Lego Indiana Jones

As this blog is still new, I should let you all know that reviews and recommendations of video games will be pretty few and far between. I love video games. I really do. I have some great times playing them. Unfortunately, I’m pretty bad at them. I don’t usually finish video games, either because I just don’t have the hand-eye coordination to press the buttons in the proper sequence at the right time or because I’ve managed to find a crippling glitch or simply break the game.¹

So don’t expect much in the way of video games. It’s a lot harder for me to break a book or a movie to the point where I can’t finish it, which is why I prefer them.


Lego Indiana Jones, like the rest of the Lego games, is pretty easy. Your character can never really die; he/she just splits apart, you lose some studs (money), and you reassemble in a few seconds. If there is any challenge to be had, it is in the game’s puzzles. Sometimes you need to be controlling a certain character in order to open a door. Sometimes you need to rebuild the machinery in the room to get a required object. Some of these puzzles are hard, and some are easy, but they are a lot of fun.

Because that’s what this game is. Just a bit of fun.

The layout of the game is like this- Barnett College (where Indy is an archeology professor) is the central hub. From there you can buy extra characters, unlock new levels, view movie clips, and have a gander at all of the objects you’ve collected throughout the game. These are all very well and good, but the most important thing about the college is the maps in the entrance hall. Those maps are how you access the different levels of the game.

Now, when you start the game, you will automatically play the first location of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Once you finish that level, you can either play through the rest of that movie in story mode or go to the college and get a chance to pick out what you want to play.
There are three maps, one for each of the movies in the Indiana Jones Trilogy, and each of these maps has about six locations plotted out and numbered. Each of those numbered plotted points is a level within that movie. You have to play them linearly in story mode before jumping around, but it’s a fun option to go back and play your favourite levels from your favourite movies.

The thing that I really enjoy about these Lego games is that the game doesn’t end when you’ve finished all the playable levels. There are hidden objects, unlockable characters, secret levels, and loads of other fun extras to be found within the levels themselves and within the college. It can be a bit tedious at times because of how much stuff there is to get², but I found it incredibly satisfying to finish the game.³

It’s just a fun game. It’s never scary or worrying or the last thing between you and the apocalypse. It’s a really great game for kids, which I’m happy to see. Video games for kids are usually either dumbed down for very very young kids or too challenging to actually finish. While the subject matter (Indiana Jones) appeals to an older audience and wouldn’t be something kids would necessarily be watching, this game does a fantastic job of telling great adventure stories in an appropriate way.

I’d definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes Indiana Jones and Legos, to anyone who’s maybe not as good at video games as they wish they were (good practice), and to kids.




¹Let me tell you about my misfortunes in the Final Fantasy series some time.
²Like ten pieces to an artifact in each level, a package to be mailed in each level, etc.
³Especially because I’ve been working on Lego Star Wars II for the past… two years?