I was on discord last night, chatting with some of the late night people. We got talking about games, and a few people mentioned being completionists. By that, they meant that they have to complete a game all the way to 100%.
Well, during that chat, I mentioned that I play a lot of Lego games, so I know what they’re going through. One person got a little snarky and said playing one game all the way through didn’t make me a completionist. With an eyeroll, I just dropped a link to my PSNProfile page and just moved the conversation along a bit longer before logging off to try and get some sleep.
I woke up this morning to a bunch of messages asking how could I have played so many Lego games in such a short amount of time, and how did I “get good” about it. So, let’s talk about it.
Before we get into it, I just want to make this clear. The reason I play Lego games is because they’re fun. They’re not stressful, or really violent, or anything that makes me want to put my controller through a window. The games are inoffensive and honestly just fun to play. I get some crap about playing “kid” games, but at this point in my life, I don’t care what people say about what and how I play.
I’ve been playing Lego games since 2015, or at least that is when I completed my first Lego game. Since then, I’ve gone on to do a lot. On PS3, I’ve completed 11 games, with 4 games left on the platform. On PS4, I’ve completed 16 games, which is the current released amount, not counting regionally released versions. On Vita, I’ve completed 4 of 13 games, though I don’t think I’m to play them all. Oh, and there’s the sixteen Xbox One LEGO games I completed last year. This list doesn’t include Lego Worlds, as it’s more of a sandbox game, as well as Lego Rock Band, do to the near impossibility of getting my hands onto the game and equipment in the first place.
The trick to getting good at Lego games, or any game really, is to play a lot. If you do, you start to see the patterns in how the team sets up each game and its content. My first completion, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, took nine months of play before I finished it. Granted, I took major breaks here and there, but it took a while to beat. I think my playtime was in the high 60 hour mark.
But once I really got into playing, I found that most Lego games have a certain… rhythm to them. Play and finish the story. Get a few needed items. Play through the free play mode. Now do the rest of the game. Of course, this doesn’t count for every game (the trash heap called The Lego Movie 2 Video Game), but this formula works for almost all of them, especially in the era of achievements/trophies.
Once you know the pattern, it’s all about getting organized. Lego games have a bunch of collectables, from gold/mithril/*insert random word here* bricks to red cheat bricks to characters and vehicles. And don’t forget collecting studs, because that’s major as well. Plus, during actual levels, you have mini-kits and other items to find (depending on the game).
My trick is to plan ahead. I don’t try for any of the level specific items until my free play route. I just focus on getting through the story mode at a decent pace. Once done, I figure out what I need, if there’s any characters that I have to have, and usually with see if I can find or unlock certain red bricks. (x2 studs, mini-kit locator, ect.) Then I go do the free play now, instead of waiting. Faster I get that done, the better.
Once the two play throughs are done, it depends on the game. Some games, including Lego the Hobbit which I’m currently playing right now, have a bonus level, and then a vast majority of collectibles across the hub. Others may not have any sort of bonus level. Some have multiple hub worlds (Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lego Batman 3 and Lego Marvel Avengers come quickly to mind). In some games the areas are helpfully broken up by sections, such as in Lego The Incredibles where each area is a district.
Using Hobbit as an example (since I’m doing this right now), I’m focusing on one area at a time. I get all the items available in that area, then move on. There is some backtracking, due to quests being triggered due to the completion of other tasks, but this approach mostly works. I did the same thing with the game’s prequel, Lego Lord of the Rings, though that game was kind enough to break every area into sections, and kept track of area completions.
But really, the only way to play Lego games fast is to just sit down and do it. It used to take me months to beat a Lego game. Nowadays, I can do it in a week or so for longer games, and one day for shorter ones (the Lego Movie games). Unless we’re counting Lego Dimensions, because that’s the only game that takes more like eighty hours (if you’re going for full completion).
So, basically, that’s the trick. Time and repetition. Learning the game and how to make it work for you. I’d suggest starting with one of the shorter games if this is something you want to try doing, but it’s a lot of fun no matter what.
Until next time!
