The Mobile Ping

I’ve gone to E3 three years previous to this years E3 and there’s been a large improvment with developer interaction this year. In previous years you didn’t get much face time with developers; if any at all. This year I have actually been able to carry on two way conversations with minimal shrugging off, because they can’t talk about that just yet. A perfect example is Ty from Hellbent Games. He has been working with Travelers Tales and Warner Bros to create Lego Battles. Lego Battles is an amazingly well designed RTS (Real Time Strategy) game with some amazing features. The game was originally designed to be 3 different games, but at the end they decided to combine them into one fantastic game.

The game incorporates 6 different “races” ranging from Medival, Space and Pirate Lego sets. These races can be mixed and matched to create completely custom armies for up to 3 player matches over wifi. I was impressed with the level of detail of both the characters and buildings in Lego Battles. The team actually built every unit out of Lego and then used them to build the units in the game. You end up with a very fun and authentic look in the final product.

Lego Battles is the first RTS on the DS that really works. You essentially have one resource that you can gather in one of two ways: either by chopping down Lego trees or mining it from a Lego mine. Both ways produce the same resource. The game is set up this way to add additional strategy as well as simplifieing the gameplay for us on the DS. You can control up to 21 units with 20 assorted troops and 1 hero character. You can drag the stylus around the units to select them then move them as a group. Unlike other RTS’s the units will automatically spread out as not keep them clumped together. Attacking is as simple as tapping the enemy or structure you wish to attack. To add another layer of strategy the game also has Hero classes, aside from the standard classes. A Hero class does additional damage, but can also heal other units and assist in the construction of buildings. Each of the 70+ levels have intros with full video depicting Lego minifigs in humorous skits that setup the story and prepare you for the battle ahead, while also being simply entertaining. Overall there’s a good amount of variety and strategy while also being quick and easy to pick up.

There are a lot of different tactics you can use in Lego Battles. With multiple vs. mode settings you can set goal objectives like eliminate the hero or collect resources. You can also set the starting areas and opt for a pre-built town. The game is well balanced with plenty of unlockable units like the castle ghost or the original Lego spaceman. There are even achievements to encourage you to collect concept art. Lego Battle looks to be the next great hand held strategy game that didn’t need to be related to Lego, but definitely benefits visually and with all of the little humorous cues that only Lego can seem to provide.