LEGO Universe: Adventure and Build With Your Friends [VIDEO]

Fans of LEGO will be excited to learn about the first massively multiplayer online game based on the LEGO play experience: LEGO Universe launches to young and old alike on October 26 on both the PC and Mac platforms.

In the game, players are challenged to use the element of “imagination” to solve problems and build solutions for fighting back the Maelstrom, an evil force that must be pushed back in order to restore harmony to the universe. As in other MMO titles, your character adventures through the game’s universe completing quests and accruing new equipment, which determines your Lego minifigure’s stats in lieu of more typical character leveling and experience point progression systems.

Beyond the story-driven gameplay, LEGO Universe also features an extensive building and behaviors system that lets players create and animate their own LEGO environments complete with a scripting language that gives life to their creations. Think of it as the online equivalent of the LEGO playtime you may have enjoyed as a kid, with the ability to imagine almost any creation and see it realized on screen. Plus, you’re able to inhabit and enjoy your own created LEGO corner with any friends you see fit to invite into your customized world.

From what we’ve seen of the game so far, developer NetDevil have done a superb job staying true to the spirit and mentality of the LEGO brand while simultaneously creating a new virtual online version of a franchise many of us have known and loved since childhood. LEGO Universe is a family-friendly title that we suspect will end up captivating a good chunk of adult players along with the more obvious younger demographic of brick enthusiasts.

LEGO Universe launches October 26, with early access commencing October 12 for players who pre-order the game. The $39.99 title includes a free 30-day subscription to the massively-multiplayer title, which will run you a $9.99 per month subscription cost thereafter. Check out a video demo from the game’s Creative Director Ryan Seabury below, along with some screenshots in the companion gallery.

What do you think of the game so far? Do you have any thoughts about this most modern iteration of the LEGO pantheon?