Funko Fusion is a mixture of Travellers Tales Lego games and Lego Dimensions, with a much more adult sense of humour in a collector fest with many controlling mechanics and things to collect.
The game is officially born from the Funko Pop! franchise, with each character one of the real-life figures, and some other Funko-owned products. The character designs here are like for like with the real-life models, their heads easily pop off with a small amount of damage, vinyl melts off under extreme heat and there is a skeleton model if things get too hairy.
It’s a fun way to approach the characters and has that connection with real-world collectors. This preview featured a single-player walk-through, the game will offer online co-op with up to four players online when it launches next month.
Strange, New Worlds
During the preview, I was given access to two worlds, including Jurassic World and Hot Fuzz. While I am thoroughly versed in Jurassic Park/World lore, Hot Fuzz remains an admittedly odd addition that I didn’t have too much memory of. They are well-detailed levels to explore, with a goal for the level and many things to collect along the way.
The main character in the story here is Freddy Funko, who is fighting against his evil brother Eddy. Regrettably, I didn’t have access to the start of this story, so it was weird to be dropped straight into a boss battle with no prior context.
From a gameplay perspective, things feel much like any traditional third-person shooter, with each character able to wield a number of weapons as you churn through enemies. Much like the Lego games, the characters themselves look identical to their toy counterparts, while the surrounding worlds feel much more lifelike. You’ll even be able to collect coloured bits of vinyl from defeated enemies, with each colour representing its own value.
Jurassic World feels like a fusion of aspects from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. You can choose between various playable characters from the film series, starting out with those from Jurassic World.
There are various tasks to complete each chapter, with the ability to track down a range of collectible items to unlock the next world. There are several points in the level where you can even jump in and change your character, a familiar mechanic to anyone who has played Lego Dimensions before.
Here Come the Fuzz
Things surprised me at the Hot Fuzz level. The middle film in the Cornetto Trilogy, sees you playing as a police investigator. You track clues and solve crimes all over the city. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of blood in this level, more than I expected from a game aimed at a younger market.
Characters even dissolve into purple goo and faces and their skin melts away to reveal their skeleton. Once again, it’s strangely confronting given that Funko Pop! figurines have never explicitly been marketed towards an adult market before. That being said, you could argue this is the first mainstream video game based on such a brand.
The key to this game’s success is its self-aware, tongue-in-cheek humour that feels similar to the Lego games, however, it has more of an older teen, adult-skewed feel. The various franchises across many companies that are currently listed for the main game are extensive and impressive.
Final Thoughts
While we only got a glimpse into Funko Fusion’s vast number of playable characters and franchises, we’re still keen to check out several remaining properties and franchises like M3gan, Child’s Play, Jaws, The Mummy and The Walking Dead, among many others.
Even still, there was a surprising amount of tasks to complete and characters to mess around with. I simply cannot wait to get stuck into the full game and explore its unique charm.
Funko Fusion launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 13 September 2024. It launches for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on 15 November 2024. Stay tuned for our official review closer to release.
