Funko Fusion [Review]
Funko Fusion, a game both developed and published by 1010 Games Ltd, is based on the well-known Funko Pop! toy line. As others have said, the game is reminiscent of the LEGO games but with references and collectibles related to the many lines of media that have been turned into Pop figures. From Scott Pilgrim to just about every Steven Speilberg movie, Funko Fusion has many characters and different worlds to travel through. Since I’ve already compared it with LEGO I would say it’s similar to LEGO Dimensions but Funko Fusion is not a “toys to life” game that many originally thought.
I wished I liked this game more than I did. I adore the LEGO franchise, so I was excited to see something similar. I like that there are so many characters and so there’s much room for even more characters and worlds to be included. But, I didn’t find it as charming. Funko Fusion is confusing and way too difficult for its own good. In the Scott Pilgrim world, I actually got stuck on the first level because I was spending so much time trying to figure out how the amps worked. I had to look it up and only then did I find that I was using the wrong character. I couldn’t charge the amps with Ramona Flowers, I had to use someone that had a guitar. The game only tells you about this if you speak to a random, very missable, NPC. The game absolutely needs to inform the player when they have to switch characters either with a symbol or some sort of pop-up box. Not with something that you have to interact with.
This isn’t the first time I encountered this either, there are many alternate paths and secrets you can find that are blocked behind things you most likely are not able to do just yet. I’m ok with this, but I wish the game would tell me when I don't have a character that's needed. Some things can get confusing and it’s easy to think you can do one thing when you can’t. What makes the game difficult is the amount of enemies. The first level in the Masters of the Universe world is just an onslaught of enemies that feels like it goes on forever. There’s no indicator of how many enemies you need to kill; you just need to keep fighting until Skeletor shows up.
I found some of the level design to be a bit boring and lazy, the first level of the Jurassic World world (I know but there’s not a better name for it) is almost a carbon copy of a level layout from LEGO Jurassic World. It’s specifically the first part of the level “Under Attack”, where you’re next to the megalodon tank being constantly harassed by pteradons and raptors. Except in the Funko Fusion you’re fighting off pterodons, dilophosaurus’ instead of raptors, and people? For some reason? Why are Jurassic World security guards fighting the player? That’s definitely not something they had to deal with in the Jurassic World movie.
I will say, the most fun I had with this game is in the Scott Pilgrim world. Other than the game not informing you of things like when you should switch characters, I actually really enjoyed playing the game on these levels. I thought the boss fights here were fair (as opposed to the onslaught of enemies and boss fights you had to deal with in Masters of the Universe) and fun. So, I know this game has the potential to be really good and even fun. There’s just a lot of issues that should have been worked through before launch. To me, the game was released too early, they don’t even have features that were advertised just yet. Co-op isn’t available yet, and I think playing this game with a friend would take out a lot of the frustration because you’d be exploring with a friend.
The exploration of the game is absolutely the best part of the game, there’s a lot to do and look at with plenty of collectibles throughout the entire game. There are also a lot of references to look for if you have an eye for spotting the smaller details. I found the best parts were just running around the levels and collecting and destroying just about everything the game let me. That’s why I don’t mind the puzzles being confusing, I just don’t like how there’s no indication of what types of characters you need for certain things.
Funko Fusion is a massive game that will only continue to grow and grow and if you don’t like a section of the game, I can assure you there will be at least one world that you will enjoy. I didn’t care for the Masters of the Universe or Jurassic World areas but I adored the Scott Pilgrim area. Unfortunately, I’m reviewing the entirety of the game and not just sections. And there is the glaring problem of just not knowing what to do or when to switch characters. Along with little problems that add up; too many enemies for the amount of strength you have and an annoying revive system. The game is more frustrating than entertaining and, with a lot of pain, I will be giving the game a 4/10. I wanted to enjoy this game so much, it’s almost everything I love in one game with the number of characters, worlds, references, along with a playstyle that I personally adore. The fact is that I just didn’t like the game. I don’t know if I could recommend this game. Funko Fusion is currently available on PS4/5, Xbox One and Series, Switch, and PC.