If you’ve been a fan of a popular movie or TV show from any time in the last several decades, chances are they’ve made a Funko Pop statue of the main characters. The brand is ubiquitous in pop culture, so it was only a matter of time before it got a major video game adaptation. This type of game could easily be a cheap cash grab, but after seeing a preview demo and talking to one of the head developers about it, I’m convinced that Funko Fusion is much more than that.
You’ve never played a game by developer 10:10 Games, but you probably know the work of its crew – some of the former architects of the Lego games developed by the studio’s founders are Traveller’s Tales, including C.E. including O. Jon Burton, COO; Paul Flanagan, and design director Arthur Parsons, who lead the demo. It raises the bar based on John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic thing, which marks one of the key elements that separates this title from other kid-friendly LEGO titles. This game is rated T for Teens and references many media features that are not intended for children. Still, the world is charming and light-hearted, so when a Funko Pop is applied to the side of a head, it’s more silly than scary.
Parsons, playing as Kurt Russell’s Macready, fights some Norwegians using the game’s third-person shooting mechanics. According to Parsons, all characters have melee and ranged options, though he had to get creative for some characters. When He-Man wields his signature sword, OJ (Jordan Peele’s protagonist nope what) revolves around a miniature version of one of his film’s inflatable tube-men. Parsons dispatches enemies with ease, which I imagine is due to the relatively low difficulty of the game, his experience working on it as a developer, and the fact that each enemy has a huge head, which Ideal for headshots.
Funko Fusion would eventually feature over 20 IPs in the game, mostly from NBCUniversal properties, though they also had licensing deals with other companies.
Here’s a list of some of what we know so far.:
- Back to the future
- Battlestar Galactica.
- Children’s play
- Five Nights at Freddy’s.
- A warm blur
- invincible
- Jaws
- Jurassic World
- Knight Rider
- Masters of the Universe
- Megan
- Mummy
- nope what
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Shaun of the Dead
- thing
- Umbrella Academy
- Voltron
- the walking Dead
- Xena: Warrior Princess
Each IP will include playable characters, and a number of levels, although the scope of each level will vary depending on the franchise. Some, like thing, will get a proper, full-sized level, while others exist as secret cameo levels that players can unlock in other worlds. While walking around the frozen outpost in the demo, Parsons travels through a portal to reach a world based on Shaun of the Deadwhere he has to take a carload of civilians to protect Winchester. While there, he transforms into He-Man and shows off the zombie enemies, who turn the hero into a zombie version of himself. Even though it’s only a cameo level, it’s a lot bigger than I initially expected, possibly packing in plenty of easter eggs for fans of the movie.
Players can go through the levels in the order they want to progress through the main story of the game. Parsons explains that this modular approach allows them to easily support the game after launch by adding new characters and levels to the mix. The first example of this is with the game’s pre-order bonus, featuring Rick Grimes and Michonne. the walking Deadcomplete with alternate outfits.
It’s been years since the last Lego game, and with this team of developers, I’m excited to see them try to fill that void. Fortunately, I won’t have to wait long. Funko Fusion is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC on September 13th.