It’s a very curious feeling, playing Lego Worlds and constantly having Minecraft in the back of my mind. Not because Lego and Traveller’s Tales’ foray into creative sandboxes is identical to Minecraft, but because the comparison between Mojang’s ultra-successful game and Lego have always existed, but the roles are now reversed.
Lego Worlds attempts to follow in Minecraft’s footsteps, and I know I’m inviting people to point out that Minecraft was not the first game to do what it does, but let’s not kid ourselves, it’s the biggest one and clearly the one that opened the way for games like Lego Worlds. It doesn’t take the direct, quickest route, though, sometimes meandering into different territory. And everything is blessed with a – usually delightful – Lego twist.
Lego Worlds, at the moment, is like that big bucket of Lego bricks. I’m sure they still sell them, those big, colourful buckets full of all the basic parts you need to build the simplest stuff. You tip them out, and you can see the possibilities, but you’re missing the window dressing, the details; things like doors and window frames and all the tiny things that can turn a drab brown cube into a house.