After ending a irritating boss combat in Funko Fusion in opposition to a endless stream of baddies in a grocery retailer, I used to be lastly carried out with Scorching Fuzz’s fourth stage. I might transfer on. A cutscene performed however the audio was lacking. That occurs loads on this recreation. After which the ultimate display appeared, displaying me what number of collectibles I had snagged and aspect actions I had accomplished. I hit the “A” button to maneuver on to the ultimate stage. I hit “A” few instances. I mashed it. Nothing. I restarted the controller. Nope. I attempted a special one. Nonetheless nothing. The sport had soft-locked on me. So, I restarted Funko Fusion and performed Scorching Fuzz’s fourth stage once more.
Beforehand, this identical stage had locked up on me twice earlier than. In the course of the subsequent run-through, it soft-locked as soon as extra when a chase sequence on the finish broke. I attempted once more after that. Lastly, mercifully, Funko Fusion allowed me to complete the extent on my fifth try. However only a few minutes into the subsequent space I used to be compelled to restart the sport attributable to it freezing up in a menu.
It was at this level I began to marvel, “Why am I nonetheless taking part in this very unhealthy online game?”
Funko Fusion launched earlier this month and is, on paper no less than, presupposed to be a enjoyable evolution of the Lego video games from again within the day. These video games combined standard films, like Star Wars, with colourful Lego items, brick-breaking gameplay, and cartoonish antics. However as an alternative of cute Lego characters, each individual and creature in Funko Fusion is predicated on Funko Pops. It instantly sucks quite a lot of the allure and whimsy out of the sport when each character is a big-headed toy with no mouth and useless black eyes. It additionally doesn’t assist that most of the films included within the recreation, like Scorching Fuzz and The Factor, don’t actually really feel like match for a family-friendly action-puzzle recreation starring plastic toys.
However do you wish to know a secret? Don’t inform anybody, however a part of me was sort of enthusiastic about Funko Fusion.
No, the Funko Pop characters didn’t win me over. The best way the sport was being marketed, as an IP SANDBOX to play in, additionally didn’t do a lot for me both. And but, I’m a sucker for taking a giant film like Jurassic Park or Star Wars and squishing it into a brand new, smaller, cuter kind that may present a brand new technique to expertise a franchise I like. And even with the Funko Pops and their useless, chilly, black, shark-like eyes, Funko Fusion might have been one thing enjoyable. One thing cool. Sadly, nearly no a part of this recreation feels good or is enjoyable to play. And that’s sort of a giant downside for a online game.
Funko Fusion works like this: You decide a determine initially. You may select characters from He-Man, Battlestar Galactica, Umbrella Academy, Jurassic World, or different franchises. That unlocks a hub world primarily based on that character’s IP. Then you definately full 5 ranges primarily based on the franchise, combat a boss on the finish, after which unlock a brand new world primarily based on one thing else and repeat.
It is a advantageous setup for a recreation that includes a ton of various films and franchises. It’s only a disgrace that taking part in Funko Fusion is a depressing expertise.
Let’s begin with fight. You’ll be taking pictures quite a lot of stuff in Funko Fusion. Each character I performed used some sort of ranged weapon, normally a gun. I bear in mind hopping into the primary stage of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and being excited that I wouldn’t be taking pictures stuff. Scott makes use of a guitar and the film is all about rock music, comedian books, and colourful melee fights. However nope! Scott simply shoots projectiles from his guitar.
Maybe if the taking pictures in Funko Fusion was pleasurable, I’d not thoughts each character taking part in as a generic third-person shooter protagonist. However the fight in Funko Fusion is the alternative of pleasurable. Weapons really feel very weak and aren’t satisfying to make use of. A part of the issue is that each enemy is a bullet sponge, in a position to take extra harm than you’d count on. Fights turn into frustratingly uninteresting occasions as Funko Fusion tosses manner too many enemies at you, typically not stopping till you end an goal. And that’s mainly the one kind of fight encounter you’ll face within the recreation.
Funko Fusion
BACK OF THE BOX QUOTE
“A crappy technique to re-experience your favourite films.”
TYPE OF GAME
Third-person action-shooter with puzzles.
LIKED
Good-looking ranges.
DISLIKED
Dangerous fight, terrible puzzles, horrible efficiency, odd collection of IP, numerous bugs.
DEVELOPER
10:10 Video games
PLATFORMS
PS5, Xbox Collection X/S, PC (Performed)
RELEASE DATE
September 13, 2024
PLAYED
About 10 hours. Didn’t end.
Again and again, I used to be strolling to a nasty puzzle or away from an annoying combat solely to be ambushed (once more) by a number of extra enemies. At different instances, Funko Fusion locked me in an space and compelled me to kill waves of baddies till the sport decides it had punished me sufficient and let me transfer on to the subsequent stage. And sadly, that stage usually sucked, too.
Not less than Funko Fusion seems good. The degrees are detailed and infrequently function a great deal of references to completely different films and franchises. And I feel the sport’s textures and lighting are spectacular at instances. The He-Man space seems like a 3D cartoon. The Battlestar Galactica ranges completely seize the unique present’s low cost late-’70s sci-fi vibes, full with gray carpet and workplace chairs. Sadly, some ranges, just like the Jurassic World ones, run like rubbish and make it onerous to get pleasure from attributable to efficiency issues.
However all of those ranges go on too lengthy and embrace among the most annoying puzzles I’ve run into in 2024. And that’s not as a result of the puzzles are onerous. As an alternative, the puzzles in Funko Fusion merely suck as a result of you must seize every key merchandise, like a crystal or key card, and manually stroll it again to the place it’s wanted. Each. Single. Time. Convey the unsuitable merchandise? Effectively, you must stroll all the best way again, combating ever-spawning enemies, seize the proper key merchandise, stroll it again, drop it to combat enemies that may kill you, after which hopefully unlock the subsequent space by fixing the puzzle.
And after slogging your manner by unhealthy puzzles, framerate issues, and annoying fight encounters, you may need to restart the entire stage since you tried to craft a therapeutic merchandise. Or wanted to craft a quest merchandise. Otherwise you tried to maneuver on to the subsequent space. Or the sport simply breaks in another manner and forces you to restart the extent.
The headline above says Funko Fusion soft-locked on me 21 instances and that’s true, however it could seemingly be greater if I didn’t keep away from crafting stations, which might typically lock up on me and drive me to restart the sport or stage. Even after I prevented these crafting stations, I nonetheless obtained screwed by the sport. One time an enemy I wanted to kill simply by no means spawned. One other time a personality I wanted to escort simply disappeared.
Every time Funko Fusion locked up on me, I needed to restart from the start of the extent, rewatch all of the cutscenes (none of which might be skipped), after which be compelled to take heed to the identical tune loop again and again within the background as I desperately tried to finish the extent once more whereas praying to Funko Fusion’s gods that I be allowed to proceed. Begging the sport to not drive me to restart the extent but once more. As you may need guessed, the Funko Fusion gods are merciless bastards. I feel I ended up replaying about half the degrees I completed a number of instances attributable to gentle locks. Not enjoyable!
I’ve not completed Funko Fusion. I’m unsure I ever will. I don’t wish to play it anymore. Past every part I’ve already shared right here, there are such a lot of little issues with the sport, too. Chests take endlessly to open, managing your stock isn’t enjoyable, cutscenes are forgettable, stage geometry will get reused loads, and sound results typically sound unhealthy or don’t work correctly.
Funko Fusion might have been one thing enjoyable! A wacky journey mixing collectively completely different franchises and worlds. As an alternative, its a boring, annoying, barely practical third-person motion recreation starring ugly Funko Pops fixing unhealthy puzzles and combating the identical 10 enemies again and again with weapons and laser pistols. Don’t play Funko Fusion. Save your cash, purchase some pizza, and watch one of many films included on this assortment as an alternative. It is going to be rather more pleasurable and also you received’t need to restart the film 5 instances to succeed in the tip.
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