Mobile games.
It’s a love/hate relationship when it comes to mobile entertainment. Sure, I’ve played a fair share and invested money into a handful of apps over the years, including the favorites like Clash of Clans, and some more obscure ones like Skylanders™ Ring of Heroes or Township, but in truth, mobile games always leave me feeling empty when I’m done. They’re like the sugary sweets of the gaming world. A quick bit of fun or excitement followed almost immediately by a sense of regret.
I find it hilarious that as I type that analogy I also realize one of the best selling mobile games is one entirely based on sweets.
Anyway, in spirit of this year’s theme… YEAR OF LEGO, I was intrigued when LEGO announced they were releasing their own mobile game titled LEGO Tower. As I have been rather surrounded by the plastic bricks for most of 2019, downloading this game seemed like a no-brainer.
Once Technicolor Mom realized heard about my interest, she became interested too, but for another reason than the LEGO angle. It turned out that LEGO Tower is a spin-off of an older mobile game called Tiny Tower, which originally released in 2011 on iOS and Android.
Truth be told, it’s a good bit of fun for a mobile game. The LEGO theme goes a long way for someone like me. The numerous themes of each floor, trying to sync up the employees and income… it’s a good way to check in on my phone whenever I end up with a few moments of free time.
One of my favorite aspects of the game, for example, is all of the mini-figure elements, like clothing, hair, and faces, that I can mix and match in the game. It really helps me think of future ideas for citizens of my own LEGO township too.
It’s one of the things I really like about LEGO as a toy and creative tool. Whatever you create, be it the popular films, games, or animated shorts, anyone has the power to produce exactly what they’re seeing on the screen (assuming they have enough pieces).
I joked with TechnicolorMom that this would be a great set for LEGO to consider producing, with various floors coming out throughout the year so that people can build their own floors and display their LEGO tower in real life!
Now, the game isn’t without its faults. For example, it plays best when you throw it some money in the form of a “Tower Club” purchase. This allows you a lot more control over what happens with your building and how you interact with your friends. The good news is this remains optional, so if you pay for it while you are heavily invested, you can always walk away when you’re bored and not feel like you’re losing access to everything you’ve unlocked before.
Even still, I feel like “optional” isn’t really a great term. When you’re actively playing LEGO Tower, the club seems mandatory to access the content. When you’re not playing it regularly, sure, don’t bother.
Behind the LEGO veneer looms a mobile game that ultimately wants some $$$ from that sweet sweet bank account. The real achievement here is that the gameplay is enjoyable enough to warrant a purchase here and there.
Your milage may vary, of course.
Thanks for checking in on TechnicoolDad this week. Things continue to move forward with the next season of The Township and I’m really looking forward to beginning our set shoots in the next week or two!
New episodes in September!
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