Thursday, March 28, 2024

LEGO DC Mighty Micros lacks depth and purpose (review)

Share

LEGO DC Mighty Micros Main

Two of the most revered properties in the world (LEGO and DC) combine powers for a character-driven racing game for the kiddos and kids-at-heart. COUNT ME IN!

Oh, wait, you’re not really racing per se?

Ok, well, at least there are several awesome heroes and villains to unlock.

Uh, so, I’m just doing the same exact thing over and over regardless of who I’m controlling?

But, I mean, surely there are cool environments as I whip around the city?

Three of them? Ugh.

I can’t sugarcoat it. LEGO DC Mighty Micros is about as shallow as Bizarro himself. To be fair, the intended audience ranges from ages five to twelve. More on that later.

LEGO DC Mighty Micros Bizarro

Set Up

Head on over to the Google Play Store, download and you are right in the action starting off as Batman w/ Batcopter. There are literally no settings to fiddle with.

Gameplay

Mighty Micros is described as a racing game. As I was brought to a cutscene showing my character and vehicle, then an opposing villain and their mode of transportation, I assumed I would need to outrun them to a finish line.

What unfolds is a constant chase where you never pass the villain, there is no finish line and the various speed ramps you encounter mean absolutely nothing. You steer and collect weapons and studs until the action slows down and you disable the villain’s vehicle by launching character-specific projectiles. Once you hit them three times, you have accomplished your mission.

LEGO DC Mighty Micros Gameplay

Each time an enemy is thwarted, a cutscene focuses on the hero tossing a broom to the villain to … clean up the city? I dunno. If you accumulated enough studs you are then given an oversized gift to open which will either be a new character/vehicle or a horn sound effect (the horn is used for hovering a bit, nothing more).

Once you start grinding and unlocking more characters, you will have the option to assume the role of the baddy. With the roles reversed, there is only one difference in gameplay; you are positioned in front of the protagonist until it is time to launch your weapons.

LEGO DC Mighty Micros Joker

Strength In License

If there is one redeeming quality of Mighty Micros it certainly lies in the recognizability of LEGO DC characters. There is a bit of excitement when unlocking new heroes and villains with their respective vehicles:

  • Batman (two versions)
  • Superman
  • Wonder Woman
  • Robin
  • The Flash
  • Joker
  • Bizarro
  • Catwoman
  • Bane
  • Captain Cold
  • Doomsday
  • Killer Moth

It’s an impressive roster with rides and projectiles for each. But once all characters are unlocked there is almost no incentive to continue playing.

LEGO DC Mighty Micros Characters

What Could Have Been

This game is targeting an age group of five to twelve. I myself have a seven-year-old gamer son, I am willing to say that the age span is a bit overzealous.

The assortment of characters, although plentiful, all basically operate the same. This is one more aspect where the devs could have scrutinized more with special abilities or separate sound effects. As it stands, the only differentiating features are the skins. Yes, they have different weapons, but they all do the same thing — as is also the case with the vehicles.

LEGO System A/S would have been better served with something more along the lines of the kid-friendly kart racer, Angry Birds Go! Unfortunately, Mighty Micros is not ambitious enough even for the youngest of fans.

Quick Wrap-Up

LEGO DC Mighty Micros Flash

LEGO DC Mighty Micros seems to exist as just a showcase for the involved properties. The lack of depth or even fun is evident all throughout the game. Sure the graphics are top notch, the music and sound effects are great, but the overall package is a stale endeavor.

This kid-at-heart was expecting “Mighty,” but instead “Micro” describes the game very well; offering very little.

You can grab LEGO DC Mighty Micros at the Google Play Store

Read more

More News