Bionicle | DJcube

Live the Legend

NA release: 20th October 2003
EU release: 31st October 2003
JP release: N/A
Developer: Argonaut
Publisher: EA
NGC Magazine Score: 29%
Mods Used: None

When LEGO were struggling, Bionicle turned out to be their big success. It was based on LEGO Technic, but we’re essentially interchangeable action figures. I never got into them myself (I was into regular LEGO at the time) but I know that they had a colossal amount of lore and story, and you could buy extra masks for each Bionicle, which would grant them different powers. It seems perfect for a video game adaptation.

Unfortunately, this Bionicle game is not that. The story is extremely basic (there’s bad things, stop them) and you don’t change masks. You do get to play as a different Bionicle in each levels, and each level is actually different, giving this very short game some variety.

The core movement and controls are similar across the board. You have a jump, energy shield and energy blast. Absorbing hits with the shield will recharge energy during a battle, but holding the shield longer will let you charge up at any point. While each Bionicle has various swords and guns, all attacks are the same energy blast, which homes in on targets so you don’t need to think much.

There’s a few short platforming levels, a snowboarding level and a grinding level. There was one Bionicle which didn’t feel super slow to move (his ability is speed), so of course his level has you walking forward 20 for feet before it turns into a minecart segment. The game can’t let you have too much fun now, can it?

The biggest issue of the game isn’t it’s length, though. The game is extremely rough, feeling worse than many unfinished prototypes that I’ve played. Everything, from the enemies, movement and objectives feel like it wasn’t fully tested and the issues ironed out. One level has you push objects onto switches and the pushing feels like it’s an unintentional bug rather than an actual part of the game. This was clearly sent out far too early.

Poor

There really is no need for Bionicle – in game form at least – to exist. As its most basic level, the game itself is tedious, undiluted rubbish. We were hardly expecting great things, but we thought it be at least half-way competent. It isn’t.
Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #87

Remake or remaster?

There’s nothing good here.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to get Bionicle