Why LEGO The Lord of the Rings Is the Best LEGO Game

There are a lot of great LEGO games. From the iconic status of the original LEGO Star Wars to the subtler adventure promised by the upcoming LEGO Voyagers, the majority of titles bearing the LEGO name have offered memorably fun experiences. In any group of four people, you might expect four different picks for the best of the bunch, and each of the choices would likely feel valid.

In the wake of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight‘s reveal, however, Screen Rant‘s gaming editors realized that we’re actually all united on this front. Despite how much fun can be had in the other games, one movie tie-in stands out above the pack: 2012’s ambitious, stylish, and patently silly LEGO The Lord of the Rings.

The Best LEGO Game Is LEGO The Lord Of The Rings

Destination: Middle-Earth

LEGO The Lord of the Rings had a bigger challenge than any LEGO game before it. Unlike the fractured environments of LEGO Star Wars or the concentrated setting of LEGO Batman, Middle-earth is a huge fantasy world that requires a sense of spatial continuity.

The Lord of the Rings also lends itself less obviously to a simple satire. Spoofing a beautiful story that celebrates each painful step toward heroism and eulogizes the end of beautiful things isn’t as simple as doing a campy take on the Caped Crusader.

Pulling this off in LEGO form required some ambition, including extensive use of spoken dialogue. Following LEGO Batman 2‘s introduction of voice acting, LEGO The Lord of the Rings rips audio directly from the films, playing the vocal performances straight while hamming up the visual comedy.

Nothing is sacred — Boromir’s violent end is recontextualized with bananas, for example — but LEGO The Lord of the Rings somehow manages to get the gist of the plot across. While the focus on dialogue in subsequent games has left some fans yearning for the days of the grunts, it was a necessary shift for The Lord of the Rings in particular, and the results are effective.

LEGO The Lord Of The Rings Is A True Adventure

More Than A Collection Of Levels

The real magic comes from Middle-earth, though. Screen Rant‘s content director Alex Leadbeater summed it up best, noting that LEGO The Lord of the Rings “has the best sense of place and adaptation” and “feels the most like an adventure game version of the movies.”

Rather than coming across as a grab-bag of fun set pieces, an approach that works serviceably for something like LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO The Lord of the Rings creates a meaningful, cohesive sense of a journey. The overworld compresses space, but with discrete gameplay segments for scenes like following Gollum through the Dead Marshes, walking into Mordor is more than just going from point A to point B.

I certainly have a bias toward The Lord of the Rings as source material, and I checked the newspaper ads weekly after the LEGO game’s release to see when an Xbox 360 copy would finally drop to a $20 sale price. I love the Pirates of the Caribbean films too, though, and that LEGO game didn’t leave such an indelible mark on me. Despite a long list of worthy competitors, there’s something genuinely special about LEGO The Lord of the Rings.

There’s Nothing Else Like LEGO The Lord Of The Rings

A LEGO Game That Stands Alone

Of course, the consensus of a few people doesn’t cover the community at large, and LEGO Lord of the Rings has plenty of detractors. Grassy landscapes are often lower on blocky charm than other LEGO game environments, and it’s not always densely populated with interesting interactions. It can also be prone to bugs, although no LEGO game is entirely free of that possibility.

It is a common favorite, though, most likely because no other LEGO game provides a particularly similar experience. While LEGO The Hobbit refines the same formula, the focus on features like crafting can distract from the core appeal, and the inclusion of only two movies leaves its story hanging. If you want a complete fantasy adventure that balances a compelling atmosphere with endearing levity, LEGO Lord of the Rings is the best place to find it.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is the first IP-based LEGO game to call my name in a while. I sat out Skywalker Saga, which Screen Rant‘s Austin King found “too bloated” and “a bit disappointing.” This one looks promising, though, even if it looks nothing like LEGO The Lord of the Rings.

I’m certainly open to Legacy of the Dark Knight taking my top spot, and I’d be happy if it did. Even if something does eventually dethrone LEGO The Lord of the Rings, it’ll always have a special place in my heart. The journey across Middle-earth is like no other, and regardless of what advantages future LEGO games bring to the table, only LEGO The Lord of the Rings will ever have Gimli reloading his axe to hunt some Orc.