Bionicle

"7 Toa, 7 Stars"

Lego Bionicle had originally started out a simple Lego structure like all the others, focused more on the younger generations. As the years passed, Bionicles became quite a success, and thus, several spin-offs of the cast were created and introduced to the public. From newer and more create structures to even items such as clothing, the Bionicle franchise soon expanded. Eventually, these spin-offs led to the creation of this video game: Lego Bionicle. For the younger generations, this game became an instant hit. Being simple, yet enjoyable, children who have not yet matured for games rated "T" spend countless hours of fun using 6 characters through 8 puzzling levels. Though being quite enjoyable for kids under 13, it was harshly criticized by the older generations. Though the intentions were good, the nature of the game itself just didn't stack up to expectations for the average game.

Story-5/10

It wasn't the story itself that was found disturbing. The story is actually quite good. 6 heroes venture out into the wilderness, looking for lost items, and battling countless enemies. In the end, however, it suffered. Of the 6 heroes and their transformations, as well as the Toa of Light, equaling to 13 of the main cast, there were only 8 that could be used, and only one complete set of a hero and his superior form. The exclusion of 5 characters from the main cast greatly diminished the story line. On top of that, a vast majority of the enemies were left out, causing immense confusion between the players. A lack of the major characters, therefore causing a weak and unsteady plot, deteriorated a story line that could have been quite successful.

Game-play-9/10

The game-play itself isn't as bad as most really expected. The island on which this game takes place, Mata Nui, is a vast world full of countless dangerous creatures that must be tracked before they bring an end to the peaceful civilization. Hundreds of villages in 6 regions are being threatened by these menacing beasts, and only the 6 mighty heroes will be capable of stopping it. These six heroes walk and battle their way through 8 mind-blowing levels of entertainment, collecting 100 crystals and saving several of their fellow villagers through each one. From riding a cart through a mine to soaring through the sky, this game has every element of surprise. The only real downside is that there is no multi-player options. However, for a single-player game, this game is above standards.

Graphics-7/10

For a video game, the graphics really aren't that bad. The characters are rather proportionate, the view of the background is quite nice, and the enemies, as they should, look like the actual enemies from the Lego series. However, if it were to be placed against the other Lego-based games that have been created, Lego Bionicle hits a below average. The characters are quite clay-like, almost looking nothing like a Lego structure, and the background itself doesn't fit the Lego-based characters, either. The enemies are actually not proportionate, most of them either being too large or too small compared to the main cast, and the game itself is simply losing its focus without a solid graphic area.

Sound-10/10

Despite having horrible graphics, the sound in this game picks up the slack. If this game were to be compared to the movies that have been created for it, the voices of the main cast compared to that of the movies would be either very accurate, or a whole lot better. The sounds made when crystals are collected, or a villager is saved, and even quite possibly the sounds made when killed or attacked, are very real, and not at all annoying to listen to. Despite the scenery being completely outdated for the Lego-based characters, the sounds fits the visual or emotional mood of the area as a whole, therefore being quite successful. The enemies cries and sounds, or the sounds of the area around the characters being destroyed is quite realistic. Thus, despite upsetting graphics, the sounds do, in fact, make up for it.

Control-8/10

The good thing about this game's controls is that it's easy to learn. You use one button for every command, whether it is to jump or attack. The only way you really navigate around the island is to use the Control Stick. Again, this game was focused more on the younger generation of children, so the controls are therefore easy to learn, as to alleviate any pressure put on the player. If it were to be compared to the "E" audience, the control would have a perfect score. However, to be fair, if it were to be judged by the older audience as well, this game would be below average. The controls are too simple to learn, therefore there is no essence of skill really needed to play this game. Throughout the game, it's basically the same controls, and the repetitive moving of the Control Stick eventually will wear out your thumb. Overall, the Control is good, but it could have, indeed, been better.

Difficulty-6/10

For the nature of this game itself, that being that it was focused upon a younger audience, this game would score either perfect or near perfect. It's quite a puzzle for children under the age of 13, having to navigate through every level while taking as little damage as possible. The bosses are quite difficult as well, especially since they continuously move around without allowing the player to take a pause and figure out what to do. For the larger audience, however, difficulty is not good at all. Navigating through is too simple, villagers and crystal are in extremely obvious areas, and the bosses for someone above the age of 13 would be easy to guess, and easily passed. The game is also extremely short. There is almost no game-play at all, therefore a hardcore gamer could completely beat this game, crystals, villagers, and all, within a 6 hour time period.

Re-playability-1/10

This was quite a disappointment. There isn't any replay value. Once the game is completed, if attempted to play again, it'd most likely take you a quarter of the time it took before. By the second time this game has been played, the player already knows the locations of all the crystals and villagers, strategies to defeat literally every boss, and knows the course through every level. It's so easy the second time that there is practically no more reason to play the game unless you watch a sibling do it. Since there is only one mode, that being one-player, there is no multi-player options to make this game at least a good past-time activity. Lego Bionicle has, by far, one of the worst replay values in the entire gaming world.

Overall-7/10

It's quite hard to believe that after a replay value like that, this game somehow managed a decent score. The Lego franchise has done a spectacular job creating spin-offs that many people of all ages can enjoy. Don't take this the wrong way; even the video game franchise for Lego has been successful. There are tons of Lego games that have been released, and many of them have received awards for them. For the Bionicle franchise, however, video games haven't been its high point. Many of the Lego Bionicle games that have been created go off the shelf within a few months of being released due to the lack of popularity in them. Lego Bionicle itself is probably the closest they've gotten to a decent game. However, if Lego really wants to keep Bionicle in business, they have to create a game with solid replay value. If they don't, then they might as well stick with the classic Lego-building.

Rent Or Buy?

For this game, it is a definite rent. Due to the lack of replay value, and the short length of the game itself, Lego Bionicle will get boring after a day. If you're considering this purchase for a child around 5 or 6 years of age, this would be a good game to buy. For an older audience, however, even making a rent for this could be a waste of time.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/08

Game Release: Bionicle (US, 10/20/03)