Lego dimensions is a Traveller's Tales' LEGO game first and foremost. It's got the endless searching for the next lynchpin, it's got stud-collecting, and it's got hidden elements. It's got (clean) humor, slightly janky movement, and an eclectic collection of characters with different abilities, some of which are necessary to solve any given puzzle. It also has that same series' major drawbacks, which I'll go over in the conclusion, so if you don't like Lego's TT games, don't bother. If you do, here's what's different about Lego Dimensons that makes it worth playing.
If you build it, they will come:
In the vein of Skylanders or Disney Infinity, Lego Dimensions has you purchase toys to unlock characters and areas in-game. You start with three; Batman, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle, granting you access to the main storyline and their respective worlds. This is actually a very large amount of content; the main storyline might take only ten hours or so to play, but triple that (at least) if you want to collect everything, and then double that again if you want to see everything in their respective worlds. Unlike most of TT's previous lego games, Dimensions lets you putter through and explore relatively vast, recognizable areas from each game in a separate framework. It can be fun to visit, but I didn't find it particularly interesting past the first few minutes of wandering; I spent most of my time trying to see if such-and-such landmark existed. (Usually, the answer was yes). As a side effect, the game has you stop periodically to build (or rebuild, or change) its playsets to signify your progression through the game or to reflect on changes in the game. If you like building, it's a fantastic distraction; if not, I can see it becoming a bit onerous and/or offputting.
All the worlds, all the characters:
Most TT games involve a single world; you've got Middle-Earth, or Earth-616, or some variation thereof. Dimensions includes, well, everything. The real WOW moments, while playing, are when you find yourself in a recognizable world with recognizable characters that do not belong with it. Driving the batmobile down the yellow brick road, smashing through sleeping flowers and throwing batarangs at the wicked witch of the west is where it starts; it gets crazier from there, pitting superman against witch-kings, putting Lex Luthor in cahoots with evil ninjas, and awakening the dreams of sentient AI. It's a mix like nothing that's ever existed outside of fanfiction, and at its best is far better written. The problem here lies in that not all of the properties are easily recognizable, and as soon as you enter a world or character with which you're unfamiliar, the game loses a great deal of its appeal.
Follow the blinking lights:
Dimensions has a hefty cost of entry; it has you purchase and build a portal, which might seem a frivolous or pointless expense. Thankfully it doesn't entirely waste the concept; all through the game, certain features (changing your characters' size, imbuing them with elemental power, moving them through portals) are unlocked or used by physically moving the figures on the playset. This takes a bit to get used to, but overall I found it a very enjoyable change from other games; perhaps not something I'd want to see used in every game, but it encourages tactile play with the figures that gives it a very distinct feel.
Catch-A-Ride:
The only real customization possible beyond choice of characters in Lego Dimensions is the choice of upgrades for your vehicles. The base game includes only the batmobile; most story expansions include one or more other vehicles, and each vehicle can be upgraded with different attributes, or even changed completely from one type to another, like the batmobile being transformed into a sonic weapon or a rideable portal turret being granted the ability to fly. This adds an almost RPG-like element to an otherwise very simple game, but is limited in its utility by the inconvenience of using vehicles and the mcguffin-centered gameplay; having an incredibly effective batmobile with laser turrets is of limited use if the important enemies are immune to its attentions and fighting them requires you to get out of it to progress the battle.
Shifting identities:
Not only does Lego Dimensions allow you to use characters from all of its properties, so long as you have a vehicle or character you can - at any time - add it to the game by dropping it on the control pad. Prefer using chell instead of gandalf? Pick gandalf up and drop Chell in his place. In the middle of a level, you can decide to change characters, limited only by the availability of figures. It's a cleaner, smoother, and more personal transition than other TT Lego games; instead of navigating a menu, you grasp the character with your own hands and place it into the game as you like.
While Lego Dimensions has a lot of interesting features and cross-property play opportunities, it's subject to some very poor game design decisions. From the generic (it shares all of TT Lego games' find-the-widget hunt mechanic, whereby 80% of the time spent trying to finish a level is wandering around aimlessly bashing everything you possibly can) to the irksome (some of the mechanics are poorly introduced and/or the objectives of a level are unclear), Lego Dimensions is not a perfect game. If you like Lego and find the TT Lego games fun, however, it's worth the expense.
