Hobbies and Entertainment: Game : Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

Also On: DS, PS2, PSP, Wii, 360, PC

Release Date: 07/15/2008
ESRB Rating: E10+
Genre: Action
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Traveller's Tales

Reviews: Lego Indiana Jones
You call this archeology?

By Ryan Scott

Were Indy's latest big-screen adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as entertaining as Traveller's Tales' Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, we'd be in action-adventure heaven. But, as it turns out, Indy's cinematic search for crystal craniums ain't got nothin' on this colorful Lego-powered reimagining of the '80s film trilogy.

If you played either of the Lego Star Wars games, you know what you're in for: a fun, chaotic romp through a trio of six-chapter story arcs, each tied to one of the classic Indy movies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), with Lego stand-ins for all the people, places, and things in our favorite two-fisted archaeologist's world, and way-too-cute nonverbal cut-scenes stringing the storylines together.

Click the image above to check out all Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure screens.

And while Lego Indy's certainly action-packed (each level involves plenty of button-mashing melee versus evil cultists, gangsters, and Nazis), environmental puzzles provide the real challenge, as death isn't even a notable setback (continuing Lego Star Wars' tradition, death = instant respawn). Indy and his level-dependent tagalong companion character (you can freely switch between the two -- the A.I. or a second player controls whoever you aren't) sport special abilities that come in handy for navigating these brainteasers. Raiders of the Lost Ark's Marion Ravenwood comes with a useful double-jump, conniving René Belloq carries a textbook that translates hieroglyphics (the key to opening certain secret doors), and Temple of Doom's ditzy Willie Scott packs a scream that literally shatters glass. Indy, of course, totes his trusty bullwhip, which can snatch nearby objects and carry him across deadly pits. The puzzles usually involve deducing how to open the pathway to the next area or how to defeat a boss; this invariably involves the use of a particular character's abilities in concert with scattered objects (keys, bazookas, disguises, etc.) and piles of unassembled Lego pieces. You might need to use, say, Marion's double-jump to reach a particular vantage point and knock over a large statue, or Indy's whip to transport a key item across a precarious pit.

None of these puzzles are difficult to the point of frustration, but some of the boss fights are a little too cryptic. For example, the method for defeating Temple of Doom's villainous Mola Ram (in the climactic suspension-bridge fight) is pretty unclear -- I'm actually still sort of scratching my head at the logic behind the necessary actions. And speaking of Temple of Doom, the mine-cart chase -- a level that I imagine most hardcore Indy fans would look forward to -- is probably the game's worst, reducing the film's thrill ride to a boring timing exercise. The quality of the three story arcs curiously mirrors that of the movies, with Raiders as the standout segment, Temple of Doom as the low point, and Last Crusade existing somewhere in between (though far closer to Raiders than to Temple of Doom -- and with an excellent Grail Temple level capping things off).

Click the image above to check out all Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure screens.

Lego Indy's main quest isn't terribly expansive -- you can finish it in a weekend, and that's if you take your time -- but the game's unquestionably built for completists, with a ton of hidden treasure and extra characters (you can unlock pretty much every character in the films, right down to Last Crusade's castle butler). It's easy to dismiss as kids' fare, but Lego Indiana Jones is a light, enjoyable action game, especially if you've got a willing friend for co-op play. Now, if we could just get Lego Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis as a sequel....