Ex-Lego game devs formed a new studio to explore a completely different genre: Funko Pops

GamesActionEx-Lego game devs formed a new studio to explore a completely different genre: Funko PopsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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One notable difference is that Funko Fusion features four-player online co-op, but no local co-op, which I always thought was one of the main attractions of the Lego games. “We made the decision to go online co-op for four players, because that’s where we think our player base is,” said Parsons during a Q&A which followed a remote demonstration of the game last week.

During the demo, Parsons ran around as RJ MacReady from The Thing in the movie’s Antarctic research facility. Each character has a unique ranged weapon, melee weapon, and special move: MacReady has a shotgun, fire ax, and jump slam. The level’s aggressive Norwegians barfed up colorful gems as Parsons shotgunned and axed them, and it’s so unmistakably the work of the Lego game designers that I almost forgot I was seeing beady-eyed Funko Pops running around instead of beady-eyed Lego guys.

The puzzle-solving is likewise very Lego game-like: Parsons shot glowing targets on gas pipes to make them shoot flames, which in one case melted an iced-over grate. Later, he found his way into a “cameo level” hidden in The Thing’s frigid base which transported him to Shaun of the Dead’s London neighborhood. There are “surprises and secrets around every corner,” says Parsons.

(Image credit: 10:10 Games Ltd/Universal)

A Funko-style scene from Hot Fuzz.

That’s the most promising aspect of Funko Fusion, to me: the possibility of discovering unexpected interactions between its many film and television worlds and characters. Any character can turn into The Thing, as one example.

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It does seem like I fall within the game’s target demographic, though. Local co-op made the Lego games great for parents and kids to play together, but Funko Fusion is focusing on online players like me. At the same time, I have to imagine that references like The Thing, Jaws, and Masters of the Universe (the show with He-Man in it) will land best with the 40-and-up crowd, not my little nieces. (There are some more recent references, too, like the movie Nope. Also probably not ideal for my nieces.)

But maybe it will turn out that Star Wars and Marvel licenses and nostalgia for yellow bricks are just secondary factors in the Lego game love, and I’ll wind up liking the Funko game primarily for carrying on that tradition of fun co-op action-puzzle game design. Funko Fusion is set to release this year, on September 13, and the PC version willbe on Steamand the Epic Games Store.

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