Funko Fusion – Trading Bricks For Bits, A More Mature Throwback Of A Game [Review]

From a good portion of the makers of the old style LEGO games, 10:10 Games’ Funko Fusion captures the essence of those games with a bit more adult content, and challenge thrown in. If you remember playing those LEGO games, especially the early ones, Funko Fusion will be like riding a bike. You pick a character, and go around a level based on a movie/TV property and collect items, fight enemies, do puzzles, and platform jump. In Funko Fusion, each world is a different movie or show, and then there is an overarching story involving Freddy Funko and his nemesis Eddie Funko trying to take over the various worlds.

The various properties in the game are mostly Universal Pictures like The Thing, Back to the Future, Jurassic World, and others. There are special cameo levels based on The Walking Dead, Invincible, and M3GAN, among others. Those cameo levels are a real treat, because they’re hidden and locked behind items you need to get throughout the levels. With so many R-rated and horror-themed levels, this game isn’t necessarily for the kiddies like the old LEGO games were, but it carries over the trademark humor and styling of Funko Pop! figures. So while there is violence and some blood, it’s really cartoonish and doesn’t accurately represent the gore effects of the movies that the levels are based on.

Those worlds take some liberties with the source material to stretch them out to six levels, but the liberties that they do take mean for some truly awesome boss encounters. As you go through the levels, they don’t spell out that certain characters are better than others to play through them with, like Childs in The Thing levels because of his flamethrower. Things like that make for a more enjoyable gaming experience when it’s not spelled out for you.

What rears its head is the sheer number of things to collect and carry at the different levels. If you’ve ever played Donkey Kong 64, there are just way too many items you can collect. This collect-a-thon gameplay seems to artificially pump up the time it takes to complete a level. That collect-a-thon combined with some of the enemies being artificially annoying to defeat, I’m talking the enemies that require melee attacks to kill or bosses that have invulnerable limbs. There are also some moments where the combat gets hectic, and the knock-back from enemies feels like a cheap death when you’re trying to run and gun.

The beauty of the gameplay of the LEGO games that Funko Fusion is so clearly using as a blueprint is the simplicity. It takes that simplicity and makes it more convoluted with items, power-ups, and more gun-focused combat. Yet, through it all, the game is still incredibly entertaining. Sure, you’re going to die in a frustrating way when you get blitzed by enemies from nowhere that need to be melee’ed to death. But the cost of death isn’t that high. It’s bits that you’re collecting throughout the level.

The overarching story involving Freddy Funko is a bit of a means to an end. For fans of the Funko mascot, it’s cool. Having Clancy Brown voice Eddie Funko certainly makes it more palatable for people who don’t care about the mascot. The boss battles with Eddie taking over various villains and characters throughout the universe are the most fun and tense moments of the game. When the screen fills up with enemies and you have to worry about Eddie as a dinosaur smashing you, that’s when memories are made and you either win or lose.

Funko Fusion is at its best when you’re playing through signature moments from some of the best sci-fi and horror properties out there. For those of us that grew up playing similar games to this, the addition of more complex gameplay is a blessing and a curse, depending on what you’re looking for in the game. The levels are varied, and when you find a cameo level to complete, the game really hums. Swapping out bricks for vinyl figures is a fine trade for those looking for a classic dose of gameplay with more adult settings and characters. Funko Fusion is a fun experience on consoles and PC.

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