Well, well, well. It’s about time we got our very own board, Monopoly-like, viciously savage, competitive party game arrive at our console doorstep isn’t it? Just a head’s up: my review code for LEGO Party arrived post-launch, meaning any early reviews or wobbly builds you may have seen floating around the internet don’t apply here. The developers have had time to patch, polish, and plug any cracks in the bricks if they were mentioned prior to release. I can only comment on post release state. Let’s get into it. 

I first jumped in with Rossko and his lovely fiancée Claire, who were more than happy to show me the ropes, and more importantly, just how utterly savage the CPU opponents can be. I mean this seriously: what the hell? We even called her Karen. Sorry to the real-life Karens of the world, but this digital Karen was out for our blood and boy did she bite.

A Block Party Worth Crashing

It’s easy to say LEGO Party borrows heavily from Mario Party because it does but I actually think in some key ways, it outbuilds it. 

For those of you familiar with Mario Party, you’ll know that it’s an up-to four player board game where you’ll need to get gold stars to be able to win the game. Along the way, the star will change location. You’ll be able to shop for items that may change the course of the play in some way, such as swapping your character places and other dirty tactics to get to the stars, which means potentially throwing your players under the bus at any cost. At the end of each round a mini game will be played. This mini game gives you an advantage to win as you’ll get money dependent on your final game position. Money is essential as it’ll allow you to buy the star should you land on the spot. If you’re not familiar with Mario Party, that’s the premise in a nutshell. So it’s fair to say that LEGO Party follows that same recipe. 

For one, my biggest gripe with Mario Party has always been that ridiculous end ceremony, where random stars get thrown at players for things like “most steps taken” or “best hair day.” (I am kidding on that last one, but I it might as well be). LEGO Party ditches that nonsense. If you’ve won, you’ve won. Simple. No curveball pity prizes. It makes the whole game feel fairer and more satisfying when you come out on top (or, in my case, just narrowly beat Karen).

Gameplay wise, it’s all about collecting gold bricks, which, as you’d expect, trump your stud count, which is your in-game currency. The overall setup mirrors Mario Party, but the maps here feel much more dynamic and thematic. Whether you’re scaling a mountain, fending off an alien invasion, or dodging dragons in a Ninjago world or fantasy theme park, each board embodies the essence of a miniature LEGO set. This really stood out to me because it feels like you’re playing two games. One where you need to get the stars over your opponents, and the other means you need to kind of concentrate on the main gameplay element of the board itself as this can give you a massive advantage for the game.

For example, the Ninjago map has a very short QTE mini-game should you land on a step to give you a gold brick for free and there are four opportunities to do that. Knowing something like that and playing strategically can put you well ahead of your other players. So there’s an opportunity to almost forget the tactics of what your other players might be trying to do to you, but it just feels a lot more involved and immersive within the game. 

Studs, Carrots, and Chaos

There are four maps in total, and they’re all great fun. I also hopped into a few rounds with other friends to test the four-player chaos, and it was every bit as entertaining (and shouty). Most mini-games are a free for all setups, though a few sprinkle in team play for variety.

Here’s where LEGO Party adds a clever twist: your placement in mini-games actually determines your next dice roll. Finish first? You roll first. Come last? You’re waiting your turn. It’s a simple mechanic that genuinely changes the flow of the board, creating real tension near the end when a single dice roll could be the difference between victory and a loss. Honestly, I can’t let this go with Karen, shes really stuck with me. 

Of course the CPUs have difficulty settings; you can bring them down to easy if you so wish. I was just very surprised about how intuitive each difficulty is. The CPU opponents could absolutely mean, resulting in your ass getting kicked at every opportunity. There is a sense sometimes that it feels like cheating luck, but also I think one problem I did have with its rival with the CPU’s were that they were always too easy even on hard. So should you not have many friends to play with, or you actually just want to play an interactive board game with other players, you can change up the difficulty for each CPU and genuinely feel like you’re playing against real people. This adds to the variety and also means that you get a lot better a lot quicker because of the difficulty curve that Karen can bring. 

Controls are intuitive, the music is punchy and fun, and the graphics have that signature LEGO polish; clean, colourful, and charming. You can recognise this game a mile off. It really does have the right feel from start to finish. 

Over To Our Studio Bricksperts

One particularly different feature is the commentators. There’s two commentators, Paige Turner and Ted Talker, they kind of act – if you’ve watched The Hunger Games –  like the Effie and the Stanley Tucci characters of the film, or from like commentators Pitch Perfect. Also played by Elizabeth Banks, weirdly. Basically, fake Elizabeth Banks commentates your whole game.

At first it’s really charming and you think, OK, this is a fun element of the game, it kind of makes it feel like sports match in a way. Then I kind of went through the motions of “Oh my God, shut up, please shut up, You’re being really, really loud and annoying.” Over time, I learnt to love them. There was something about it where I just kind of always expected them to chip in. I’m not sure if you can turn it off, but I’m not sure I’d want too, now. It’s a really, really fun addition which makes it feel more competitive, and the script can be funny at times. There are a lot of quips and sassy remarks and it’s really dynamic based on your playstyle, or your place in the game i.e if you’re winning or last. So it might comment on your position in a mini game or where you are currently; it’s just really fun and they change it up a lot. 

Party Game? Or Left Over Bricks

I think one thing any kind of rival to Mario Party absolutely has to get right is the mini-games. If the mini-games are not of a high enough quality or they’re not varied enough or interesting enough, then the whole tower of the game itself is going to crumble. Luckily with LEGO Party, there’s obviously going to be a lot of inspiration from Mario Party. Mario Party’s been around for years. It’s impossible not to draw some inspiration from it. But there’s also really unique original ideas here that are based purely within the world of LEGO. 

The graphics for all the games are amazing. That all have that LEGO art style. Some games are similar to Mario Party, sure. However, this familiarity is part of the fun, as it can evoke memories of past experiences. There are some really unique original games that uses elements of space or animals or other objects to play around with. There’s a lot of classic mini games, taking inspiration from Flappy Bird for example or Fall Guys. There are games where you will have to go one at a time to see who gets the furthest or to see who does it fastest. 

I found most of these games fun in their own way. There’s only been one or two games where I have written them off as I don’t like them. The CPUs are insanely good at these games on the higher difficulty modes, so human players may struggle to compete. Anyone who plays as a human cannot seem to get to grips with them. There’s one particular game where you have to place a rocket on a moving platform, but the rocket is completely uncontrollable. Obviously on purpose, but with the platform moving and the rocket flies in all directions. It can be really frustrating. There’s over 60 in the game and there’s only a couple where I’ve thought, ‘Yeah, that one’s not for me,’ which I think says a lot about the roster of mini games that are there.

Also, instead of playing just the board game which is known as ‘Challenge Zone’ in LEGO Party, you and your friends can play just the mini-games, where you’ll be given a stack of 20 randomly selected games, or you can choose from different presets of 20 that are already loaded on and compete with. That’s nothing new as well, but it is really enjoyable. If you kind of don’t want to play the board game element, you can just dive into the mini games. It’s also good to practice with.

Customisation also deserves its own shout-out. You can create your own LEGO avatar with tons of unlockables, and there’s even a light progression system that’s almost like a Battle Pass. As you play, both you and your map level up, unlocking new outfits, accessories, and other little cosmetic goodies.

There are two currencies, studs and carrots. Studs are used during the game for board-related purchases, while carrots let you buy more wardrobe options and preset designs. It’s an addictive little loop that rewards replaying without feeling grindy.

Final Brickdown

I know that I have mentioned Mario Party a lot in this review, but I think we need to call a spade a spade and appreciate that yes, this is inspired by Nintendo’s original. That said, this is its own entirely different game. That’s a lot of fun to be had, and scratches the itch for those without a Nintendo console to play on.

With everyone I’ve played alongside (four different friends plus the occasional CPU nemesis), the consensus has been surprisingly consistent: LEGO Party might actually edge out Mario Party in accessibility and fun factor. It’s easier to jump into, more balanced, and feels perfectly at home on PlayStation and other consoles, especially with party chat in the mix.

Yes, the CPUs are vicious, but that’s half the fun. LEGO Party, I think, will quickly become one of those “always reinstalled” games. The kind you fire up when friends are over, just to see who ends up flipping the controller first. I have been anticipating and waiting for years for a game like this to land on consoles. I can see the replayability factor being huge.

Don’t get me wrong, I was sceptical about this when I first heard of it I think. When games are following such a big hit with their own version, it can be difficult to find originality without being reminded of a superior product. It can feel like a wet lettuce version. However, I don’t think that is the case here. I can also see the potential to add more and more to this. Everything feels bigger, brighter and punchier. As it goes on, I’m just excited, and I think anybody who is feeling intrigued by this, or if you are feeling a little sceptical about it, should dive in and play with a friend and see what you think. I think it’s well worth a go. 

A party worth crashing, brick by brick.

LEGO Party is available now on PS5 (review platform), PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox Series X|S.

Developer: SMG Studio
Publisher: Fictions

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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