For years, TT Games have been building many LEGO experiences. And nothing else. So when a chunk of the development team at TT Games left to create their own studio, I couldn’t help but think of what great new experiences would come from 10:10 Games. Funko Fusion is their first game, and my thoughts are coming later than I perhaps would have liked purely because I’ve been so undecided about it.

Looking at the choice of worlds, there were a few franchises I recognised. Hot Fuzz, Jurassic World, Scott Pilgrim vs The World… And then those I have no investment in, such as The Umbrella Academy, The Thing, Masters of the Universe and Battlestar Galactica. Since the choice was down to me of where I start, I had to go Hot Fuzz. How could I not want to visit Sandford in video game form?

Rather than immediately going into the world, however, there’s some business to take care of at the Funko Factory. The place that links all these worlds together. A darkness has been seeping into the factory. As we arrive, it is fully unleashed, forming into a dark version of the factory owner, Freddy Funko. Naming themselves Eddy, this dark form captures the crown from Freddy’s head and corrupts one of the other workers.

This giant dark creature is the first boss battle seen, introducing how these play out. Using the long-range weapon of the character controlled, blobs of the goop will fall off it when struck. That goop powers a machine which will bring forth a giant ally to do the actual fighting, while I then just try to survive against the enemy minions which are still about. Maybe striking the giant enemy myself to collect a cascade of vinyl chunks.

With that dealt with, the worlds need to be travelled to collect the scattered mini crown clones that flew from the main one as Freddy and Eddy fought over it. So now it was time to go to Sandford, which is a good introduction to the rest of Funko Fusion. Alongside the long-range weapon, each character has a melee weapon. Some have special abilities while others just have a dodge. A jump and melee attack can be chained for a ground pound.

Combat is that simple. However, the variety of what is being faced makes up for that. Melee attackers, long-range attackers, and heavier foes who need knocking out before final blows can be made. Certain enemies have special effects to their attacks, such as poison or explosions. I feel as though this variety is missing from a few worlds, most notably Hot Fuzz where the enemies are mostly in their basic forms.

Bosses also offer variety across the worlds of Funko Fusion, with some great variety with both regular-sized and giant ones. Except, again, with Hot Fuzz. Where most offer nothing but the basics. Even the giant enemy at the end of the fifth level, which is just the same as the one found in the Funko Factory. Even the puzzles are at their most basic with the Hot Fuzz world, which is one of the main issues.

As a combat-focused world, Hot Fuzz doesn’t have the variety of missions other worlds do. There’s no escort missions, such as in Jurassic World. No collection missions, as in The Thing. It’s a nice experience to play through the events of the film, but that’s because I have familiarity with it. When it came to those worlds I didn’t have familiarity with, even the grand amount of mission variety couldn’t help elevate the experience beyond Hot Fuzz. And a big part of that is… Funko.

Funko Pop figures do not lend themselves to being all that expressive. Soulless black eyes, and no mouths reduce one of the main factors of being expressive. With a lack of dialogue also present, and even a lack of mumbles that classic LEGO games had, it’s like watching a silent comedy that fails to bring humour when the situation calls for it. The stories of these worlds are decently expressed, adapting the events from that franchise, but there’s little found within them to get anyone but fans excited.

Many of the other worlds seen in the trailers, such as Back to the Future and Jaws, are what are known as cameo worlds. These single level worlds are part of the collectables hunt that 10:10 Games have injected into Funko Fusion. What this means is some of the most exciting parts of the game won’t be experienced by many. If people aren’t enjoying the campaign, they’re unlikely to stick around for the extras.

All of this, plus a few other issues have left me with those undecided feelings. There’s no denying I’ve been having fun with it. But Funko Fusion just doesn’t inspire much long-lasting enjoyment. It’s a great concept that I feel would work without the Funko Pop characters. And the limitations that come with them.

It is the gameplay that holds Funko Fusion up, even if I had a few oblivious to the obvious moments. And also parts where it’s hard to understand what is meant to be done. And a few bugs that prevent progressing. As such, Funko Fusion is one I can only maybe recommend. A good time if you’re a fan of any of the franchises featured, but definitely falls off after you’ve exhausted them levels of them.

Images Taken From:
Funko Fusion | Xbox Series S