LEGO Party! Builds an Entertaining, But Repetitive, Mario Party Competitor (Review)

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LEGO is famous for its classic, colorful building bricks. However, over time, they’ve also created some really good video games. From LEGO Lord of the Rings to the new LEGO Batman game, there are plenty of enjoyable LEGO takes on popular franchises. This year, we’re getting even more games that really focus on LEGO, including LEGO Party!, which is similar to Mario Party.

People have tried making board games with lots of mini-games, similar to Mario Party, before. However, it’s tough to beat the original. Now, LEGO is entering the competition with LEGO Party! This game, available on multiple platforms, allows players to pick from hundreds of famous LEGO minifigures or design their own. They can then jump into a board game packed with LEGO-themed challenges. There are also 60 different mini-games players will battle it out in between turns on the board. But how does this new Mario Party competitor perform? It’s a genuinely good party game that offers great value for the money, despite a few small issues.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pros Cons
LEGO character customization offers plentiful options to make your own avatar Controls sometimes feel laggy and counterintuitive
Board event animations are fun & full of classic LEGO style and humor Announcer dialogue gets repetitve pretty quickly
60+ engaging mini-games ensure variety & good gameplay flow Many mini-games use only joystick controls and feel a bit simplistic
Cross-platform online multiplayer and couch co-op options let everyone get into the game
More affordable than notable competitors like Mario Party Jamboree

LEGO Party is a Brick-Building Jackbox Meets Mario Party Experience

As a longtime fan of Mario Party, I expected LEGO Party! to have a lot to live up to. And while the basic idea is similar, it quickly became clear that this game offers a fresh and unique experience. It’s filled with fun LEGO building and a distinctive sense of humor, all while keeping the elements that make Mario Party-style games enjoyable for everyone.

LEGO Party! has commentators who fully voice all the action as you play. Their funny delivery and style reminded me a lot of Jackbox Games, which is well-known for its fun party games. I would have liked to hear a wider range of lines from the LEGO hosts, but they definitely made me laugh sometimes.

When it comes to how the game plays, you have 4 different modes to pick from. You can enjoy a traditional board game experience like Challenge Zone, or just play a series of quick mini-games with Mini-Game Rush. There’s also a practice mode to help you master the mini-games, and a Score Chaser mode where you try to beat your high score. The game features 4 different game boards, each offering a different length of play. While it doesn’t have quite as many options as something like Mario Party, it’s about $20 less expensive, making it a good value for your money.

When you arrive on the game board, you’ll start with a quick mini-game. How well you do in that mini-game decides who goes first – but only for that round. Things change each round because the latest mini-game sets the turn order, which my friends especially liked. The board is also interesting, offering different building spots that let you customize it a little each time. These building sequences, along with other things that happen on the board, have a classic LEGO feel – they’re fun to watch, although they might become a little predictable after playing a few times.

Mini-Games Are Engaging, But Need Some Fine-Tuning 

Mini-games are central to LEGO Party!, and they represent both the game’s highlights and its low points. With 60 different mini-games to choose from, each playthrough offers a decent amount of variety. Many of these games are simply enjoyable, and several stand out as quite original when compared to similar titles like Mario Party. Some even include really fun grappling hook features, such as a mini-game where players compete for a spot on the dance floor to score points.

The mini-games are generally creative and fun to play, but there are a couple of things to be aware of. The controls sometimes felt a little slow to respond, especially in games that rely a lot on the joystick. Since many of the mini-games use joystick controls, this occasional issue was a bit annoying. Everyone at my virtual LEGO Party! still enjoyed themselves, but most people mentioned the lag at least once or twice.

However, many of the games were fun, challenging our memory and requiring quick reactions with the B button. Even though some games had strange controls, I always enjoyed starting a new mini-game after each board game turn. It didn’t matter if our LEGO characters became frogs or had to race across a path that was being constructed – the mini-games were consistently entertaining. There’s a practice mode to help you learn the ropes before you play, and overall, the mini-games are one of the highlights of LEGO Party!, second only to the extensive customization options.

In True LEGO Form, Customization is The Name of the Game

I really enjoy games where I can personalize my avatar. That’s something lacking in games like Mario Party, where you’re stuck playing as well-known, but unchanging, characters such as Mario, Peach, or Bowser. In LEGO! Party, customization is a key feature throughout the entire game, and it’s particularly strong when you’re creating your character.

Right from the start, you can choose from 46 pre-made minifigs. Alternatively, you can mix and match parts from those minifigs to create your own unique avatar. As you continue playing LEGO Party!, you’ll unlock even more minifigs and customization options for your character. I really like having this ongoing goal, and I immediately wanted to collect them all! It will take a while, though-the game says there will eventually be up to 400 different options to unlock.

Besides creating your character, the game board is constantly changing and being rebuilt during gameplay. This brings the classic LEGO building experience into the game, and lets players feel like they have a hand in shaping the board. You’ll occasionally choose which elements are constructed by the moving bricks, making each game board a bit different. As you play, the board itself will also be updated and rearranged, changing up the spaces and keeping the game interesting.

Generally, LEGO Party! is a really fun party game. I especially liked how much you could customize your characters – there are a lot of options! I did wish there was more variety in what the announcers said, and some of the controls felt a little awkward in a few mini-games. Plus, occasional lag sometimes hindered the games. However, for $40, it’s a great value, particularly when you consider how much more expensive some similar games are.

It’s great that the game isn’t limited to just the Switch; it’s available on several platforms. This opens up possibilities for crossplay and lets you easily switch between playing together on the couch and online. Even with a few minor issues, my friends and I genuinely enjoyed playing LEGO Party!, and ultimately, that’s all you can really hope for in a relaxed party game like this.

A Nintendo Switch copy of LEGO Party! was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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2025-09-29 19:13