LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Review

By Dan Whitehead Published 2 June, 2008

Bricking it.

Version tested: Xbox 360

The words "game design" tend to get bandied about rather a lot, but usually when people talk about game design what they actually mean is level design. While there's certainly an art to crafting a level in such a way that players are challenged, encouraged and thrilled in an agreeable ratio, the skill that goes into creating the overall experience outside of the actual gameplay is less understood. I'm talking about overall structure, pace and reward - that arcane art of understanding the audience, delivering the right encouragement at just the right time and still managing to offer up delights and surprises along the way.

These are qualities that the LEGO Star Wars games have in abundance. Yes, they're cute and funny and amusing to play, but in terms of general construction they're also some of the best-designed kid's games since...well, since forever. They're that good. The drop-in multiplayer. The ability to go back and replay any level at any time. The myriad quirky details buried in every corner. You only have to watch children playing the games, excitedly discovering all the little nooks and crannies, to realise that Traveller's Tales went to extraordinary lengths to create a game that was accessible to the youngest newcomer and yet still offered fresh thrills and rewards once their skill had matured. That, you see, is true game design at work.

'LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures' Screenshot 1

The cut-scenes are still a masterclass in silent comedy, and cheekily irreverent to the movie lore.

All of which acts as both a blessing and a curse for LEGO Indiana Jones. It has a tried and trusted gameplay system to build on (no pun intended, honest) but it also has a lot of expectation to live up to. The good news is that the gameplay is both comfortingly familiar and suitably evolved. The Indiana Jones movies are rather light on aliens, robots and magic space monks so the template of using certain character types to access specific areas has had to change, and it's a change for the better. Indy's all-human cast now enjoys a more democratic gameplay design, with the most common abilities available to all - provided you can find the right tool for the job. You can now pick up a shovel, or a spanner, or even a weapon and keep it with you as you explore. Pistols, machineguns and bazookas can be swiped from enemies and tucked away for later. Swords and spears can be wielded in combat, or thrown to cut important ropes or chains. There are still some elements that are restricted - the handful of women can jump higher than blokes and you still need an enemy uniform to open certain areas - but for the most part progress is now dictated by items rather than characters.

Whereas puzzles in LEGO Star Wars tended to be a simple matter of using the right character to reach a switch, this is a much more involved adventure. For example, you might use a shovel to dig an item out of the ground and discover that it's a cog needed to operate the machine that in turn opens the gate to the next area. Except once the cog is replaced you might then need to find a spanner to actually fix the mechanism. But the spanner is in the hands of a cheeky monkey up on an unreachable ledge, so you need to find a banana and throw it to him in exchange for what you need. Okay, for us grown-up players it's a fairly obvious series of miniature fetch-quests, but for the intended young audience it's smartly paced and encourages plenty of lateral thinking. There's room for free thinking, but everything is constrained by logical parameters that prevent things getting frustrating.

'LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures' Screenshot 2

Finding keys for these clockwork mechanisms is just one of the recurring puzzle objectives.

Also new is the ability to swing and climb on ropes, and while the physics isn't exactly cutting edge it's a perfect fit with the Indy series and adds another fun element to the level designs. Each movie is, as with Star Wars, divided up into six levels with the first generally being easier (in case someone opts not to play the movies in linear order) with the last being tougher. Tough is relative, of course, but there were more levels that had me scratching my head here than in LEGO Star Wars. Progress is less linear, while the ability to pick up and carry items means that objectives can now be scattered around a larger playing area, forcing you to explore your surroundings more thoroughly. Teamwork is also more important, with more puzzles that require one character to help the other past hazards. The AI on the non-player characters isn't always great in this regard, sometimes getting in your way or wandering out of range, but the fantastic drop-in gameplay means that parents can easily offer as much assistance as is required to get things back on track.

Where the game unfortunately suffers is in what's been taken out. It's not entirely fair to compare Indy to the feast of content that was LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga since that was a compilation of sorts, but even compared to the single Star Wars editions this feels disappointingly light on the features that matter once the story mode has been exhausted. The traditional Super Story mode, in which all six levels of a movie can be played through in one sitting, is gone. So too are the character and vehicle bonus levels. There's no equivalent replacement for the Star Wars bounty hunter missions and the online co-op play and two-player arena battles from The Complete Saga have also vanished.

That's a lot of features to lose, especially since these elements were integral in boosting the longevity of LEGO Star Wars, not only by giving you more things to do, but also by dishing out gold bricks for successful play, which could then be cashed in for yet more shiny new stuff. Kids love collecting things, earning new things to play with, and LEGO Indiana Jones ultimately feels rather thin on that front. All you get to unlock are a short bonus level based on the Young Indy prologue from The Last Crusade, an open-plan LEGO Ancient City to muck about in and - when you collect all the artefacts in the game - a slightly clumsy race track construction set. All are enjoyable, but it does mean that most players will have seen everything on offer all too soon.

'LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures' Screenshot 3

Is there anything more awesome than a LEGO elephant? Yes. A LEGO elephant with Indiana Jones on its back.

There are 60 characters to earn, of course, but in an Indiana Jones game you're always going to want to play as Indiana Jones. Unlocking characters like Dancing Girl or British Soldier is therefore more of a completist's errand than a collector's dream. Considering part of the fun of LEGO Star Wars was still discovering and unlocking fun new things to do even after hours and hours of play, this feels like a step backwards. If variety is the spice of life then LEGO Indy offers salt and pepper, not sweet red chilli and ginger.

There are also no dedicated vehicle levels, with stunts like the iconic truck chase from Raiders woven into platforming levels rather than teased out into their own thing. Maybe this is because the vehicle sections in LEGO Star Wars were never the game's strongest suit, but The Complete Saga reworked some of the worst offenders - the Pod Race in particular - into something enjoyable so it's a shame to see things slip back a notch. The motorbikes of Last Crusade are horribly slippery things, while the legendary mine cart chase of Temple of Doom loses all its energy thanks to a circular design that sees you rattling around and around the same small track, struggling with awkward collision detection to hit sequences of switches. Other vehicular moments with gaming potential, such as Temple of Doom's raft ride down the mountain or Last Crusade's brief aerial dogfight, are dealt with only in cut-scenes.

'LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures' Screenshot 4

Flaming torches can be used to light fires or scare off unfriendly critters.

This is all starting to sound a bit grinchy, so at this point I feel I should point out that my five-year-old son, who helped me with the hands on preview, is currently at 99.7 percent completion on our second save game with just one character left to unlock. He's certainly commented on the absence of familiar features, and seems less enthused about collecting billions of LEGO studs now that there's not as much to spend them on, but he's still been happily replaying his favourite levels over and over, just as he did with Star Wars. That, to me, is the true test for the value of a kid's game and it suggests that, once again, Traveller's Tales has come up with a core game that inspires and excites its primary audience with laser precision.

None of my critical grumbles, therefore, should be taken to mean that LEGO Indiana Jones is a crushing disappointment or an easy cash-in on a popular template. In gameplay terms it represents a commendable improvement on an already solid framework and seems to captivate its young players with the same gently challenging grip o' fun as LEGO Star Wars did. It's just a shame that this evolution seems to have come at the expense of many of the peripheral activities that made the previous LEGO games a more robust and varied experience in the long term. Parents, and shameless big kids of all ages, should certainly snap up a copy - just be prepared to unearth most of its treasure sooner rather than later.

7 / 10

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Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

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Comments (63) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Aretak #1 4 years ago

    Edge didn't seem to like it very much. One to pick up for £15 perhaps.

  • bad09 #2 4 years ago

    But...but.... GTA4 got 10/10!!!

  • ccfb #3 4 years ago

    "The Indiana Jones movies are rather light on aliens"

    Spoiler tag that!

  • MyPointIs #4 4 years ago

    Almost as good as MGS4

  • secret_player #5 4 years ago

    as good as NG2 then, maybe better!!
    Edited by 1 at 02/06/08 @ 14:13

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #6 4 years ago

    What do Edge know about fun? (tee hee)

    It's a great game, just like all the Lego Star Wars games. I was playing it last night, and really enjoyed stuff like collectable weapons and the object-based puzzles. Feels a bit more like an old-school platform game in that regard.

  • penhalion #7 4 years ago

    Don't worry they'll have "Lego Indiana Jones the complete Saga" out by christmas

  • Wash #8 4 years ago

    Ya see, reviews are like trials.... blah blah blah, eurogaymer, blah blah blah, cant believe shit like halo gets 10/10 blah blah blah.

    Will prolly get this, loved the star wars games. One of the few games the missus will play with me in co-op. Must be the lack of realistic gore.

  • penhalion #9 4 years ago

    @bloodkult

    Tearing seems to be a TV thing as opposed to the game. My samsung doesn't exhibit ant tearing at all on lego starwars.

  • mattigan #10 4 years ago

    Yes, I'd heard of tearing but never actually noticed it until playing LS:TCS recently. And I have to say.... Really, is that all there is to it??? There are bigger things to worry about, and I'd hardly liken it to my eyeballs being raped. Take a step back and remember what games used to look like 5/10 years ago.

    And stop moaning.

  • Jheronimus #11 4 years ago

    Well, big kiddie nerd that I am, I'll pick this up, all be it just for some variety from playing GTAIV...

    As Meng-Tse used to say: 'It takes a great man to embrace his childhood heart'

  • muscleblade #12 4 years ago

    "my five-year-old son, who helped me with the hands on preview, is currently at 99.7 percent completion"

    Thats not bad for a five year old. I always thouth the Lego games where a bit too hard for the youngest gamers.

  • mingster #13 4 years ago

    This review is giving me deja-vu i'm sure i'd already seen it before.

  • DanWhitehead #14 4 years ago

    More importantly, have they fixed the fecking tearing in this one?

    There's now a v-sync option in the pause menu.

  • DanWhitehead #15 4 years ago

    Thats not bad for a five year old. I always thouth the Lego games where a bit too hard for the youngest gamers.

    Well, it's a shared save game, so a lot of the story level completion was done in tandem. He's been unlocking the characters and finding the bonus parcels though. And he has clocked up over 100 hours on LEGO Star Wars, so he hit the ground running with this one.

  • Carlo #16 4 years ago

    /cancelled my pre-order... May as well wait for it to hit the reduction sheves.

  • Darren #17 4 years ago

    Tried the PC demo over the weekend... it's... OK... but it's so similar to the LEGO Star Wars games that it was hard to pluck up any enthusiasm for it having already played it THREE times before (if you include the Complete Trilogy) and, in fact, any I had came purely from the fact it was cool playing as Indiana Jones not the game itself. It seems to be more puzzle-based and you can now swap characters without them being next to each other, they're the only changes I could discern. I don't think I'll be buying this or LEGO Batman; it seems to be that Traveller's Tales have latched on to a money-making concept and just want to milk it to death.

  • Snuffb0t #18 4 years ago

    It's got a lego monkey in it! 100% pure awesome!

  • DanWhitehead #19 4 years ago

    My samsung doesn't exhibit ant tearing at all on lego starwars.

    I have a Samsung as well, and it tears the fuck out of wasps, bluebottles and earwigs. Ants are fine though. Weird.

  • Henni_playd #20 4 years ago

    Is it me or did the score just change to an 8?

    Refresh your cash / re-boot windows/ Smash your face into the monitor, and tell me I'm wrong...

  • Darren #21 4 years ago

    @DanWhitehead - The PC version certainly has a V-Sync option but I didn't think the 360 or PS3 versions did as the IGN review specifically mentioned both those games had screen tearing. If there was an option to "fix" it then I'm sure they wouldn't have mentioned it. Mind you... they actually mentioned that the PC version had tearing in its review but that might be a result of it being a cut & paste job from the 360 (or PS3 version). This is the 360 version, right, not the PC version? Strikes me as strange to have a V-Sync option in the 360 game when the developers could leave it on and not bother with an option in the first place. :?

    Certainly the tearing in LEGO Star Wars: TCS prompted me to contact Traveller's Tales about it to enquire if the game would be patched. I was basically told tough, the game engine wass pushing the Xbox 360 (don't laugh) hence the tearing! Given that their primary audience are young kids, I didn't think they'd be that concerned about it as they probably won't even notice it.

  • jellyhead #22 4 years ago

    Sounds like a solid but uninspired game, I have fears for Batman now but my hope is that as Batman has much more character than Indy there'll be more of the Lego Star Wars type personality in it. Oh and TT had better put back the collecty bits or Batman will be a budget purchase for sure.

  • BlueDot #23 4 years ago

    My wife asked me the other day when this game is out. She loved LEGO SW and has been looking forward to this since I told her about it ages ago.

  • Oceadge #24 4 years ago

    It's a pity they didn't release this closer to the release date of the new film. The hype has kind of died down for me now.

  • DanWhitehead #25 4 years ago

    @Darren

    There is definitely a v-sync toggle in the pause menu. Even my son, obsessive that he his, noticed it because it's not in Lego Star Wars. I suspect the reason they left it as an option is because the frame rate seems to take a small hit when it's switched on.

  • BradMillette #26 4 years ago

    Something DARK is behind this review! Sinister forces!

  • ps3_2310 #27 4 years ago

    Will the Wii version get a separate review?

    Or is it really bad?

  • septimus #28 4 years ago

    For the Wii version, just make it a 6 for the lack of detail and the enforced gimmicky and horrid controls (ie Lego Star Wars).

  • Kazzahdrane #29 4 years ago

    THIS ISH INTOLERABLE!

    Nah just kidding, still going to buy this once I move flat and get online again. Can't wait to play it with my other Indy-obsessed mate online.

    There *is* online co-op....right?

  • alsotop #30 4 years ago

    No online co-op? Well, that sucks! :(

  • Darren #31 4 years ago

    @DanWhitehead - That's me well and truly corrected then. Thanks for the info. Seems my email to Traveller's Tales didn't go ignored then. Kudos to them for including it and boo-hoo to IGN for not noticing an option in the game and mentioning tearing as an issue in the review sum up! :)
    Edited by 1 at 02/06/08 @ 15:45

  • thefilthandthefury #32 4 years ago

    Sounds great! Can't wait to pick it up.

  • madgerald Verified Studio Head of PR & Marketing, Colossal Games LTD #33 4 years ago

    Was going to get this; not so sure now...

    .... [sits and waits for LEGO Jackie Chan and the 1980s Adventures]

  • smelly #34 4 years ago

    >Edge didn't seem to like it very much.

    yeah. .but edge are pricks who didnt like mgs4 either...
    :-)

  • penhalion #35 4 years ago

    @DanWhitehead

    I have a Samsung as well, and it tears the fuck out of wasps, bluebottles and earwigs. Ants are fine though. Weird.

    Hey I'm at work typing while trying to look busy writing a boring compression routine! I did laugh at your response though.

  • beep #36 4 years ago

    I bought a 360 for graphics like this! Actually, why aren't the environments in these Lego themed games made entirely out of Lego too? Boo!

  • Coughthulu #37 4 years ago

    "drop-in gameplay means that parents can easily offer as much assistance as is required"

    Or, if you're like me, letting the wife show you why you're no good at logic puzzles.

    This sounds as if it's as charming as LSW, if a bit lighter on content. Definate buy, though I'm starting to worry about how Lego Batman's going to turn out...

  • Derblington #38 4 years ago

    Glad they removed the superstory - unecessarily dragged on otherwise great games.

  • peterfll #39 4 years ago

    I don't remember my 360 version of SW: The Original Saga tearing at all. My nephew is currently playing through SW: The Complete Saga on PS3 and I played a couple of levels with him and that too seemed OK.

    Have we now concluded that the TV makes a difference when it comes to tearing? The tearing techie debate lost me ages ago.

    ps I *hate* teh tearing.

  • penhalion #40 4 years ago

    @peterfill

    Pretty much seems to be the case. You get tearing in a lot of games but, it's much less noticable on newer sets. The samsungs with game mode almost eliminate it alltogether. 100hz modes make things super smooth but, also seem a little un-natural too. If you are just playing and enjoying a game you'll probably not notice the tearing even if it does occur. Not sure what that says about all those people who tend to flag it like a religion.

  • peterfll #41 4 years ago

    Ooh, I do disagree Mr Penhalion. Tearing can be so bad on some games it can come close to really spoiling the experience.

    Some example that spring to mind : the PS3 GRID demo - v bad, and not good in a racing game. Unchartered: Drakes Fortune - on some levels v bad however it *just* gets away with it for being so lush otherwise. I remember Motor GP 07 on the 360 being one of the first games of this generation where the tearing was so bad it spoilt the experience.

    I have a high-end 2006 model Bravia - it has a game mode - but no 100hz refresh.

  • RandomTerrain #42 4 years ago

    I knew people would get bored of these Lego games quickly enough.
    Not really anything special IMO.

  • miiiguel #43 4 years ago

    No, they aren't. It'll sell cazillions..., just wait and see.

  • sonmi451 #44 4 years ago

    i'm still waiting for Lego Debbie Does Dallas

  • bitesize #45 4 years ago


    i want lego alien vs. predator next please!

  • Pulsar_t #46 4 years ago

    TT should try doing something new. But as demonstrated over the past 15+ years all their games are more about style than substance (remember Toy Story and its incredible graphics? Or Mickey Mania and its vivid animation?).. No hope for them to turn a new leaf.

  • Darren #47 4 years ago

    @peterfll - Make that MotoGP 06... the 07 sequel eliminated the tearing completely and was a much more polished affair. ;)

  • gamecubeisbest #48 4 years ago

    No online co-op = Not buying

  • Darren #49 4 years ago

    @gamecubeisbest - Don't you have any proper friends? With a name like yours, I'm surprised you're even complaining about the lack of online gameplay! ;)

  • Snuffb0t #50 4 years ago

    Truk

    Will there be a DS review at some point?

    lol teh ds is for noob kids, its not even got next genz

  • makeamazing #51 4 years ago

    I'm getting this (have been buying alot of games recently... cant believe the amount of games I want)... anyway I think my kids will love it, they love starwars lego, and have basically completed it... all i need to do now is get my son off Grid so i can play it, and all will be ok in the world.

  • peterfll #52 4 years ago

    @darren I stand corrected you are of course right.

  • WinterSnowblind #53 4 years ago

    I'm more excited about this than either MGS4, Ninja Gaiden or even Smash Brothers.

    The Star Wars games were a load of fun to play through, so more of the same here is definitely a good thing. Most of the complaints don't seem that huge either, from what I've heard from other reviews, the levels are a lot bigger and more diverse than they were in Star Wars, so even though The Complete Saga had six episodes, this is apparantly just as long, if not longer.

    The lack of super story mode isn't huge either, as playing through each chapter in a row, in one sitting isn't all that much fun, and besides, once you complete a level, you always get the option to continue on to the next anyway. I never understood why it was included as a seperate mode, it was the same as playing through the chapters, but without the prompt asking if you want to continue, or return to the hub. Likewise, the bounty hunter missions simply involved playing through cut down versions of the same levels until you found a particular character. They weren't all that fun, and all 20 missions could be completed in less than 15 minutes.

    I can understand why some people are annoyed at the lack of online support, but I always thought this type of thing was far more enjoyable when being played with someone in the same room. It's like Mario Kart, it just loses its charm when it's being player online, super competively.
    Edited by 2 at 02/06/08 @ 20:00

  • drumbaby #54 4 years ago

    Getting this...for the kids...ahem.

  • sergeantdisco #55 4 years ago

    Looks like one I can wait a while for, once it's on the reduction shelf I think.

    I should really try and do the Super Story on Return of the Jedi, get that one last gold brick. Can I really be arsed to try and shave several minutes off my best time though?

  • haowan #56 4 years ago

    "While there's certainly an art to crafting a level in such a way that players are challenged, encouraged and thrilled in an agreeable ratio, the skill that goes into creating the overall experience outside of the actual gameplay is less understood. I'm talking about overall structure, pace and reward - that arcane art of understanding the audience, delivering the right encouragement at just the right time and still managing to offer up delights and surprises along the way."

    Seems like you just described level design twice.

  • Quak #57 4 years ago

    5 points more than the latest movie then.

  • Darren #58 4 years ago

    1 less for me... I thought the movie was an 8 out of 10er myself. :p

  • boyakoosha #59 4 years ago

    great little game, really enjoying it!

  • jellyhead #60 4 years ago

    It's good but it's no Lego Star Wars unfortunately.
    We had fun playing it but it wasn't as enjoyable as LSW maybe because the characters aren't as charming, memorable or differentiated and the stories don't have as much of a pantomime feel?. It's a good solid 7 but again i hope Batman has more in common with LSW than Indy.

  • WinterSnowblind #61 4 years ago

    In my opinion, the puzzles and the levels in general are far more interesting (and there's no crappy flying levels). But as you said, the characters aren't quite so charming. Most of the time you'll just want to play as Indy, it's still fun to unlock everyone, but it's not quite the same as with Star Wars, were you'd almost always be unlocking new characters you'd love and want to be using.

  • Fwing #62 4 years ago

    I'm enjoying this but not as much as the Star Wars once. I find myself getting exasperated by crappy collision, shoddy camera angles and stupid AI more than I did in the previous offerings.

    And fuck those grenade guys. Seriously.

    Also: The cutscenes are nowhere near a "masterclass in silent comedy" like they were in SW. The Indy films come with built-in humour anyway, unlike SW, and 90% of the "humour" in these cutscenes are either prat-falls or face-pulling, with few genuinely amusing moments.
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/08 @ 11:06

  • Martin #63 4 years ago

    Very dangerous, you go first!