I enjoyed my time with this game a lot. My only real criticism is how the game controlled. I figured mouse would probably be the best way to control it, so I don't even know if it has controller support. But it's clear this was made with a mobile interface in mind. Placing bricks is so awkward sometimes, and spinning these wheels later in the game are such a pain to do.

But the game and its story are charming, and the game looked absolutely incredible. It was super detailed. If they find a way to make the controls better in a sequel, I'd play it for sure!

Builder’s Journey follows two LEGO characters, probably parent and child, throughout their lives. There are no words at all as you help these two overcome obstacles. It’s a surprisingly clear story despite the lack of text or even faces. It does take an unexpected turn, but that just made me even more invested.

Visuals

Builder’s Journey is made up of 3D dioramas made up of realistic looking LEGO bricks. It amazed me how it really looked like I was playing with a LEGO set but on my computer.

There are some subtle visual effects, most notably the light cycle. It looks really nice as it looks like the time of day is changing. There’s also some fog around the edges, making it look like they’re hiking high up in the clouds. Some levels even have moving water or bubbling mud. The natural landscapes are traded in for a more industrial one later in the game, but these levels are similarly simple yet detailed, with even more interesting lighting. This game is a visual treat.

Sound Effects + Music

The sound of LEGO bricks clicking together is so satisfying. I cannot explain why, but it is. It’s also very nostalgic.

The other sound effects are also nice. You can hear water rushing, mud bubbling, crickets chirping, machines beeping. It’s all very atmospheric. The sounds are well spaced, so they never get irritating, but appear often enough to keep the immersion.

I really liked the subtle background music in Builder’s Journey. It’s soft and soothing and suits the tone of the game perfectly. It’s mainly piano.

Gameplay + Controls

In Builder’s Journey you simply use LEGO bricks to solve a puzzle. You’re presented with a diorama of some kind of landscape with two LEGO people separated by some type of obstacle (gap, cliff, etc.) You’ll get a few LEGO bricks which you must use to move one character to meet the other, or some other task. There are likely multiple solutions to each puzzle, since you can pick up and move bricks at anytime to reuse them on the journey.

I did find the controls in Builder’s Journey a little wonky. They’re not awful, but they weren’t exactly intuitive, and I found myself doing the wrong thing constantly. You pick up a LEGO brick by clicking, clicking again rotates it, and holding a click places it. For whatever reason, I wanted to hold to pick it up and move it around, which is not necessary. Then I wanted to click again to drop, but that rotates. It was just weird, but that’s probably a me problem, not a game problem.

Replayability

I do think LEGO Builder’s Journey is very replayable. There is no set solution to any of the puzzles. You’re free to use the available LEGO bricks however you please, as long as you complete the task at hand. There’s also a Creative Mode where you can just build to your heart’s content.

Overall

I wound up enjoying LEGO Builder’s Journey more than I thought I would when I first started. Sure, the controls continued to be annoying at times, but the variety in puzzles and changing environments kept the game feeling fresh and interesting.

Play this game for the artistic value alone. The "gameplay" is incredibly straight forward, there was only one "puzzle" in the game that actually made me think. But with that said the use of Ray Tracing is amazing, and the music is pretty great. You could honestly get the same enjoyment level from simply watching somebody else play this, its one of those types of games.

I would recommend playing this (or atleast watching it) however I struggle to recommend actually BUYING it right now, despite how great this game looks and sounds, £15.99/$20.00 is far to much for how short this game is in my opinion. Wait for a sale.

Oh, what a cute game! But I'm sure it won't have a soundtrack that will fill me with nostalgia and hit me right in the feels of- This starts playing... fuck.

After the emotional rollercoaster that was Inmost and being busy with college stuff, I figured it would be the perfect time to play something short and relaxing, and Builder's Journey seemed like exactly that! Plus, I was curious about this one, since the LEGO videogame realm has been monopolized by Traveller's Tales style of gameplay, which I don’t necessarily have a problem with, those are pretty fun games, especially in co-op, but I did have the itch for some variations in my LEGO, and BOY is it different.

The way the game presents itself is, and pardon me the outrageous vocabulary I'm about to employ, FUCKING ADORABLE. All the levels feel like little dioramas that could be replicated to perfection in real life, everything is constructed from LEGO pieces, even the characters are made from blocks instead of being the usual figurines. It all just has this homemade feeling that it goes really well with the vibe it's trying to achieve, and even better with the music. I made a joke about it at the start but yeah, it's criminally good, and it all just comes together to form this calm sensation that, even tho Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker did a very similar thing with its levels, I like how it’s done here a bit more honestly, it just fits so nicely with the LEGO aesthetic, it's... perfection.

All of these levels are built (no pun intended this time, I swear) around a puzzle, and I adore how the game keeps building (I SWEAR) on top of itself, slowly introducing new elements and ideas that just feel right at home with the world of LEGO, it never gets difficult or too complex, but I like that, it keeps thing simple and it’s just sweet to find the solutions to the problems the game poses, and they are all extremely creative. However, while placing the pieces feels satisfying and it makes the movement all the more rewarding, I sometimes found it hard to determine where to put a piece, or what even is a piece you can use in the first place. The few times I got stuck were because I just didn't notice something I needed because it blended into the background and not having a free camera it's truly a shame, the main shot of the level is usually all that you need but it would be nice to have the option for the sake of being able to distinguish everything more easily, especially in levels with less light or where more stuff is going off. I also didn't really like the last sections and types of puzzle the game throws at you, which it's a shame because as I said, all the new ideas are usually extremely innovative and fun, but even tho the final sections consist in you basically building and creating new pieces at yours heart content... I don't know, it felt too unclear and even a bit unsatisfying, and it just seemed like I was doing random stuff and I didn't feel smart or like I overcome a challenge when I beat one of those levels. Thankfully they are far from being the bulk of the game, but it's kinda sad that one of the last notes the game leaves on is not a good one...

But even more than that, what makes me even sadder is that the game didn’t quite go all the way in with its narrative. LEGO games have always been characterized by their irreverent humor, and that’s were Builder’s Journey differs the most when compared to its family. At first it feels like an extremely sweet and sincere story about a parent and their kid, travelling and exploring together, all without words yet so much is told, and I would lie if I said it kinda made me feel a bit emotional at the beginning, it all just was so happy and the music elevated it even more. And when you thought the game was going to take and even more interesting route with this concept, it sadly doesn’t deliver. I never expected it a profound story or anything like that, and the game never really changes in tone, but its sad to see that it sacrifices the messages and narrative it could have gone through in favor of a more average adventure that doesn’t even give full context to what was happening. I sometimes thought some things were product by the kid’s imagination, but … nope, it’s all real and while it doesn’t clash with the rest of the game, it just feels like excuses to have MORE puzzles in an already pretty short experience. I would have honestly preferred a story with less steaks in favor on something more personal like the beginning promised, but, oh well, the ending its pretty sweet.

That’s how I can sum up this game: sweet. A sweet little journey that could have been a little bit more if it tried, but it’s just adorable and really charming nonetheless. I really recommend it, mainly because of how different and creative it is, the only bad thing is that it made me want to spend money on LEGO, and GOD they are expensive holy shi-

É um jogo muito bonito e muito simples, bem gostoso de jogar. Os puzzles são simples mas divertidos e é muito legal ver acontecendo as coisas. Eu sofri um pouco com o movimento dele, ele podia ser um pouco mais fácil de mover as peças, elas são ruins de mover e ruim de encaixar no canto certo e as vezes irrita. E eu tenho um problema com histórias que quase acabam várias vezes, especialmente em jogo. Todo jogo devia avisar quando ta perto do fim pra gente saber. Mas vale muito a jogada que é bem curtinho

Fun short game, that has a very enjoyable story.

The game is a puzzle Lego builder that can be completed in about 2 hours on a casual playthrough.
For a Lego game, the graphics and sound design are great.
The controls are a bit clunky in the start, but after playing for a few minutes I got used to it.

It has a creative mode, which I haven't played. But judging from the creative mode trailer, it seems fun and might make the game more replayable. The story itself doesn't really have any replayability.

It might seem a bit boring, but I'm sure that most people will enjoy this short experience.
Recommended but not for the full price. If you can get it on sale it's a must have.