Some of my fondest gaming memories from growing up are of playing TT Games’ Lego video games with my brother. They were easy to pick up and play as a kid, featured some of my favorite franchises like Star Wars and DC Comics, and had a childish sense of humor I found endearing. I eventuallygrew out of Lego games, and their release cadence dried up due to the tumultuous development ofLego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. That’s the main reason thatFunko Fusioncaught my eye; it has the potential to serve the same purpose for this younger generation of players.
I was certainly intrigued by a hands-off preview I saw ofFunko Fusionearlier in the year, especially because it highlighted films you wouldn’t associate with a game, likeThe ThingandSean of the Dead. Having gone hands-on with Funko Fusion’s opening andJurassic Worldlevels, I now know that this game definitely isn’t for me, but is tapping into an energy that a lot of younger gamers who mainly play games like Fortnite can appreciate. And if it can serve as a gateway to films likeNopeandHot Fuzz, is that such a bad thing?
Funko Fusion’soff-kilter, dark sense of humor hits almost immediately. One of the first things players do in the game is save a fox, only to see its skin get melted off shortly thereafter by Eddy, a corrupted version of Funko mascot Freddy. After fighting and killing a giant corrupted Foxxo, players must then set off on a journey to stop him and recover crowns based on popular IP that Funko has crossed over with that have spread across worlds. I appreciated that the dialogue was minimal, like in the classic Lego games.
More importantly, the opening also made me understand that this game is trying to appeal to kids who like edgy, scarier stuff likeFive Night at Freddy’s(which is part of the game) rather than being too kid-friendly an adventure.Funko Fusionshould also feel familiar to kids who like third-person shooters likeFortnite.
It’s a fairly simple third-person shooter with level objectives that often center around killing a boss or a certain number of enemies, gathering creatures and bringing them to a certain point on a map, or finding batteries to open a door. There are lots of different machines players can use to mold helpful items, like a jump pad, scattered across each level. I know thatFunko Fusionwill not become my preferred co-op shooter, but if you’re a kid who likes to shoot and build things inFortnite, thenFunko Fusionshould definitely be appealing to you.
It’s also a mish-mash of IP likeFortnite. There isn’t much connective tissue between all of the franchise’s features other than the Funko art style. It’s also not a satirical, yet faithful retelling of the films like the early Lego Star Wars games were; the Jurassic World level follows Owen and Claire as they attempt to save Claire and Eddy. From there, it then lets players explore levels and set pieces that are a sort of “greatest hits” of locales from the Jurassic World film trilogy. There’s not much in the way of a compelling story here, and none of the pantomimed jokes are that funny, but I also understand that this game isn’t aimed at me.
It’s hard for me to get that angry or excited for Funko Fusion, even after playing it, because it’s exactly what I thought it was going in. Its blend of crass adaptation of beloved IP and simple third-person shooting and building gameplay isn’t for me, but it could be for a kid who enjoys running around playingFortniteas Peter Griffin fromFamily Guy. And just as the Lego games deepened my love for franchises like Star Wars and howFortnitehas introduced younger players to great franchises likeAvatar: The Last Airbender, I can only hope thatFunko Fusionelicits some passion or inspiration from kids out there and deepens their love for one of the fantastic franchises featured in it.
Funko Fusionlaunches for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 13 and for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on November 15.
