already mention that this game costs 4€. This is about as much as Castlevania Symphony of the Night on mobile.
Now the game doesn't technically cost that much. Unlocking all stages, weapons and characters to be able to then be purchased using in game currency is more like 2€ each. But if you remember about what I said around two sentences ago about the red colored brains, you definitely want to get the so called "advantage pack" saving you 1/3 of the price, because while you could definitely technically beat this Lego game not using the best character, weapon and sub-weapon, you could also technically run against a refrigerator at max velocity, while the floor is made out of Lego and would derive around as much fun from both options.
Even with all that much going against this game; and I didn't even mention how you there is no difference in weapon and sub-weapon, the speed power-up basically outclassing every other and there being only three different pieces of music in this entire game (one of which {the wave 20 one} literally being a 6 second loop), this game was still fun for around 1-2 hours. Like not incredibly fun, but at least a 2.5, it just dragged on for far too long. Especially with the final boss only spawning after you defeat 500 Brains, around 300 of which are red ones and subsequently one hitting you making you do all that again and stealing 40 minutes of your time.
But I would lie if I would say this game didn't have to be at least a bit better.
Flash-forward to me a few months ago remembering that this game existed. Surprisingly this game is actually a (more or less) complete game especially because while Lego Hero Factory is a spiritual successor to the Bionicle line of Lego sets, it never really struck me as to successful or known.
The game itself is a wave based top down shooter. Due to the limitations of a phone being the primary platform this game is very simplistic in nature. This actually helps the controls of the game. A lot of mobile games control schemes are either to overblown or way to simplistic. Lego Hero Factory: Brain Attack strikes a nice mid ground between these two extremes.
The most important actions, being moving and shooting, are located on the left and right side of the screen respectively, meaning that they are accessible in any situation. The only other actions you can perform are switching between primary and secondary weapon and using an item, which are both located in the bottom middle of the screen, in theory creating a sort of risk reward when using them.
Unfortunately the controls are the only redeeming quality of this game.
The content of the game is divided into seven levels, which themselves are segmented into 20 waves each.
The level design is okay I guess. My only problem is that there isn't much differentiating them from each other. Of course there are some level gimmicks like the city level being split into two parts divided by a train station going through them, but there is also no reason to ever go from one to another side as the object of the game isn't to defend something from the enemies, but just to not get defeated and the enemies spawn inside a radius from the player and always move towards them.
I am also positive that 4/7 stages being the sewerage, the spaceport, the power plant and the obligatory mall level don't even have a gimmick.
I also don't get why these stages are segmented into waves, because there isn't any difficulty curve to talk of.
The number of enemies in a stage is, as far as I know, random. The first wave could have 37 enemies while the 18th might have 12.
The game (only) boasts a whole ten different enemies (not the actual number of enemies, just a guess, could be even less to be honest). These enemies, with one exception, don't even have different variations.
Most of these enemies aren't even a threat due to them only being able to damage the player in close combat, but even if they could damage the player using a projectile, they probably would even be able to do that, because of their AI not noticing the player until it is to late or them taking way to long to actually be able to attack the player.
There are only two types of damage that might pose a threat to the player, being some enemies sending out projectiles when they are defeated. These projectiles do way to much damage when compared to other ones and are practically not able to be reacted to, because of either the enemies being defeated before you even notice them, or because of the enemies all looking the same. The only other threat can only be found in ever 20th wave of a stage.
These waves only end after defeating around 200-500 enemies called "Brains" (you are able to see one in the cover art).
These Brains themselves aren't too threatening, even with some of their stronger variations, but being attacked by 200 of them at once poses a threat. Especially the red colored ones. These not only take away a bit more than half your health, when hitting you once, but also leaving the burn effect on the player, meaning that they take around 90% of your health with just one hit; around 80% using the strongest character. They also take around a minute to be defeated themselves, meaning that the most effective strategy in every 20th wave is finding a big circle to run around in them beforehand and shooting constantly. While meaning that you are basically able to cheese the enemy AI this way, this also means that these waves alone take around 20-60 minutes each. This isn't what I would call fun gameplay.
Did I already mention that this game costs 4€. This is about as much as Castlevania Symphony of the Night on mobile.
Now the game doesn't technically cost that much. Unlocking all stages, weapons and characters to be able to then be purchased using in game currency is more like 2€ each. But if you remember about what I said around two sentences ago about the red colored brains, you definitely want to get the so called "advantage pack" saving you 1/3 of the price, because while you could definitely technically beat this Lego game not using the best character, weapon and sub-weapon, you could also technically run against a refrigerator at max velocity, while the floor is made out of Lego and would derive around as much fun from both options.
Even with all that much going against this game; and I didn't even mention how you there is no difference in weapon and sub-weapon, the speed power-up basically outclassing every other and there being only three different pieces of music in this entire game (one of which {the wave 20 one} literally being a 6 second loop), this game was still fun for around 1-2 hours. Like not incredibly fun, but at least a 2.5, it just dragged on for far too long. Especially with the final boss only spawning after you defeat 500 Brains, around 300 of which are red ones and subsequently one hitting you making you do all that again and stealing 40 minutes of your time.
But I would lie if I would say this game didn't have to be at least a bit better.