More and more kids are opting to play virtual games these days. Lego Fusion acknowledges this fact, but it also encourages children to go back to playing and creating with their own two hands. This new game developed by The Lego Group combines old-school brick by brick Lego play with virtual app-based gaming.
How it works
The game console comes with the downloadable app for iOS and Android devices and approximately 200 Lego bricks that come in four distinct sets, namely Town Master, Battle Towers, Create and Race, and Resort Designer. The console comes with a capture plate that works like a foundation for the pieces and that enables the app to distinguish the brick’s size, color and type.
The physical brick structure created will then be imported to the game interface by simply taking a photo of it. The app automatically transforms 2D creations into three-dimensional forms, making them fit into the virtual gameplay seamlessly.
Gameplay dynamics
Aimed at 7-12 year olds, the game revolves around environments depending on the game set’s theme. Battle Towers challenges the gamer to build a stronger fortress as the doom of being overruled by another kingdom lurks. In Create and Race, the player has to create a sturdy and effective car with the physical bricks, which will undergo races, stunts and demolition challenges. Build shops, restaurants and buildings to keep your townspeople happy in Town Master, while in Resort Designer, you have to create a beautiful summer resort.
The game aims to challenge a child’s imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills as they are confronted with different tasks and situations where they have to keep on designing and creating new structures along the way. The beauty about encouraging kids to build bricks with their own hands is that it brings them back to the real world in a sense that they get to experiment in a more active way rather than just toggling controls and buttons on their devices.
The kits cost $35 dollars each and will be available in the US in this month.
Oh how fun! Too bad I’m not in the age-range.. but who’s counting? But in all seriousness – how inventive and such a great learning tool for young minds to begin thinking in terms of engineering and building. I’ll have to recommend this for my nephew!
I am certainly going to buy this for my nephew, it brings together his two loves…Lego and iPad. I was commenting just the other day how nice it is that Lego and other age old toys are managing to stand up to the test of time against tech devices, but for how long.
Well if they move with the times like this, the sky is the limit. Awesome!
Like Phil, I’m considering this for my nephew as well. Of course, I’ll have to give it a few tries to make sure everything works properly :). You know, most games I see that are cross compatible with a tablet or smartphone really seem gimmicky and generally unappealing, but this Lego Fusion really sets itself apart. At $35 it’s also a steal, mind you that’s assuming you already have the tablet.
For today’s kids, playing with Legos might be boring. Most of them love digital games. This thing could change that and bring them the best of both the worlds. Awesome!
This game sounds intriguing. My son isn’t quite old enough, but when he is this is the type of game I would prefer he played. I really like that it involves actual Legos, what could be better? He is almost five and already is enjoying learning how to build with them, hopefully even more advanced versions of this with more pieces will exist once he is old enough for video games. Right now he doesn’t even understand that video games exist, but I am sure with attending school that will change, and so a more hands-on game is the type I would choose were I to let him play.
That is really cool. Damn it, I wish I was a kid again. It’s really nice to see toy companies really taking advantage of the new technology we have today. Back then I just use my pure imagination with my Lego’s.
Damn it! I wish I had this when I was a kid. But I can still purchase it though but still, it’s different now. This looks really cool but one thing that I would love to see is if you can 3D print your Lego designs that would be awesome.. oh wait you already have the physical Lego so, I guess not.
This looks like it would be very fun for children. They will be able to build with their Legos and watch their creation come to life virtually. This even looks fun for the adults that have a collection of Legos.
This looks really cool! Good for lego for combining their original toys with technology. I spent many hours of my childhood playing with lego sets. My favorite were the space collections. I’m going to try this out even though I’m not that little anymore 🙂
I remember years ago using a program called Lego Digital Designer to design Lego creations, and have the parts shipped to me with instructions on how to build it and absolutely loving it. This is basically the opposite of that, and I think it’s an amazing idea. I really hope they use it’s full potential though – the ability to create a full world over time, instead of only a non-persistent set of minigames would be nice.
How interesting! Though I may not be in the target-age group, I may have to pick this up for myself, just to see what it’s like. It certainly is a wonderful thing that the children of this generation are benefiting so much from technology, though it is a bit bizarre to think that Legos are going virtual! The times are changing, I suppose.
This is a really intuitive way to integrate Legos with technology. What a great way to encourage kids to more hands on building experience while also allowing them to use their electronics. We need more of these things, as kids are becoming too connected to their devices. Providing a balance between the two will allow for a more healthy and creative society.
Wow, what a brand new and great idea to leave the line between virtual gaming and playing games in real a big blur. This is gonna be a hit amongst children, the bets part is that both boys and girls can enjoy this. I’m pretty sure every parent is gonna get this for their kid because this is gonna boost their already vivid imaginations and help them be more lucrative, and also enhance their problem solving skills and help them start thinking out of the box. I highly recommend a global launch and not just restrict this to the market of the US.
I couldn’t agree more! I love this kind of games because they to teach useful skills to the kids, like problem solving, creative thinking and more! These are the best games to be played at that age, because video games in general don’t do much in terms of cultivating the children’s imagination. They’re not the best option when they’re still growing up!
I wish I had this when I was little. It isn’t expensive neither! Very accessible as a birthday gift for a little kid!
It is amazing how technology evolved in the past couple of years! I’m really excited for the future!
Same here. I know for sure I’d have loved a game like this as a kid, I loved building things and I was a very creative kid. I’m sure I’d have loved a game like this, sadly this kind of things didn’t exist back then and even if they did, I’m sure my grandma would have given me underwear instead, hehe!
This lego fusion thing sounds like such a wonderful option for all those parents who want to find safer and ”cleaner” games for their kids. The kind of games that are actually safe to play and involve no violence, plus this is actually good for the kid’s creativity! It’s a wonderful way to mix the new technological era with the more rudimentary and manual one!
I’m sure a lot kids will just love it! I know I would if I was 8 years old! I’d surely buy that for my 8 year old! But I bet it’s really expensive tho.
It’s impressive because it works on the tablet and on our hands. It’s actively leading the connection we make between the Lego Build and the virtual. I think that connection is not immediately obvious. Kids will come up with interesting things as they experiment with their design.
To me, buying Legos is an investment. I started buying them when I was a kid. Over time I had enough parts to fill several buckets. These things don’t break and they maintain their shape remarkably well. this means that when the time comes, you can pass them on to your kids and he can make the collection grow even more. You can’t do this with Lego fusion. Sure it’s a good starter kit for kids who haven’t seen Legos yet I guess, but who hasn’t seen Legos?