Where Does He Get These Unbreakable Toys?

Lego Joker – Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Adapting works from one format to another can often be a difficult task. Fans of the original work will disparage any attempt to alter the work for whatever reason, as we have seen in the reception to Amazon and Sony’s The Wheel of Time adaptation, Amazon’s Rings of Power, and keeping with the theme, even the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy when that originally released. Anything that doesn’t measure up to the perceived version created by readers or fans of the source material is subject to criticism even before the adaptation is released. There are few if any adaptations of popular media that are universally well received, besides, I would argue, the Traveller’s Tales Lego series of video games.

There is no real secret sauce to the success of the 20+ games released over the past 18 years, and some in fact have had a poorer reception than others, but there is little criticism to be had over their approach to adaptation. Perhaps because the games are marketed towards children, and many who played the games in their childhood will look back fondly on the imperfect games, or maybe because there is a general understanding of the limitations that are put on the games, that there is very little criticism of the problems that arise with other adaptations. Technical limitations are often enough for fans to forgive any differences with the source material, with the first few games (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman etc.) up to 2012’s Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes having no voice acting at all, relying on mumbles and quite a few jokes to hit the story beats that were being adapted. That same year, Lego Lord of the Rings released to positive reception, based not on the book but on the Peter Jackson trilogy. This was not the first Lego game adaptation of an adaptation of another work, but was the first to use the audio from the adaptation it was based on rather than the mumbles or original voice acting found in the previous games.

The Lego games are formulaic, trope-filled fun that I have invested over 500 hours into over the past year to 100% complete the games. While some may consider this a waste of time, I enjoyed playing the games, with a few notable exceptions, and would recommend playing specific games if one is a fan of the original work being adapted, want to play a game with their child or even just re-live the experience of playing the games like they were young again. I figure there must be some benefit to me having spent 80 hours playing through the Star Wars games in Lego form again, so I have decided to write a bit about them, and relate the experience to my academic interests.

Having a firm backlog of ideas to rely on when I encounter whatever form of writers block can exist for writing pieces for this blog is immensely helpful. I will endeavour to write maybe 2 pieces on specific game adaptations a month, not necessarily Lego but perhaps even other works like Metro or even the Sherlock Holmes games. These pieces will vary in length, depending on my free time and excitement to put pen to paper, so to speak. It will even give me an excuse to replay levels of specific films in Lego form after watching the source again. Having a set structure will hopefully mean I can write about other more academic subjects without fear of reaching a set word limit each month, so I can go a week with no ideas without worrying about what to write on that isn’t based on Research Seminars.