While not reinventing the wheel, LEGO Bricktales translates the beloved brick-building experience seamlessly to VR
I was unsure what to expect from LEGO Bricktales when I put on my Quest 3 headset. Would building with virtual blocks feel as satisfying as the real thing? And how would I handle the controls being new to this environment?
If you don't already know, LEGO Bricktales, was originally released last year on flatscreen platforms but has now been adapted for the Meta Quest platform. While the core gameplay and story remains the same, this Quest version brings the LEGO brick-building experience fully into virtual reality for the first time.
My initial fears were quickly alleviated. Movements like picking up blocks and connecting them felt very natural in VR. Since pieces only attach in certain orientations, there was little fuss and it was easy to visualize constructions. The lack of finger tracking was a non-issue.
In LEGO Bricktales, you take on the role of a young LEGO minifigure helping their inventor grandfather restore an amusement park that has fallen into disrepair. This is done by travelling to various colorful LEGO worlds and solving puzzles/quests for the residents.
Jumping into the colorful LEGO worlds for the first time was an awe-inspiring experience. Being able to look all around the intricate digital dioramas and see tiny details I'd otherwise miss gave me a new appreciation for the care put into the virtual build space. It really felt like I had been shrunk down and transported inside a living LEGO creation.
Puzzles range from constructing bridges and machines to arranging sculptures and meeting structural stability tests. The types of puzzles increase in complexity as you progress. While the story is simple and kid-friendly, the emphasis is squarely on the enjoyable and satisfying LEGO building mechanics.
Solving the puzzles by building models and structures tapped into my creative problem-solving side. Each completed miniature build gave a sense of satisfaction, even without the physical aspect.
Being in VR, it allows you to fully examine and walk around the digital LEGO dioramas from any angle. This gives a new perspective and appreciation for the impressive design details. Dioramas can also be placed into mixed reality view through the Quest's color passthrough, making the builds feel like they exist in the real world.
There is some sluggishness with the game's VR controls and menus at times, but nothing too distracting. However, being unable to freely build anything you want with LEGO in a true unlimited sandbox mode feels like a big missed opportunity. Bricktales limits creations to solving preset puzzle goals with curated piece options. Completing a level unlocks a sandbox mode to improve or modify that build, but a true unlimited sandbox is missing.
From a comfort perspective, Bricktales requires no artificial movement so poses no motion sickness risk. And with its family-friendly tone and relaxing gameplay, it's suitable for both kids and adults alike. Visuals take some expected quality reduction coming from flatscreen but still maintain Lego's charming aesthetic. One anoying thing that I experienced often was like this flickering of the entire diorama when in mixed reality, but I think that was due to my actual room not having enough lights for the tracking to work at 100%.
While not reinventing the wheel, LEGO Bricktales translates the beloved brick-building experience seamlessly to VR. Being able to fully examine and interact with digital Lego builds adds new engaging dimensions. Especially for families, it provides entertaining puzzling and creative fun that can last for many hours. For fans of LEGO, VR, or chill puzzle games, this Quest version is a great addition and one I can easily recommend. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a Meta Quest 3 using a review copy provided by PR. Lego Bricktales VR is out now on Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro.
