Though it may have been a bit of a badly kept secret, LEGO: The Incredibles looks set to be this summer's blockbuster co-op game, packing in all of the bad guy bashing, brick rebuilding, and slapstick humour that we could ever want from a game. Set to launch alongside The Incredibles 2 in cinemas, LEGO The Incredibles packs two huge family films into one extensive game, promising more LEGO-based superhero shenanigans than you can shake a cape at, and almost definitely ensuring we won't see much of the summer sun.
Already barely able to contain our excitement, the only way we could think of to stop ourselves from exploding with anticipation was to force ourselves in front of a keyboard and round up absolutely everything we knew about the game. Enjoy!
Even if The Incredibles do look a bit strange in LEGO form...
LEGO: The Incredibles: What's the story?
LEGO The Incredibles promises a plastic-y retelling of The Incredibles films, packing in the story of not just the 2004 original, but the upcoming summer sequel as well.
Centred around mild mannered ex-superhero Bob Parr, aka Mr Incredible, and his family - his wife Elastigirl, and their super-children Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack, the first Incredibles film is set in a world where being a superhero has essentially become banned, forcing people like Bob to live their normal lives for good. When Bob receives an invitation from a mysterious woman named Mirage, offering him the chance to become a superhero again - only this time, in secret - he jumps at the chance, leaving his family in the dark. But not everything is quite as it seems...
For the sequel, things are much more vague. With baby Jack-Jack having finally grown into his superpowers - which seems to be everything from teleportation and laser eyes, to the ability to change into a monster - the Incredibles are once again contacted by a man offering them the chance to take up superheroing again - only this time, they want Elastigirl to do it, and make being a super great again. With Mr Incredible left at home, it doesn't take long before a new villain, known as the Screenslaver makes himself known.
Assuming you meant the other interpretation of that question - "what's the story so far" - you may be surprised that this is the first LEGO/Disney tie-in we've had in a while - and the very first LEGO/Pixar crossover. Despite the fact you'd think they'd be a match made in heaven, things haven't always been that rosey between Disney and LEGO, at least in part down to the now defunct Disney Infinity/LEGO Dimensions rivalry. While the ill-fated Toys to Life series Disney Infinity was a thing, every major Disney film ended up getting its own Disney Infinity play set, rather than a full on tie-in game, meaning poor old LEGO games haven't really got much of a look in at the Disney pie since the (amazing) LEGO: The Pirates of the Caribbean in 2011. With the hatchet having been well and truly buried, we're hoping this marks the start of a beautiful friendship between LEGO and Disney, and we'll see more LEGO-isations of our favourite animated films in the future - personally, we're holding out for a LEGO Toy Story, but anything that combines our two favourite pastimes of LEGO games and kids films is a-OK with us!
Who's developing LEGO: The Incredibles, when does it launch, and on what platforms?
The LEGO games are usually made by one of two big sister studios - either TT Games, or TT Fusion, both based "up north" around Manchester way. While TT Games were responsible for last year's LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, TT Fusion most recently brought us LEGO Ninjago. As it turns out, work on LEGO: The Incredibles is being handled by TT Games, with the title being headed up by executive producer Nick Ricks, a role he previous held on LEGO Dimensions and LEGO: The Hobbit, amongst others.
Coming to the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and PC, LEGO: The Incredibles will hit consoles on the same day as the new The Incredibles 2 film hits cinemas - that's the 15th June in America, and the 13th July in Europe/UK.
LEGO The Incredibles - what's the gameplay like?
If it ain't broke, don't fix it may as well be LEGO developer Traveller's Tales motto - and the traditional LEGO game formula of simple puzzling, scenery-smashing and bad guy bashing that has stuck around for the past decade looks set to continue into LEGO The Incredibles too.
In terms of new additions, it sounds like LEGO The Incredibles is going to make good use of the Parr family's powers, with even more of an emphasis placed on co-op play than ever before. Much like in the films, you'll have to work together and combine your super powers to progress, whether you're playing alongside a computer controlled character, or a friend in split-screen.
Working together will be a big part of LEGO: The Incredibles.
As an example of how this is going to work, early trailers show Elastigirl turning herself into a trampoline or a tightrope in order to get super strong Mr. Incredible across a gap, while Violet can use her force-fields to block a wall of lasers, so sibling Dash can super-speed through. Another scene shows Elastigirl transforming into an inflatable dingy to take the kids across a lake (hey, who says the transformations had to be serious?), while family friend Frozone has a mastery of ice, with his ice-beam working as the perfect fire extinguisher to clear a path through the flames. With youngest Incredible Jack-Jack still getting used to his super powers, it's not clear what skills he'll have, save that they'll be rather 'unpredictable' ...
Much like the film, there's bound to be plenty of humour here too. Silly scenes, such as when Mr. Incredible tries to change his clothes in the car and accidentally ends up in his swimming trunks rather than super hero garb are sure to raise a smile.
Will there be an open world?
Does Mr Incredible's belt buckle barely fit? Of course! As with many of the more recent LEGO titles, LEGO The Incredibles will have a huge open world for you to explore which takes in all the major locales of the films, from Syndrome's home base of Nomanisan Island, to superhero costume designer Edna Mode's Mansion, and the city of Municiberg - a city which also features prominently in The Incredibles 2. And, much like in LEGO Marvel, everything in the LEGO Incredibles world is connected by way of a big hub, littered with characters, all with their own unique (and often times silly) quests to be done, as well as oodles of hidden collectables and secrets to find, hidden off the beaten track.
However, LEGO The Incredibles also adds an extra layer to the hub worlds, thanks to the brand new Crime Waves. Teased in the brand new trailer below, essentially, each district in the open world is ruled by a different crime boss - such as Syndrome, or the Underminer - and it's up to you to take them down, thwarting crimes from the bottom-most petty criminals all the way up to the head-honcho crime lord, culminating in a suitably epic boss battle that'll let you liberate each area. Other potential masterminds spotted in the trailer include the dastardly mime Bomb Voyage, and The Incredibles 2 antagonist, Screenslaver.
As with the rest of the game, taking down the villains will rely heavily on the Incredibles working together and combining their powers. Whether it's Mrs Incredible turning into a trampoline to bounce her husband to a higher area, or using Violet's protective forcefield to drift over some poison gunk and help Dash out, LEGO The Incredibles looks to offer some of the most co-operative gameplay we've seen in a LEGO game in years. The trailer also gave a bit more of a sneak peak as to what some of Jack-Jack's 'unpredictable' powers may be - with the video showing him controlling fire, and potentially flying a plane.
What characters will be in LEGO The Incredibles?
LEGO games are known for their huge casts of playable characters, and we imagine LEGO: The Incredibles will be no exception. Together with the Parr family, and probably several different outfits for each (Mr. Incredible (Pajamas), or Elastigirl (Wedding Dress) for example), we can expect the LEGO team will have dug up a whole host of extra faces too, from diminutive fashion designer Edna Mode to some more obscure super heroes as well. The list of currently confirmed characters continues below:
- Mr. Incredible
- Elastigirl
- Violet Parr
- Dash Parr
- Jack-Jack Parr
- Edna Mode
- Frozone
- Edna Mode
The gang.
TT Games executive producer Nick Ricks also confirmed that extra Supers only glimpsed at during the Incredibles films will also be playable in their LEGO forms, as follows:
- Gazerbeam
- Stormicide
On the villains front, which will presumably also be unlockable and playable, we also have:
- Syndrome
- The Underminer
- Bomb Voyage
- Screenslaver
In potentially even more exciting news, much has been made of how LEGO The Incredibles will feature a number of Pixar-related Easter Eggs, as both LEGO and Pixar are known for cramming as many little references into their work as possible. With early gameplay footage showing the house from Up making an appearance, there's a very real possibility of some crossover playable characters - like Buzz Lightyear (he is a Pixar super hero, after all). With LEGO Dimensions setting the bar pretty high for Easter Egg style cross-overs, with the likes of the Jetsons, the Flintstones, and even Red Dwarf making their way into the game, here's hoping for plenty of Pixar goodness.
Will there be a LEGO: The Incredibles season pass?
While we're still not all that fond of post-launch downloadable add-ons being announced before a game even launches, it turns out LEGO The Incredibles will definitely be receiving some downloadable extras, even if a full on season pass has yet to be confirmed.
The first of these packs will be the 'Parr Family Vacation Character Pack' DLC, and includes:
- Bob Parr (Vacation)
- Helen Parr (Vacation)
- Violet Parr (Vacation)
- Dash Parr (Vacation)
- JackJack Parr (Vacation)
- Lucius Best (Vacation)
Will there be any LEGO: The Incredibles special editions or pre-order bonuses?
With just over a month to go until launch, a whole raft of retailers have put up pre-orders, letting die-hard LEGO fans to get a little something extra by buying on day one. There's essentially two different packs on offer: one that gets you early access to the aforementioned 'Parr Family Vacation Character Pack' download, and another, a special Minifig Edition that comes with a real-life LEGO figure of everyone's favourite sassy super hero fashionista, Edna Mode.
LEGO often do limited editions that include a minifigure - although its usually a much more major character than Edna Mode.
For those in the US looking for the Edna Mode edition:
- GameStop, $59.99
So far, GameStop is the only US retailer offering a pre-order bonus, in the form of an exclusive Edna Mode Minifigure with all copies of the game:
Otherwise, you can place a digital pre-order from your platform-specific online store of choice, in order to get early (free) access to the 'Parr Family Vacation Character Pack':
- Playstation Store, $59.99 (also includes a bonus LEGO Incredibles PS4 theme), digital only
- Xbox Store, $59.99, digital only
- Steam, $39.99, digital only
In the UK, the Edna Mode Minifigure Edition seems fairly ubiquitous, and can be found at the following retailers:
- Amazon, £40.00
- Argos, £41.99
- ShopTo, £43.85
- Smyths Toys, £44.99
While Game have the (physical) monopoly on the 'Parr Family Vacation Character Pack'
- Standard Edition, with Character Pack code, £44.99
- Edna Mode Minifigure Edition and Character Pack code, £49.99
You can also pick up a digital pre-order from your console's online store, which comes with early access to the 'Parr Family Vacation Character Pack':
- Playstation Store, £49.99, digital only
- Xbox Store, £49.99, digital only
- Steam, £34.99, digital only
In Conclusion
So that's your lot, so far. We'll keep updating this article as and when new information comes out, in the next month or so before launch. In the meantime, why not check out the trailer below:
