This week marks the beginning of ‘Year Two’ of Lego Dimensions, the fantastic toys-to-life game by long-time Lego game studio Traveller’s Tales.
Because Year Two introduces a whole bunch of new franchises to the mix, a lot of players will be getting into Lego Dimensions for the first time.
With that in mind, I’ve put together this enormous guide to all 46 characters released during the game’s first year: that’s the 44 main ones and the two limited edition characters Green Arrow and Supergirl.
This guide is not just the result of me pulling together information from a FAQ located elsewhere. As you can see by the header photo above, I genuinely own every Lego Dimensions Year One character and 99% of the screens you see below were captured by me (the only exception is Marty McFly’s main image, because for reason I forgot to take that one and I got lazy).
And, as ever, you have the Tired Old Hack one-page promise. I could have easily put this article on 46 different pages and made you click through them all but that’s no fun for you. The entire text of this article can be found on this very page, and the only time you’ll need to click is if you want to see an image bigger.
Given the child-friendly nature of the game too, this article doesn’t have my usual colourful language. It should be safe for your children to read either alone or with you.
Finally, each character has a link to their Amazon UK page. If this review is useful to you in any way and convinces you to buy a character, please buy it using the link provided (assuming you can’t find it cheaper anywhere else, of course). It won’t cost you any extra and I’ll get a few pence (literally) to help me maintain the site.
That said, this is a looooong article so pour yourself a hot or cold drink (your choice) and enjoy!
ACU Trooper
Franchise:
Jurassic World
Voice actor:
Robert Atkin Downes (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Electricity, Illumination
Who is he?
This generic chap is one of Jurassic World’s security guards. He’s in charge of keeping the dinosaurs under control with his electric prod thingy. In case you were curious, ACU stands for ‘Asset Containment Unit’.
Notable interactions:
• To Bart Simpson: “Just because I’m not a guard here doesn’t mean I’m not watching you, kid.”
• To Cyberman: “You know, if you need a recharge, my stun rod can put out 30,000 volts.”
Gadget:
Gyrosphere: One of the large ball-shaped vehicles from Jurassic World. It can activate special Ball Switches, which can’t be activated any other way.
Other than this it’s fairly useless, though one of its unlockable skins does let you put an original Jurassic Park logo on it, which is badass.
Review:
At first glance, the ACU Trooper isn’t really a massively useful character, but he is an essential one if you want to 100% the game.
Of his two abilities, his electricity one is the most useful since only two other characters (The Joker and Jay) have it. Although he can also use his prod to illuminate dark areas, Starter Pack character Gandalf can already do this.
It’s actually the Gyrosphere vehicle that makes ACU an essential character, though, because it’s the only vehicle in the game that can activate Ball Switches. While these are few and far between, it does mean you need him to 100% the game.
Buy him:
The ACU Trooper and his Gyrosphere come in the Jurassic World Team Pack along with Owen Grady and his Velociraptor.
Aquaman
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Brian Bloom (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Atlantis, Dive, Plant Growth, Hazard Cleanup
Who is he?
Aquaman is a DC superhero who has the ability to talk to aquatic animals. This has made him a bit of a joke figure to many comic fans. Brian Bloom, who voices Aquaman in this game, is also the voice of Kane in the Kane & Lynch games.
Notable interactions:
• (singing to Emmet) “Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you live in the sea.”
• (to Homer Simpson) “I wonder if this fellow knows anything about that three-eyed fish I saw earlier.”
Gadget:
Aqua Watercraft: A submarine which can be upgraded to two other submarine designs.
It doesn’t do a hell of a lot other than go underwater, and since Aquaman can already do that it’s fairly useless unless you decide you want to send a non-swimming character into the sea for a laugh.
Review:
He may get regularly mocked for being one of the silliest superheroes but Aquaman is actually one of the most useful Lego Dimensions characters, at least in terms of his abilities.
He’s the only character in the game with the ‘Atlantis’ ability – which lets him summon fish to clear certain obstacles – thereby making it impossible to 100% the game without him.
He’s also only one of two characters (along with Krusty) who can make plants grow with his water spray, and only one of three (with Krusty and Slimer) who can clear up toxic waste.
If you’re looking to 100% the game with as few characters as possible, you’ll definitely need Aquaman but getting him also ensures you don’t need Krusty or Slimer.
Buy him:
Aquaman and his Aqua Watercraft come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Bad Cop
Franchise:
The Lego Movie
Voice actor:
Liam Neeson (archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Laser, Relic Detection, Targeting
Who is he?
Bad Cop is one of the main antagonists in The Lego Movie. Working for Lord Business, it’s his job to get ‘the special’ from Emmet and WildStyle. In this game, though, he’s one of the good guys. As in The Lego Movie, the minifig for this one has two facial expressions, which can be switched by turning his head: one for Bad Cop and one for his alter-ego Good Cop.
Notable interactions:
• (when getting in the Police Car) “Ruh roh, it’s the bad guys”
• (to Emmet) “Playing dumb, Master Builder?”
Gadget:
Police Car: Initially a standard car vehicle with the same abilities as the Batmobile, it can eventually upgrade to two different types of plane.
It’s still nothing truly revolutionary but it’s a fun-looking vehicle and handles well enough.
Review:
Bad Cop’s a fairly generic character with a shooting ability and not much else.
His Relic Detection ability is almost unique, in that he’s only one of two characters who has it. The problem is, the other character is Wyldstyle and she comes with the Starter Park so unless you’re a proper woman-hater you don’t really need Bad Cop to 100% the game.
You should only be getting him if you want to collect all the figures or you’re a big Lego Movie fan.
Buy him:
Bad Cop and his Police Car come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Bane
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Steve Blum (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Big Transform, Super Strength
Who is he?
Bane is a DC Comics villain and one of Batman’s nemeses. He was the main villain in the hit movie The Dark Knight Rises, though thankfully his voice isn’t all distorted and impossible to understand in Lego Dimensions.
Notable interactions:
• (to Doc Brown) “I don’t need a time-travelling vehicle to know how glorious Gotham’s future will be under my rule.”
• (to Shaggy) “Why are you so scared, Mr Rogers? I thought you would be used to people wearing masks.”
Gadget:
Drill Driver: Bane’s vehicle is a little car with a hefty drill on the end of it.
Predictably, this lets you both drill into walls and dig holes, which is useful if you don’t have either Emmet or Scooby-Doo.
Its first upgrade also gives it a towbar ability and its second lets it destroy silver blocks, but these are fairly widespread abilities so it’s really all about the drilling and digging.
Review: Bane is one of only a handful of characters (along with Cyborg, Homer, Stay Puft and Unikitty) who can transform into a much bigger version and smash through weak walls.
Whereas this makes some of the others big lumbering brutes, Bane doesn’t suffer any sluggishness when he transforms into his larger self.
Instead, he actually gains a decent increase in speed, meaning you’ll probably be playing as his big form for the most part and not just transforming to it when you have to break something.
He’s also got a beast of a jumping elbow drop move in this form, which carves up the ground in front of him and is really useful when facing a bunch of enemies. On top of all this, he’s immune to any hazardous waste you come across.
Not an essential character then, but one who’s fun to control in situations where a lot of hand-to-hand combat is necessary.
Buy him:
Bane and his Drill Driver come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Bart Simpson
Franchise:
The Simpsons
Voice actor:
None
Abilities:
Mini Access, Targeting
Who is he?
Bart is the eldest child in the Simpson family, the big brother to Lisa and Maggie. He’s eight years old, and has been for the past 27 years. He’s also the only character in the game who talks in their franchise but doesn’t in Lego Dimensions.
Gadget:
Gravity Sprinter: Bart’s main vehicle is a kart which seems to be at least partly based on his Li’l Lightnin’ one from the show.
In its standard form it can’t do anything beyond driving on accelerator switches (which the Starter Pack’s Batmobile can do anyway), but it can be upgraded to a bigger car that can pull tow bar handles, as well as a flying ship which can grab cargo hooks.
Evolve it up, then, and you’ll end up with a fairly useful little car/plane hybrid which is fun to look at and drive.
Review:
Bart is a perfectly fine character to play as but he’s severely hindered (at least in terms of general entertainment) by the fact that he doesn’t actually have any dialogue.
Whether this is a rights issue with Fox or voice actor Nancy Cartwright isn’t quite known – though the fact the game’s Simpsons levels don’t have the official music either suggests the former – but either way it’s a massive letdown for a character whose cheeky quips and one-liners are such a huge part of what makes him so popular.
As such, what should be one of the most entertaining characters in the game ends up being an underwhelming, almost generic offering, even despite his relatively rare ability to enter small doors (something only shared by Gimli, Gollum and Slimer).
The toy’s still cool, mind, and his included vehicle is fun once you upgrade it a couple of times.
Buy him:
Bart and his Gravity Sprinter come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Batman
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Troy Baker (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Boomerang, Grapple, Stealth
Who is he?
A DC Comics superhero who doesn’t actually have any super powers but is somehow really good at making gadgets and not being shot. Which is more than can be said for his parents.
His voice actor Troy Baker is better known for his other video game voice work. He’s starred as Joel in The Last Of Us, Booker DeWitt in Bioshock Infinite and, ironically, Batman’s enemy The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins.
Notable interactions:
• (to Bart Simpson) “Hmm, could this child be the elusive Bartman? No, that’s not possible.”
• (to Krusty) “Joker! What villainy are you… oh,sorry. Wrong clown.”
Gadget:
Batmobile: One of the coolest cars in history, the Batmobile comes as standard with the Starter Pack.
In its standard form it can trigger the many accelerator switches that can be found in the main story mode, but level it up to its Batblaster and Sonic Batray forms and it gains the ability to pull tow bars and shatter glass too.
Other vehicles have more abilities but as it’s your first it’s probably also the one you’ll fully upgrade first, and once you do it becomes a beast for racing challenges and the like.
Review:
It’s a good job Batman is one of the best characters in the game because you’re stuck with him as Starter Pack character whether you like him or not.
The entire Story Mode (extra collectibles aside) can be completed with just him, Wyldstyle and Gandalf, and there are plenty of puzzles in the various Adventure Worlds that he’s capable of solving.
His three abilities are also ones that are only shared by a couple of other characters, be it hitting boomerang switches, pulling grapple switches or using stealth to escape lasers.
As such, he’s likely to be a regular member of your roster, partly because he’s useful but mainly because he’s Batman.
Buy him:
No need! Batman’s already part of the main Starter Pack.
Benny
Franchise:
The Lego Movie
Voice actor:
Charlie Day (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Hacking, Master Building, Sonar Smash, Targeting
Who is he?
Benny is a character in The Lego Movie. A little bit crazy, he’s always obsessed with building spaceships out of Lego bricks.
Benny is actually a bashed-up version of a real Lego minifig from the ‘80s called Blue Classic Spaceman, but his helmet is a bit cracked and is leaking oxygen, which explains his slightly zany nature.
Technically, then, Benny is a Lego figure based on a movie character based on a Lego figure.
Notable interactions:
• (to Gamer Kid) “You’re my kind of guy! Let’s talk all about the ‘80s.”
• (when idle) “Everything is spaceship, everything is cool when you’re building a spaceship.”
Gadget:
Benny’s Spaceship: The infamous “SPACESHIP!” from The Lego Movie, Benny’s ship is fairly bogstandard as far as flying vehicles go in the game.
Upgrade it and it becomes the Laser Craft which, as you’d expect, sticks a ruddy big laser onto it. Upgrade again and it becomes The Annihilator, with the added ability to fire missiles which destroy silver Lego Blocks.
Neither of these are unique abilities, so you won’t be flying the spaceship because you need to. However, there’s a good chance you’ll fly it because you want to, because it’s still a nifty retro-looking ship.
Review:
Benny is one of only four characters (along with Doc Brown, Cyberman and The Doctor) who can hack terminals. However, since you’d need The Doctor to unlock the Doctor Who level pack, that means Benny isn’t an essential character.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t still worth getting though, because if you’re a fan of The Lego Movie you already know Benny’s going to be a fun character to play as.
His walking animation is hilarious – he takes big massive, floaty steps as if he was walking on the moon – and he’s got loads of brilliant new dialogue.
He may not necessarily be a vital part of your team, then, but you’ll probably end up keeping him around sometimes anyway just because he lightens the mood.
Buy him:
Benny and his spaceship come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Chell
Franchise:
Portal 2
Voice actor:
None
Abilities:
Acrobat, Portal Gun
Who is she?
Chell is the mute protagonist of both Portal games, in which she has to get through a number of puzzle-filled rooms while being antagonised by an evil AI called GLaDOS.
Not only does Chell appear as a playable character in Lego Dimensions, she also comes with her own Portal 2 Level Pack, which is a treat for Portal fans. Here’s my full review.
Notable interactions:
None (Chell doesn’t speak)
Gadget 1:
Companion Cube: Chell’s little polyhedron pal does a whole load of nothing. Even when you upgrade it to its Laser Deflector version all it does is, well, block lasers.
Even worse, upgrade it again to the Gold Heart Emitter and that’s literally all it does: make little gold hearts appear.
So what’s the point of it? Well, the Companion Cube is the only object in the entire game that can trigger special switches on certain levels. Without the Companion Cube, you can’t 100% complete the game. So hooray for it.
Gadget 2:
Sentry Turret: Chell’s second gadget is a little more useful in general gameplay. In the Portal 2 level it comes with, its guns are used to trigger switches and keep them active while you run off and do other tasks.
Naturally, outwith that level these guns are used to fend off any enemies that approach you. Upgrade it to the Turret Striker and it can also run around and punch opponents too.
Finally, upgrade it to the Flying Turret Carrier and it turns into a flying vehicle, letting you soar around firing missiles at things. This final form isn’t massively unique, but its other forms make it a useful assistant when faced with large groups of enemies.
Review:
Chell’s an odd one in that she has one very specific ability and not much else. Her portal gun lets her fire orange and blue portals on special types of tile, using them to reach areas nobody else can.
The portal gun also works as a standard weapon outside of these situations, but it isn’t a very powerful one. And her athletic ability is also shared by Starter Pack character Wyldstyle so it’s not one you’ll be calling on her for too often.
Still, because she’s such a unique character with an ability (and a Cube) that no other character in the game has, she’s still absolutely essential when it comes to completing the game 100%.
Buy her:
Chell comes in the Portal 2 Level Pack along with the Companion Cube, Sentry Turret and a new level based on Portal 2. Here’s my full review of the pack.
Cole
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
Roger Craig Smith (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Laser Deflection, Spinjitsu, Stealth, Super Strength
Who is he?
• Cole is one of seven Lego Ninjago characters in the game. He’s the Black Ninja of Earth, and is a master of Spinjistu and Airjitsu. This apparently means he can control wind, which I promise you isn’t a bowel condition or anything.
Notable interactions:
• (getting in the Batmobile) “This is my kinda vehicle. Great colour, too.”
• (to Gamer Kid) “This isn’t just a game, kid. This is real.”
Gadget:
Boulder Bomber: A fighter jet with a massive gatling gun attached to the end of it. Not exactly the stealthy ninja style, but I’m sure you won’t mind too much when you’re unleashing bullet hell on enemies.
It upgrades to the Boulder Blaster (which can destroy silver objects) and the Cyclone Jet (which can’t, but does have a cyclone attack).
Review:
Like most of the Ninjago characters, Cole is extremely agile and can do all the double-jumping and acrobat-swinging malarkey you’d expect from a ninja.
Unlike his ninja brethren (and, um, sisteren) though, Cole also has the Super Strength ability, which means he can grab massive objects and throw them.
While this opportunity only pops up a few times in the game, you can make use of it whenever you want by holding the X / Square button, which causes him to pull a large boulder out of the ground no matter where you’re standing.
This makes him very useful when battling large groups of enemies from a distance.
Buy him:
Cole and his Boulder Bomber come in a Ninjago Team Pack along with Kai and his Blade Bike.
Cragger
Franchise:
Lego Chima
Voice actor:
John Gegenhuber (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Chi, Dive, Super Strength
Who is he?
Cragger is one of three Lego Chima characters in the game. He’s the Prince of the Crocodile Tribe (not Paul Hogan, as ‘80s filmgoers would have you believe).
He may look tough but he’s only a young lad still coming to terms with the fact his parents fell off a cliff. Ooft, Lego cartoons are properly harsh.
Notable interactions:
• (to Batman) “Hmm. You don’t look like any bats I know.”
• (to Scooby-Doo) “Um, are you a legend beast?”
Gadget:
Swamp Skimmer: The Swamp Skimmer is an odd vehicle, and not just because it’s shaped like a big crocodile head.
As a boat its only real use is for travelling quickly on the surface of water, which makes it useful for a handful of Adventure World checkpoint races and not much else.
Even its first upgrade to Cragger’s Fireship isn’t much better – it can throw fireballs but there’s never really any need to do that when you’re on water.
It’s only when you upgrade it again to the Croc Command Sub that it can actually dive underwater and truly become a useful little boat with the ability to blow up silver blocks.
Review:
Cragger is one of three Lego Chima characters in the game, and if you only have to buy one of them this should be the one you go for.
All three Chima characters – Cragger, Eris and Laval – have the Chi ability, which lets them absorb Chi from enemies and special fountains then use that stored Chi to open special doors.
It goes without saying that you need at least one Chima figure, then, so you can get through these doors. However, one or two of these doors are underwater, and Cragger is the only Chima character who can swim.
As a result, Cragger is that rarest of beasts – a character you absolutely need to complete the game 100%.
His voice is really annoying though.
Buy him:
Cragger and his Swamp Skimmer come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Cyberman
Franchise:
Doctor Who
Voice actor:
Nicholas Briggs (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Dive, Drone, Flying, Hacking, Mind Control, Silver Destruction, Technology, X-Ray Vision
Who is he?
The Cybermen used to be human beings, but they were turned into emotionless robots and made to track down other humans to convert.
This particular Cyberman isn’t special in any way, though given he’s joined the cause as a playable character he must be a good guy for some reason.
Notable interactions:
• (to Homer) “You are incompatible for upgrade. We do not stock Cyber armour in your size.”
• (to Cyborg) “Scans detect your Cyber armour is cooler than mine. Where did you get it?”
• (when riding a Velociraptor) “I will convert this into a Cybersaurus Rex.”
Gadget:
Dalek: The iconic Doctor Who baddie arrives in Lego Dimensions as a ridable vehicle. Well, I say ridable, you just sort of sit on its back.
In its standard form the Dalek does as you’d expect, wandering around and shooting at enemies. Upgrade it to the Fire ‘n’ Ride Dalek and it gains the power of flight as well as a nifty laser.
Finally, upgrade it again to the Silver Shooter Dalek and, as the name suggests, it can blow up silver Lego bricks.
Review:
With a list of abilities as long as Elton John’s address book, it should immediately be clear that Cyberman is a useful character to have around.
No fewer than four of his abilities – Drone, Mind Control, Technology and X-Ray Vision – are considered rare and only shared by one or two other characters.
While he isn’t necessary to complete the game 100% then, having him in your roster eliminates the need for Doc Brown, Superman and Wonder Woman because he has all their rare skills combined.
Add to that his ability to swim underwater, destroy silver blocks and fly and you’ve got someone who should really be a permanent fixture in your roster purely for the wide range of situations he can help in.
Buy him:
Cyberman and his Dalek come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Cyborg
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Bumper Robinson (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Big Transform, Dive, Laser, Super Strength, Target
Who is he?
Real name Victor Stone, Cyborg is part of the Justice League along with Batman, Superman and the like.
The son of scientists Silas and Elinore Stone, Victor was attacked when an experiment with an inter-dimensional portal went wrong and a giant monster emerged, killing his mum (what is it with all the parent deaths?) and mutilating him.
To save his life, Victor’s dad adds a number of experimental prosthetics to his body, turning him into Cyborg.
Notable interactions:
• (to Marty McFly) “It must be cool to travel through time. Don’t suppose you’ve got next week’s lottery numbers?”
• (to Cyberman) “Hey man, I appreciate the unintended tribute but turning people into things like me is not cool.”
Gadget:
Cyber-Guard: A bloody massive mech you climb inside and use to plough your way through the level, smashing into everything.
Its enormous size, destructive ability and high speed make it particularly useful in Adventure Worlds when you’re trying to collect enough studs to trigger the ‘rule breaker’ gold brick.
It can upgrade to the Cyber-Wrecker, which gains digging and super strength powers as well as the ability to blow up silver Lego bricks. Meanwhile its third upgrade, the Laser Robot Walker, does what it says on the tin by adding a laser.
It’s really its original mech form that’s most useful though.
Review:
Cyborg may not be one of the most well-known DC superheroes but that doesn’t mean he isn’t entertaining to play as.
His heavy weaponry makes it fun to fight large groups of enemies, and he’ also armed with some funny dialogue that keeps things amusing.
At first glance it seems like he may be needed to 100% the game – as the only character who can both dive underwater and shoot targets it appears he’s needed to take out a couple of underwater targets in certain Adventure Worlds.
However, most underwater vehicles can actually have the targeting ability added with an upgrade, meaning Cyborg isn’t essential after all. Ah well.
His Cyber-Guard mech gadget is also a bit pointless because by holding the B/Circle button, you can transform Cyborg into an equally massive mech version of himself, with even more firepower. Of course, any other character can jump into the Cyber-Guard, so it’s more for them.
Despite all the above rendering him unnecessary when it comes to completing the game 100%, Cyborg is still a fun character nonetheless and his gadget is still great for other characters. It’s always handy to have a spare mech for a friend.
Buy him:
Cyborg and his Cyber-Guard come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Doc Brown
Franchise:
Back To The Future
Voice actor:
Christopher Lloyd (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Drone, Fix-It, Hacking, Technology
Who is he?
Doctor Emmett Lathrop Brown PhD is the eccentric scientist from the Back To The Future movies. It’s Doc who comes up with the idea of turning a DeLorean into a time machine and gets his young friend Marty McFly mixed up in all manner of time-based adventures. He’s a kook, basically.
Notable interactions:
• (to Chell) “A portable personal transportation device? Incredible! You must let me take a look at it!”
• (to Cyborg) “You look like one of my own inventions. Did I make you in the future and send you back to save me?”
• (to Marty) “Marty my boy, it’s good to have you with me.”
Gadget:
Travelling Time Train: If only all gadgets were so self-explanatory. The Travelling Time Train is a train that can travel through time.
Specifically, it serves the same purpose as Marty’s DeLorean in that it can trigger the time travel treadmills that are dotted around the Back To The Future bonus level and Adventure World.
Much like the DeLorean you can also upgrade it to a flying version, the similarly simply-named Flying Time Machine. This adds the usual flight dock and cargo hook abilities you’d expect from most flying vehicles.
Finally, upgrading it again to the Missile Blast Time Train keeps its power of flight but also adds the ability to fire missiles that destroy silver Lego blocks.
Review:
Doc is relatively useful in that all of his abilities are rare.
Only three other characters (The Doctor, Cyberman and Benny) can hack into terminals and only three others (The Doctor, Emmet and Jay) can fix broken electrical equipment.
What’s more, only two others (The Doctor and Cyberman) can use the Technology ability to activate certain panels, and only one other (Cyberman) can use a drone to enter special tunnels.
This makes him a handy character to have around, especially if you aren’t much of a Doctor Who fan and as such don’t have The Doctor or Cyberman around.
Indeed, if you plan on completing the game 100% one day, you’re going to need either Doc Brown or Cyberman for that drone ability. Great Scott, indeed.
Buy him:
Doc Brown and his Travelling Time Train come in a standalone Fun Pack.
The Doctor
Franchise:
Doctor Who
Voice actors:
Peter Capaldi (original dialogue); William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, John Hurt (all archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Fix-It, Hacking, Technology, Sonar Smash
Who is he?
‘Who’ indeed. The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who, after nicking a time machine to explore the universe has been finding himself in all manner of scrapes for the past 50-odd Earth years.
Notable interactions:
• (to Scooby-Doo) “I prefer dogs of the robot variety myself. They’re not all slobbery, and can talk properly.”
• (to Doc Brown) “You may be A doctor, but I’m THE Doctor. The definitive article, you might say.”
• (to Peter Venkman) “Who you gonna call? Judging by the state of your uniform I’d suggest a dry cleaner.”
Gadget 1:
TARDIS: Although at first glance you wouldn’t expect it to be capable of much The Doctor’s time machine actually has a few interesting features. Not only can it fly – letting you travel wherever you like with ease – it also has a stealth mode which can be used to bypass lasers.
Most notably though, it can also land on unique TARDIS docks and transport you to other dimensions, making it essential for beating the game 100%.
While most of these docks can be found in the Level Pack included with The Doctor, there are also docks in the two Simpsons levels – the Starter Pack one and the Level Pack that comes with Homer – that take you to the Flintstones’ and Jetsons’ homes respectively.
Given the iconic look of the TARDIS its upgrades barely change its appearance, and its new abilities are minimal as a result. The Laser-Pulse TARDIS is the first upgrade, letting you fire a laser that can destroy gold bricks.
Meanwhile, the Energy-Burst TARDIS lets you hold the attack button to charge an energy burst, letting you attack enemies while safe inside.
Gadget 2:
K-9: The Doctor’s beloved retro robot dog K-9 comes complete with an authentically crap robot voice. And that’s a good thing.
Believe it or not, K-9 is actually a bloody good vehicle. He’s surprisingly fast, almost as much as some cars, but with the added benefit of tighter control. He’s also got an effective gun that not only destroys silver Lego bricks but also has a quick fire rate, letting you cause carnage as you blast your way through enemies and scenery.
Upgrade him to the K-9 Ruff Rover and he gains a Sonar Smash ability which lets him shatter glass, though this is only properly useful if you aren’t playing as the Doctor, who can already do this with his Sonic Screwdriver.
A further upgrade to K-9 Laser Cutter turns him into a makeshift laser turret which can destroy gold blocks and cut through gold walls.
Review:
The Doctor’s main tool is his Sonic Screwdriver: he can use it to fix broken contraptions, shatter glass, hack computers and interact with control panels.
Since most of these are rare abilities only shared with a couple of characters in the game, this makes The Doctor a really useful member to have in your roster. Or should I say ‘members’.
You see, once you beat the special level he comes with for the first time, you unlock the Doctor’s ability to regenerate. Fantastically, this means all 13 incarnations of the Doctor are playable, with him regenerating into the next Doctor in the sequence each time he dies.
Or, if you’d rather, by entering the TARDIS you can specify a specific Doctor to play as and ‘lock’ him in, ensuring he sticks around even when he pegs it.
The attention to detail here is ridiculous. Buying this level pack essentially gives you 13 new characters and none of them are half-hearted efforts.
They all have their own dialogue (all taken from archive episodes), and they all have their own animations perfectly expressing their unique personalities.
Even better, they all have their own TARDIS design, the hub changing accordingly any time you enter it with the corresponding Doctor.
Long story short, if you’re a Doctor Who fan of any generation, this is practically as essential a purchase as the Starter Pack itself.
Buy him:
The Doctor comes in a Level Pack along with the TARDIS, K-9 and a new Doctor Who level. Here’s my full review of the pack.
Emmet
Franchise:
The Lego Movie
Voice actor:
Chris Pratt (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Drill, Fix-It, Master Building
Who is he?
The main character in The Lego Movie, Emmet is a happy-go-lucky builder who soon discovers he’s actually ‘The Special’, the one who will lead the resistance against the evil Lord Business.
Notable interactions:
• (to Owen Grady, also voiced by Chris Pratt) “There’s something awfully familiar about you, mister dino wrangler man. I feel like we’ve met before.”
• (to Wyldstyle) “Hey Lucy! Wait. Uh, am I alright to call you Lucy? Do people know? Oh man, I put my foot in it, didn’t I?”
Gadget:
Emmet’s Excavator: Since he’s a construction worker it should come as no surprise that Emmet’s vehicle of choice is a big digger.
Naturally, this means it has the ability to dig into certain patches of the ground to find the goodies hidden within them. Only one character (Scooby-Doo) and a handful of other vehicles can do this so it’s relatively useful to have around.
Upgrade it to the Destroy Dozer and it also gains the ability to pull tow switches, much like the Batmobile can. Meanwhile, upgrading it again to the Destruct-O-Mech will turn it into an Aliens style Power Loader with the strength to punch through walls.
Review:
Just as in The Lego Movie, Emmet is a humble little character who holds an important amount of power.
Specifically, he is the only character in the game with the ability to drill through cracked tiles and find the hidden areas behind them.
Only one other vehicle – Bane’s Drill Driver – is able to do this, meaning if you aren’t fussed about Bane then Emmet is a must-have character.
This ability aside he’s a fun enough character to play as. His dialogue is funny and he’s just generally nice to have around, especially if you saw and loved The Lego Movie like I did.
Buy him:
Emmet and his Excavator come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Eris
Franchise:
Lego Chima
Voice actor:
Julie Wittner (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Chi, Flying, Super Strength, Target
Who is she?
Eris is an Eagle Tribe warrior. Not just any warrior, I’ll have you know, but the princess of the entire ruddy Eagle Tribe. She likes a good adventure and she’s got brains as well as brawn. She’s basically the Ronda Rousey of the eagle world.
Notable interactions:
• (to The Joker) “Hey, I like jokes too! What’s your favourite?”
• (to Superman) “How do you fly without wings?”
Gadget:
Eagle Interceptor: Eris’s vehicle undoubtedly looks cool, since it’s a bloody big eagle you can ride on top of.
The problem is, its main feature is its ability to fly, and since Eris can fly already this leaves it a bit redundant (unless you use it with a different non-flying character, of course).
Even when you upgrade it to the Eagle Sky Blazer (which can also blow up silver Lego blocks) and the Eagle Swoop Diver (which can shoot fire) it doesn’t really do anything too revolutionary.
Still, it’s a giant eagle you can ride on, so there’s that.
Review:
Eris is an interesting one in that she’s better in the air than she is on the ground.
On foot her axe, while hefty, isn’t too great for combat. Most of her attacks are forward stabs instead of swings, so unless an enemy is right in front of you you’ll probably miss. Even her jumping attack, which makes a massive earthquake split the ground, only doe so in a straight line.
Take her to the skies with her flying ability, though, and the situation changes drastically. In the air she can shoot fireballs at enemies and obstacles. These automatically target the enemy, instantly turning her from one of the worst fighters in the game to one of the most effective.
In terms of her other abilities, while she can open Chi doors like the other two Chima characters, only Cragger can open a specific underwater one at one point in the game. As such, if you only want to buy one Chima character (to unlock that Adventure World) it should still be Cragger.
Buy her:
Eris and her Eagle Interceptor come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Gamer Kid
Franchise:
Midway Arcade
Voice actor:
Josh Keaton (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Invulnerability, Laser, Speed, Stealth, Super Strength
Who is he?
One of only two ‘original’ Lego Dimensions roster members not based on any actual characters (along with the ACU Trooper from Jurassic World), Gamer Kid is a massive fan of retro gaming from the ‘80s.
Notable interactions:
• (to Chell) “So, is it ‘Shell’ or ‘Chell’? Okay, silent type I guess.”
• (to Marty McFly) “Shouldn’t you be collecting clocks?”
Gadget 1:
Arcade Machine – Of Gamer Kid’s two gadgets the Arcade Machine is the most important because, like the TARDIS, it’s the only way of activating a certain gameplay mechanic, making it essential for completing the game 100%.
In this case, it’s the only way to active the arcade docks you encounter on your travels. Placing the Arcade Machine on a dock will power it up and let you play a specific game.
This is really its sole function in this form. You can ride it and upgrade it to fire bullets but it moves so slowly you might as well not bother – it only really moves so you can navigate it into arcade docks easier.
Upgrade it to the 8-Bit Shooter and things get a bit more interesting. You lose the arcade game functionality but you gain a funky wee flying ship you can use to gun down enemies from above.
Upgrade it again to The Pixelator and it becomes less useful. It’s a turret gun that does little more than gun down enemies. One nice touch, though, is that when you shoot enemies with it they die with a jerky 8-bit style animation.
Gadget 2:
G-6155 Spy Hunter – Gamer Kid’s other bundled goodie is a vehicle, namely the titular car from Midway’s Spy Hunter. As far as vehicles go, it’s actually one of the most useful in the game because it’s one of the few that can do the hat-trick and travel on land, sea and air.
In its initial form the G-6155 Spy Hunter doesn’t really do much the Starter Pack’s Batmobile doesn’t do. It can trigger the usual treadmill switches any car can activate, and it can pull the typical car-based triple grappling hook switches too.
When you upgrade it to the Interdiver, the car transforms into a boat (like it does in the Spy Hunter game), albeit one that can also go under the surface and explore underwater.
Finally, upgrading it again to the Aerial Spyhunter lets you take to the skies and use its laser to generally ruin bad guys’ days.
Judged on its individual parts none of this vehicle’s three forms does anything particularly unique. However, the fact it’s a jack-of-all-trades that lets you travel anywhere without having to spawn a second vehicle has made it a permanent part of my standard roster.
Review:
You’d think that being an original character would make Gamer Kid one of the least entertaining characters to play as, but thankfully that isn’t quite the case.
His voice acting is a little hit or miss – since he’s a gaming obsessive he keeps dropping smart-alec, fourth-wall breaking comments (when he dies he asks: “What? No permadeath?” and when when you remove his figure from the base he shouts “Ragequit!”).
In terms of how he plays he’s got a healthy selection of abilities, though they’re a little unwieldy to access. You see, Gamer Kid can change his shirt design at will. There are five different designs and you switch between them at the press of a button.
Each design represents a different ability, so when you have the design you want, you hold the action button and he’ll drink a can of cola, which then activates that ability for a limited time.
That sounds confusing so here’s a short clip illustrating it:
The five different skills – invincibility, invisibility, super speed, super strength and laser vision – make Gamer Kid one of the more versatile Lego Dimensions characters.
Just be prepared for a lot of shirt-toggling and can-drinking.
Buy him:
Gamer Kid comes in a Level Pack along with his Arcade Machine, the Spy Hunter car, a new level based on Midway Arcade games and over 20 classic arcade games. Here’s my full review of the pack.
Gandalf
Franchise:
The Lord Of The Rings
Voice actor:
Tom Kane (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Illumination, Magic, Magic Shield
Who is he?
Gandalf is a minor god (otherwise known as a Maia) who was sent to help the people of Middle-earth fight against evil.
When it comes to the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit stories, Gandalf is always there or thereabouts.
Notable interactions:
• (to the Wicked Witch) “My dear lady, you’re giving us magic-wielding folk a bad name. How about toning down the wickedness a tad?”
• (to Gollum) “I daresay your search for the Ring may be more perilous now than ever before.”
Gadget:
None
Review:
As one of the three Starter Pack characters it goes without saying that many of the main story mode’s puzzles were put there with Gandalf in mind.
He can use magic to move certain blocks, a power only the Wicked Witch is also able to use. Since this is a very rare ability and puzzles that require magic are common in the game he’s all but essential.
He also has the ability to illuminate darkened rooms – this is a less uncommon ability and therefore is less impressive.
Sadly, his ability to use magic is also about to become far less special, as a bunch of Year 2 characters – Harry Potter and the like – will also have that power.
Still, considering you don’t need to buy him because he comes with the game, who’s complaining.
Buy him:
No need, Gandalf is part of the Starter Pack.
Gimli
Franchise:
The Lord Of The Rings
Voice actor:
John Rhys-Davies (archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Mini Access, Super Strength
Who is he?
Gimli is a Dwarf, albeit one with a proper heavy metal beard.
As a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, it was Gimli’s job to protect Frodo and make sure his ring wasn’t damaged. Stop sniggering, you at the back.
Notable interactions:
• (when riding the Axe Chariot) “May the best dwarf win.”
• (to Slimer) “Let’s find some food.”
Gadget:
Axe Chariot: When Gimil shouts “YOU HAVE MY AXE” in The Fellowship Of The Ring he doesn’t follow this up with “AND I SHALL ATTACH IT TO A LITTLE CAR.”
Still, that’s what seems to have happened here, though in its standard form the Axe Chariot… well, it isn’t very axey.
Upgrade it to the Axe Hurley and its axiness finally makes itself known, as you gain the ability throw axes at enemies.
Upgrading it further to the Soaring Chariot gives you maximum aximum by adding the power of flight to proceedings.
Review:
Gimli may be a bad-ass character in The Lord Of The Rings but he doesn’t have an awful lot going for him in Lego Dimensions.
Granted, there aren’t many characters who can access the small hatches dotted around the game’s Adventure Worlds – only Bart, Gollum and Slimer can do it too.
But his other Super Strength ability is common among many other characters, and other than that he can’t do much else.
Strictly one for completists and Lord Of The Rings fans, then.
Buy him:
Gimli and his Axe Chariot come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Gollum
Franchise:
The Lord Of The Rings
Voice actor:
Liam O’Brien (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Boomerang, Dive, Mini Access
Who is he?
Originally known as Smeagol, this friendly little Stoor Hobbit came across the One Ring and was corrupted by its power, gaining a second personality: the evil Gollum.
Notable interactions:
• (to Scooby-Doo) “Who’s a skinny Warg, then?”
• (to Aquaman) “Oh! A giant fishy! We likes the fishes. They’re tasty and juicy.”
• (to Gamer Kid) “You’re not a nasty Hobbitses. You smell like one though.”
Gadget:
Shelob The Great: This massive spider featured in the Lord Of The Rings movies and acts as a rideable vehicle in Lego Dimensions.
In her standard form she has a single ability: she can dig certain patches of dirt to reveal items and gold bricks hidden underneath. While only one character (Scooby-Doo) can do this, Shelob is one of a few ‘vehicles’ with this ability.
Upgrading Shelob to the 8-Legged Stalker build adds the Super Strength ability, while upgrading again to Poison Slinger lets her (you guessed it) fire poison at enemies.
In general Shelob isn’t massively useful, but the novelty factor of riding around on a giant spider can’t be ignored.
Review:
Gollum’s an interesting one in that he (they?) is one of the smallest characters in the game, and only one of four who can fit in small hatches. But then, if you read the Gimli review above this one, you’d already know that.
Other than that, and the ability to swim underwater, Gollum is pretty lacking when it comes to his skillset.
Since the same goes for his ‘vehicle’, Gollum is only really a must-purchase if you’re a massive fan of The Lord Of The Rings or you plan on owning every character in the game.
Buy him:
Gollum and Shelob The Great come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Green Arrow
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Chris Hardwick (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Grapple, Pole Vault, Target
Who is he?
Oliver Queen is a billionaire businessman who occasionally decides to dress up in green garb and fight crime. His weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. Although he’s currently played by Stephen Amell in the Arrow TV series, Amell doesn’t voice this version of Green Arrow. Instead he’s voiced by Chris Hardwick, the current host of The Talking Dead, who voiced Green Arrow in the animated series The Batman in the mid-2000s.
Notable interactions:
• (to The Doctor) “Your friend Captain Jack Harkness, he looks kinda familiar for some reason.” (Captain Jack actor John Barrowman also plays Malcolm Marlyn in Arrow)
• (to Homer) “Okay Homer, I will take you to Big Belly Burger as soon as you help me track down Hank Scorpio.”
Gadget:
None
Review:
Green Arrow’s all about the combat, and long-distance combat at that.
His standard attack is, naturally, a shot from his bow and arrow, and holding down the attack button will let you target specific enemies.
Holding the special ability button, meanwhile, will let you charge up a special three-arrow attack which is effective for taking out large groups of enemies.
His other abilities are nothing special which, given how rare he currently is, is probably just as well.
Buy him:
Green Arrow isn’t available to buy at the moment, you can only find him at certain events like comic conventions. If you don’t want to visit a convention to find him you’ll have to expect to pay crazy money on eBay, or wait until the craze dies down and hope either you’ll get him cheaper or he’s eventually given a normal Fun Pack release.
Harley Quinn
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Tara Strong (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Super Strength
Who is she?
Harleen Quinzel was a psychiatrist working at Arkham Asylum when she met and befriended the Joker. She’s now the Joker’s occasional partner in crime and lover.
Notable interactions:
• (to Bad Cop) “Bad Cop huh? You seem like my kinda guy. Better than that Commissioner Gordon fella.”
• (to Doc Brown) “Oh hey Doc! Is it time for my psych review already?”
• (to The Joker) “Yay! My puddin’ Mr Jay’s here! Now it’s a party!”
Gadget:
Quinn-mobile: Harley’s vehicle is a car with a massive mallet on the top of it. The physical one you build is one of the better kits in the game, because you can move the hammer from side to side.
The car itself in its standard form does little more than drive around and activate the same accelerator switches any other car can trigger.
Upgrade it to the Quinn Ultra Racer though and its top speed increases dramatically, making it very useful for the various checkpoint races dotted around the game’s Adventure Worlds.
Upgrade it again to the Missile Launcher and… look, you don’t even need me to tell you what happens next.
Review:
Harley is great fun to play as. She’s fantastically animated, with a funny skipping motion when she walks and the faint sound of her hat-bells jangling as she does.
Her voice acting is also among the best in the game, which is really no surprise given she’s voiced by Tara Strong, who previously voiced Harley in Batman: Arkham City.
What she has in character though she’s missing in practicality. Harley is one of the least useful characters in the game with only two abilities to her name, one of which is already used by Starter Pack character Wyldstyle.
If you’re a Batman fan and you don’t mind having characters in your roster who are really only there for entertainment purposes rather than any real use, she’s worth a purchase.
Buy her:
Harley Quinn and her Quinn-mobile come in a DC Comics Team Pack along with The Joker and his Chopper.
Homer Simpson
Franchise:
The Simpsons
Voice actor:
Dan Castellaneta (archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Big Transform, Sonar Smash, Super Strength
Who is he?
The father of the Simpson family, Homer works in a nuclear power plant but isn’t even smart enough to spell ‘nuclear’. He’s got a heart made of gold, though, not to mention a stomach made of doughnuts and pork chops.
Notable interactions:
• (to Scooby-Doo) “Hey, wait a minute. There’s no such thing as a talking dog.”
• (to Bart) “Why you little!”
Gadget 1:
Homer’s Car: The first of homer’s two gadgets is the classic pink sedan he’s been driving ever since the show started back in the ‘80s.
In its standard form, Homer’s Car offers little more than the novelty of driving the car from The Simpsons. Its two abilities – using acceleration switches and using a tow cable to pull switches – can both be performed by the Starter Pack’s Batmobile and its upgrades, making it a bit pointless.
Upgrade it and it can change to Homercraft, a little hovercraft. In this form it’s sadly even less useful since it’s only capable of driving on the surface of water. Since almost nothing in Lego Dimensions’ Adventure Worlds happens here it’s rare you’ll need to use this often.
It’s only when it gets its second upgrade, to the SubmaHomer, that it actually becomes properly useful. Not only can it now actually dive underwater in this state, it can also fire missiles that can destroy silver Lego blocks. This is handy if you don’t already have a character who can both swim and blow up silver blocks (like Gollum or Cyberman).
By and large though, this should only be considered a novelty vehicle rather than a properly useful one you’ll need to solve any tricky puzzles. You should be getting it for the fun of driving the car from The Simpsons more than anything else.
Gadget 2:
Taunt-o-vision: In its standard form the Taunt-O-Vision is little more than the Simpsons’ television. It has a unique ‘taunt’ ability, which acts as a decoy and draws enemies towards it, but to the best of my knowledge this only comes into play as an essential tool in the Simpsons level pack itself and so isn’t a massive deal.
It’s also got a self-destruct function which lets you blow up silver Lego bricks. That in itself is no great shakes – loads of other characters and gadgets are able to do the same – but it’s the detonation method, in which you physically take the telly off the Lego Toy Pad to blow it up, that makes it unique.
Its two upgrades make it more useful, not only adding two different weapons that can be used for many of Lego Dimensions’ obstacles, but also letting you ride it.
The Blast Cam is the first upgrade: this turns the gadget into a movie camera you can sit on and ride around. It’s armed with a green laser beam too, making it useful for quickly taking out enemies.
Upgrade again to the MechaHomer and not only do you get the best of the three designs – a big television mech you can ride – you also get a red laser you can use to melt gold blocks.
Ultimately, the Taunt-O-Vision is similar to Homer’s Car in that its abilities (the taunt aside) are by and large common ones that many other characters and vehicles have. That said, it’s handy to have a vehicle which lets you quickly take out enemies with powerful lasers.
Review:
Homer has two special abilities. By drinking his beer cola, he’s able to perform a Sonar Smash attack and break any fragile glass he comes across.
He can also build up an anger gauge that, over time, lets him transform into Angry Homer. This makes him grow large and gives him Super Strength, letting him break some larger objects.
Neither of these abilities is exclusive to Homer, mind, so if you’re looking to buy him purely for his abilities there are other options.
Batman’s Batmobile (which comes with the Starter Pack) can be upgraded with a Sonar Smash attack, meaning you don’t actually have to make another purchase to get this ability.
Meanwhile, the likes of Gimli, Harley Quinn, Cyborg and the upcoming Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man all have Super Strength too, meaning if you own (or plan to own) any of these, the benefits of using Homer become purely cosmetic.
Buy him:
Homer comes in a Level Pack along with his car, the Taunt-o-vision and a new level based on The Simpsons. Here’s my full review of the pack.
Jay
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
Mick Wingert (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Electricity, Fix-It, Laser Deflection, Spinjitsu, Stealth
Who is he?
One of the Ninjago masters of Spinjitzu, Jay is the Blue Ninja of Lightning (no relation to Lightning from Gladiators). Despite having the power to harness electricity, he’s the most lighthearted member of the group. Bet that comes as a shock. A SHOCK! HAHAHA.
Notable interactions:
• (to Cyberman) “Would it be okay if I took you apart to see how you work later?”
• (to Cyborg) “You know, if you ever need a recharge I’ve got you covered.”
Gadget:
Storm Fighter: Jay’s vehicle is a blue plane surrounded by electricity. In its standard form it’s a nipply little flier that gets around fairly quickly but doesn’t do much else.
Its first upgrade is the Lightning Jet. This adds a laser beam and lets it charge elelctrical switches, much like Jay himself can.
Its final upgrade, the Electro-Shooter, does pretty much the same thing except it looks slightly different.
Review:
Being ‘the electricity one’ in the Ninjago crew, it’s unsurprising that Jay has the same ability to turn on electrical switches shared by the Jurassic World ACU Trooper and the Joker.
Having this relatively unique skill makes up for the fact that Jay isn’t too different from his other ninja chums. Cole, for example, feels very similar to control but has the added bonus of a ruddy big scythe compared to Jay’s dinky nunchuks.
Similarly, his Storm Fighter vehicle feels just like Cole’s Boulder Bomber plane, though the added bonus of an electrical ability in its third form does make it one of only two vehicles in the game that can fire electricity (the other being the DeLorean).
If you’re into Ninjago then you’re going to obviously want the full set, and in that respect Jay would clearly be a must-have. He’s still a ninja and ninja are still cool, and while his plane is nothing special it’s still ultimately a ninja flying a plane that can shoot electricity, so come on.
However, if you have no attachment to Ninjago then Jay isn’t essential for completing the game because although he has a rare electrical ability, so does the ACU Trooper and you need his Gyrosphere too.
Buy him:
Jay and his Storm Fighter come in a standalone Fun Pack.
The Joker
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Christopher Corey Smith (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Electricity, Grapple, Target
Who is he?
The arch nemesis of Batman, the Joker is a sadistic, psychopathic criminal mastermind who, in the origin story told most often, fell into a vat of chemicals and looked so disfigured that as a result he went insane.
Notable interactions:
• (to Krusty) “Another clown, huh? This is my gig, bub. Go find your own party to crash.”
• (to Unikitty) “Oh dear, I think I might have finally lost it. What exactly are you supposed to be?”
• (to the Wicked Witch) “Witchy baby, you simply must give me the name of your makeup artist.”
Gadget:
The Joker’s Chopper: The Joker comes with a green, white and purple helicopter which is one of the most enjoyable Lego Dimensions vehicles to build in real life. Its little rotors even spin.
In the game its standard form is already armed with rockets, which is something you’d usually expect to have to upgrade to with most other flying vehicles.
This might be a case of peaking a little too early though because its upgrade, the Mischievous Missile Blaster, does pretty much the same thing. That said, its rate of fire is faster and it does transform from a helicopter to a biplane.
Upgrade again to the Lock ‘n’ Laser Jet and it transforms once again, into (you guessed it) a jet fighter. The missiles are also replaced with a laser. A pretty fun weapons-based vehicle, then.
Review:
While Harley Quinn is a fairly underwhelming character, her ‘Puddin’ offers a much more well-rounded array of skills.
His ability to trigger electrical switches is only shared by a handful of other characters, which makes him useful in that regard.
More generally though, he’s very effective at long-range combat. His gun fires at a much faster rate than any other weapon in the game (not counting lasers, obviously) and he can also release little chattering teeth that support you in battle and can act as decoys.
He may be a baddie (and a boss in the Story Mode too, which makes it odd when you have him in your squad too) but the Joker’s a good guy in my book.
Buy him:
The Joker and his Chopper come in a DC Comics Team Pack alongside Harley Quinn and her Quinn-mobile.
Kai
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
Charlie Schlatter (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Laser Deflection, Spinjitsu, Stealth
Who is he?
Continuing the whole ‘each member has a different element’ theme made infamous in Captain Planet, Kai is the Red Ninja of Fire. Naturally, this makes him the hot-headed one, essentially the Raphael of the gang.
Notable interactions:
• (to Aquaman) “I hope you don’t mind if I keep my distance. I don’t want you dousing my fire, you know.”
• (riding K-9) “This thing handles like a dog.”
Gadget:
Blade Bike: A nifty red motorbike that shoots fire out of its exhaust while you ride it. In its initial stage it can shoot bullets and not much else but it’s actually a pretty versatile vehicle.
Upgrade it to the Flying Fire Bike and, as the name suggests, you can take to the skies and use it as a plane of sorts.
Upgrade it again and it becomes the Blades Of Fire, a special bike that can shoot lasers and launch ninja swords at enemies. A fairly badass combat vehicle, then.
Review:
Considering Kai comes bundled with Cole you’d expect him to have a different range of abilities. Oddly, the opposite is true.
Despite being the ‘fire’ ninja in the Ninjago crew, Kai can’t do any fire-related shenanigans on his own. In fact, he has exactly the same abilities as Cole, minus his super strength.
What’s the point in having him then, you may be asking? Has he just been chucked in with Cole so nobody’s been left out? Not so fast, you cynical chap.
Although Kai himself is nothing special (other than being a red ninja, of course), his Blade Bike is an absolute beauty of a weapon if used in combat.
It’s a motorbike that can fire swords at people when you upgrade it, for crying out loud.
Buy him:
Kai and his Blade Bike come in a Ninjago Team Pack along with Cole and his Boulder Bomber.
Krusty the Clown
Franchise:
The Simpsons
Voice actor:
Dan Castellaneta (archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Hazard Cleanup, Plant Growth
Who is he?
Springfield’s favourite entertainer, Krusty has been entertaining TV audiences for as long as he cares to remember. On camera he’s as enthusiastic as it ges, but underneath the greaseproof paint is a tired man who can’t be bothered with it all.
Notable interactions:
• (to Unikitty) “Better get back on those anti-psychotic meds.”
• (to The Joker) “Would you do my kids’ birthday party?”
• (to Harley Quinn) “Now see here Little Miss Scene Stealer, I’m the star of the show!”
Gadget:
Clown Bike: Made famous in the Homie The Clown episode of The Simpsons, Krusty’s Clown Bike is the tiny one Homer had to ride to impress mob bosses.
Given its tiny size it should perhaps come as no surprise that in its standard form the Clown Bike has absolutely no special abilities other than the accelerator switch one almost all cars have as standard.
When it upgrades to the Cannon Bike it at least gains the ability to fire missiles at enemies, and upgrading again to the Anti-Gravity Rocket Bike turns it into a flying machine.
As such, it’s actually a little more useful than you may initially think when you look at it.
Review:
Krusty is another one of those characters who can do one thing really well and not much else.
In this case, it’s thanks to the water bottle he carries around with him. He can use it to make plants grow and clean up hazards, both rare skills that only a couple of other characters have.
However, that said, one of these other characters is Aquaman, who’s needed for his Atlantis ability, meaning Krusty isn’t exactly an essential character.
If you’re a Simpsons fan it goes without saying that you should get him because the minifigure is ace and it’s still Krusty. However, given how rarely his two abilities come into play, he’s probably the weakest character in the game.
Buy him:
Krusty and his Clown Bike come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Laval
Franchise:
Lego Chima
Voice actor:
Robert Webb (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Chi, Laser Deflection, Super Strength
Who is he?
The main protagonist of the Legends Of Chima series, Laval is the prince of the Lion Tribe. He used to laid back and up for having a good time, but once his tribe started fighting with the Crocodile Tribe over Chi he realised it was time to grow up. Always a bloody Chi fight that does it, isn’t it?
Notable interactions:
• (to Cyberman) “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what kind of animal are you?”
• (riding the Gyrosphere) “I’m a lion, not a hamster.”
Gadget:
Mighty Lion Rider: If there was an award for the coolest looking car in the game, Laval’s Mighty Lion Rider would be in with a good shout given that it’s basically a car in the shape of a lion’s head.
In its standard form, like so many other in-game vehicles, it doesn’t do much other than serve as a mode of transport.
As ever, it’s only when you upgrade it (to the Lion Blazer) that it gains some degree of usefulness, adding the ability to pull tow bars and shoot fireballs.
Upgrade it again to the Fire Lion and it turns into a sort of wheeled mech (think Johnny 5 from Short Circuit) armed with a massive flamethrower.
Like I said, one of the coolest vehicles.
Review:
Like the other two Chima characters, Laval has the ability to absorb Chi from fountains and empty it into special Chi switches to open doors.
Other than this he isn’t armed with a lot of other special abilities that make him stand out from the rest of the pack.
Indeed, given that Cragger is the only one who can activate underwater Chi switches, and Eris has some brilliant flying abilities, it’s probably fair to say Laval is the least useful of the Chima trio.
Which is a shame, because his car is brilliant and he’s voiced by Robert Webb for some odd reason.
Buy him:
Laval and his Mighty Lion Rider come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Legolas
Franchise:
The Lord Of The Rings
Voice actor:
Orlando Bloom (archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Pole Vault, Target
Who is he?
An Elf prince and the son of King Thranduil (aren’t we all). He joins the Fellowship of the Ring to help protect Frodo as he sets off on his quest to destroy the ring.
Notable interactions:
• (to ACU Trooper) “This is no mere ranger.”
• (to the Wicked Witch) “You look terrible.”
Gadget:
Arrow Launcher: Legolas’s vehicle is a catapult type thing on wheels which can fire arrows. It travels slowly so it’s more of a rolling weapon than a proper car.
If you upgrade it to the Seeking Shooter its arrows do a better job of targeting enemies, which makes it more useful.
Its final upgrade is the Triple Ballista, which just fires three arrows instead of one.
A fairly standard vehicle for a fairly standard character, then.
Review:
I almost get the feeling Legolas was only chosen as a playable character because he has Lego in his name.
To his credit, he does have a rare Pole Vault ability that only two other characters (Sensei Wu and Green Arrow) possess, and given how rare Green Arrow is that might as well just be one.
He’s also decent in combat, given his bow and arrow and… actually, come to think of it, he basically is just Green Arrow.
Legolas is essentially the Krusty the Clown of the Lord Of The Rings world, then, in that he does one thing really well but his other abilities are a tad scarce.
Buy him:
Legolas and his Arrow Launcher come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Lloyd
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
Karen Strassman (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Illumination, Laser Deflection, Spinjitsu, Stealth
Who is he?
Lloyd is the legendary Golden Ninja, at least he is in this form. In the actual Lego Ninjago series, he eventually becomes the Green Ninja of Energy. He’s the grandson of the the first Spinjitzu Master, showing nepotism is alive and well in the Ninjago universe.
Notable interactions:
• (to giant Stay Puft) “I’m glad you’re on OUR side.”
• (when entering the game) “You need some ninjitsu doing?”
Gadget:
Lloyd’s Golden Dragon: A ruddy big dragon you can sit on and use to fly around. Even in its standard, upgrade-free form its speed is absolutely ridiculous, easily making it one of the fastest flying vehicles in the game pre-upgrades. Its upgrades are Sword Projector Dragon (which can fire swords, funnily enough) and Mega Flight Dragon, which can breathe fire.
Review:
Lloyd may not immediately look like a useful character. He’s got the same standard abilities most of the other Ninjago characters do, with the addition of Illumination (which Starter Pack character Gandalf has anyway).
Even worse, of the six main Ninjago ninja, he’s the only one who can’t do a double jump. Plus he’s called Lloyd, which isn’t a very ninja name. You’d be forgiven for beginning to think this Lloyd guy’s an imposter.
Then you see him fighting and all becomes clear. Lloyd swings about his sword like nobody’s business, and can chain together an endless stream of extremely fast attacks. He’s not called the Elemental Master of Energy for nothing, it seems.
Add to that the fact he comes with a dragon which is an absolute beast when it comes to the flying-based checkpoint challenges and you’ve got a character who, while not essential, could come in useful.
Buy him:
Lloyd and his Golden Dragon come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Marty McFly
Franchise:
Back To The Future
Voice actor:
Michael J Fox (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Sonar Smash
Who is he?
A young teenage chap who’s friends with eccentric scientist Doc Brown. When Doc develops a time machine, Marty’s dragged into an adventure that involves travelling back in time, accidentally causing his young mum to fall in love with him and trying to get her together with his dad to ensure he exists. It’s fairly ‘heavy’ stuff, as he would put it.
Notable interactions:
• (to Bart) “Hey look, a fellow skater. Ever used a hoverboard, pal?”
• (to Gamer Kid) “If you’re into retro stuff, we should take a quick drive in the Doc’s DeLorean.”
• (to K-9) “I’ve gotta head to the future to get me one of these.”
Gadget 1:
Delorean Time Machine: The first of Marty’s two gadgets is obviously the iconic time machine from the movies.
The DeLorean’s main ability is time travel, which you can activate any time you find a time travel treadmill. Drive onto it, keep driving until you hit 88mph and woomph: you’re in the past. Or future. Or whenever.
In its first incarnation that’s really all it can do, but thankfully its two upgrades give it a whole bunch of new abilities.
The first upgrade turns it into the Electric Time Machine, which looks similar to the standard DeLorean but lets you fire sparks by holding the attack button. These can be used to charge any electrical switches you come across. Like other vehicles, it also has a tow bar function letting you grapple onto hooks.
Then the second upgrade, the Ultra Time Machine, is where things really get fun. As in the end of the first movie, this folds the wheels up and turns the DeLorean into a flying car. Naturally, this means you can fly wherever you want in a stage, but it can also fire missiles that blow up silver Lego barriers.
This is a great little vehicle with a bunch of different functions, not to mention the fact it’s the DeLorean. Given how iconic the vehicle itself is, it’s also good to see neither of its upgrade variations look too different.
Gadget 2:
Hoverboard: Maybe the developers thought we were ‘riding’ (ahem) our luck with the DeLorean’s awesomeness, because Marty’s second gadget is about as useful as an Arctic bikini.
In its initial form, its single skill is the ability to briefly hover over gaps, letting you cover slightly longer distances than a jump would. This would maybe be useful were you also not in possession of a bloody flying car.
When it upgrades to the Cyclone Board, it still really doesn’t do much. The only difference is you can make a hurricane appear around you if you hold the attack button.
It’s only when you do the second upgrade and turn it into the Ultimate Hoverjet that it becomes useful. Much like the DeLorean’s final upgrade, this lets you fly wherever you like and fire missiles to blow up silver Lego bricks.
Considering the DeLorean does everything the Hoverboard does and so much more, it’s a completely pointless gadget except for one obvious feature: it’s the Hoverboard.
Much like Homer’s Car in the Simpsons level pack, then, you’ll be more likely to use the Hoverboard for the sheer novelty of doing so. Just don’t expect to be doing anything massively productive while you do.
Review:
Marty is a ‘good news, bad news’ character. The good news is that his guitar makes him ridiculously powerful when fighting enemies, and when you do his jumping ground pound attack the shockwave it makes is enormous.
The bad news is that while he also has the ability to make glass shatter by playing his guitar, that’s the only skill he has. This makes him the only character in Lego Dimensions to have a single ability (and it’s one you already have in the Starter Pack, since the Batmobile can do it when you upgrade it).
This is partly excused for the fact that he’s just so much fun to play as, mainly thanks to Michael J Fox’s newly recorded dialogue (the first time he’s properly played Marty in over 20 years).
Because it’s all new dialogue and not archived stuff, the developers had a field day getting Fox to record all sorts of crossover lines for whenever Marty is teamed up with certain characters.
All these lovely little touches make up for Marty’s relative uselessness when it comes to puzzle solving, and many’s a time I’ve had him in my active roster just to have him around.
Buy him:
Marty comes in a Level Pack which includes the Delorean, the Hoverboard and a new level based on Back To The Future. Here’s my full review of the pack.
Nya
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
Eliza Schneider (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Laser Deflection, Spinjitsu, Stealth
Who is she?
Kai’s younger sister is a Water Ninja, though she doesn’t quite have the same level of Ninja skills the rest of her team does. She makes up for this with a load of weapons and gadgets though, including a ruddy massive Samurai Mech.
Notable interactions:
• (to Scooby-Doo) “I wish I could say a talking dog was the weirdest thing I’ve seen today, but it doesn’t even make the top five.”
• (to Cyberman) “I bet Jay would just love to see what makes you tick.”
Gadget:
Samurai Mech: An enormous robot designed to look like a huge metallic ninja. Nya (or anyone else) can climb inside it and use its strength to plough through all manner of objects and enemies.
Naturally, its standard form is armed with the Super Strength ability, while upgrading it to the Samurai Shooter gives it the ability to blow up silver Lego blocks. Finally, its Soaring Samurai Mech upgrade makes it even more useful by adding the power of flight.
Review:
Nya is similar to her fellow ninja Kai in that on her own she brings nothing remarkable to the table.
She’s got the same standard abilities her other five Ninjago chums have, and while she’s a solid fighter so are the others.
It’s her Samurai Mech that makes her such a fun character, not only because it’s great fun to build in real life (it’s easily the tallest of the real-life builds in the game other than the base itself) but also because the in-game version is huge.
Being a mech ninja, it’s also a nippy big sod, meaning you can bound through levels with all the grace of a ballerina, but all the destructive ability of a ballerina with a bazooka.
It’s a case of average character, above-average gadget, then, but naturally you can’t get the mech without the man. Or woman, in this case.
Buy her:
Nya and her Samurai Mech come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Owen Grady
Franchise:
Jurassic World
Voice actor:
Chris Pratt (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Stealth, Target, Tracking, Vine Cutting
Who is he?
A former member of the US Military, Owen was hired by Jurassic World to study and train the park’s pack of velociraptors. He ends up teaching them how to work alongside him like badass attack dogs.
Notable interactions:
• (to his Velociraptor) “Okay, let’s make a deal. You don’t eat me, and I promise not to get stuck in your throat when you inevitably do.”
• (to Unikitty) “Part cat, part unicorn? Ingen definitely had a hand in that.”
• (in Benny’s Spaceship) “A spaceship? Really? And people say dinosaurs are science fiction.”
Gadget:
Velociraptor: For those who’ve seen Jurassic World, this particular raptor seems to resemble ‘Blue’ from that movie, which makes sense.
Like Owen himself, it has the ability to cut vines and not much else in its standard form (other than attacking people, obviously).
Upgrade it to the Spike Attack Raptor and it gains digging and super strength abilities, while upgrading it to the Venom Raptor turns it all Dilophosaurus-like and lets you spit venom at enemies.
Look, it’s a raptor you can ride. That should be enough.
Review:
Owen and his velociraptor are the only characters (in terms of Year One at least) with the ability to cut through vines.
This makes him essential for completing the game 100%, although considering he’s also part of the only pack that unlocks the Jurassic World adventure world that sort of goes without saying anyway.
The handful of other skills he has are the sort of things you’d expect from a Bear Grylls style dino hunter type. He’s got a stealth move, can track hidden prints on the ground and can use tranquiliser darts to hit targets.
He’s a decent character, then, and one whose usefulness goes beyond needing him to unlock everything.
Buy him:
Owen and the Velociraptor come in the Jurassic World Team Pack along with the ACU Trooper and his Gyrosphere.
Peter Venkman
Franchise:
Ghostbusters
Voice actor:
Bill Murray (archive dialogue), plus Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson (archive dialogue)
Abilities:
Laser, Suspend Ghosts
Who is he?
One of the founding members of the Ghostbusters, a group of parapsychologists (plus Ernie Hudson) who start a spook-trapping business, conveniently just as New York becomes overrun with the sods.
Notable interactions:
• (to The Doctor) “You didn’t used to look like this.”
• (to Unikitty) “There are some things in this world that go way beyond human understanding.”
Gadget 1:
Ecto-1: Let’s face it, Venkman’s first gadget had to be the iconic car from the Ghostbusters movie.
It’s a fairly standard vehicle in its original form. It doesn’t have any special abilities, though it does come with the added awesomeness of being able to turn its trademark wailing siren on and off.
When you upgrade it to the Ecto-1 Blaster it transforms into a sort of fire engine and gains a couple of new abilities: it can pull tow switches and spray water to grow plants and clean up hazards.
Finally, upgrading it again to the Ecto-1 Water Diver turns it into a submarine, which can dive underwater and fire a blaster that can blow up silver Lego obstacles.
Ecto-1 is similar to Homer’s Car in the Simpsons level pack in that its main selling point is that it’s an iconic vehicle from popular culture. There are plenty of better vehicles in the game, but if you’re a Ghostbusters fan like me the sheer novelty of driving this particular one wins out anyway.
As a side note: every vehicle and gadget in the game has alternative skins that can be unlocked, but Ecto-1 has one of my favourites because you can repaint it to look like the Ghostbusters 2 car, complete with new logo.
Gadget 2:
Ghost Trap: Venkman’s Proton Pack weapon is all well and good when it comes to stunning ghosts and dragging them around, but without a place to put them it’s all a bit pointless.
That’s where the Ghost Trap comes into play. If you fire your Proton Pack at a stunned ghost and drag it over to the trap, it’ll open up and suck in the ghost, giving you a load of Lego studs as a reward.
Outside of the Ghostbusters level ghosts are few and far between which renders the trap pretty useless in its standard form: without ghosts it can’t trap anyone.
However, once you upgrade it to the Ghost Stun ‘n’ Trap, it also gains the ability to trap standard enemies. It may be quicker and easier to kill them normally, but come on: this way you get to be a Ghostbuster.
Its final upgrade, the Proton Zapper, is an odd one in that it turns the Ghost Trap into a laser turret that acts just like the Proton Pack weapon. Oddly, this is only useful when you aren’t playing as Venkman, since he already has a Proton Pack.
Ultimately, the Ghost Trap is a jack of one trade and when it comes to trapping ghosts it gets the job done. For the most part though, you won’t be using this one because it’s used far too infrequently to justify using up one of your seven roster slots.
Review:
Venkman’s Proton Pack device can be fired at ghosts and used to drag them, Luigi’s Manision style, into his Ghost Trap gadget. Since he’s the only character in the game who can do this and there are a number of moments in the game where ghosts are blocking gold bricks, this means he’s essential for completing the game 100%.
I mean, he was anyway because he unlocks a bonus Ghostbusters level, but even so.
The Proton Pack also doubles as an effective laser, making it effortless to destroy large areas filled with scenery or enemies (as well as gold obstacles, like other lasers can).
Though ghosts don’t appear too often outside of the Ghostbusters level he comes with, then, this destructive ability still makes him a useful member of your roster.
There’s another lovely wee treat you may not be aware of though. Finish the level he comes with and you unlock the ability to switch Venkman out for any of the other three Ghostbusters whenever you like, each with their own dialogue and animations.
It’s a lovely touch and essentially means you’re getting four characters instead of one.
Buy him:
Peter Venkman comes in a Level Pack along with the Ecto-1, the Ghost Trap and a new level based on Ghostbusters. Here’s my full review of the pack.
Scooby Doo
Franchise:
Scooby-Doo
Voice actor:
Frank Welker (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Dig, Dive, Stealth, Tracking
Who is he?
The faithful dog of the Mystery Incorporated squad, Scooby is a cowardly Great Dane who joins his master Shaggy and the rest of the gang solving spooky mysteries, which usually consists of pulling ghost masks off old men’s heads.
Notable interactions:
• (to Batman) “Rara rara rara rara Batmaaaan!”
• (riding K-9) “Hee hee hee, nice robot doggy.”
• (to Stay Puft) “Oooh, a big gooey Scooby Snack.”
Gadget:
Scooby Snack: This unique item comes in three different forms, each of which temporarily gives the user a different ability when they eat it.
The standard Scooby Snack gives you the Super Strength Ability for a short while.
Upgrade it to the Scooby Fire Snack and you instead get to fire a laser for a while, and upgrade it again to the Scooby Ghost Snack to turn you invisible and give you the Stealth ability.
An interesting little gizmo, then, that acts as little more than a portable triple-ability kit.
Review:
Scooby-Doo is a laugh to play as. His ridiculous running animation is faithful to the cartoons, with his legs flailing all over the place, and his voice acting is top notch.
Crucially, he’s also the only Year One character in the game with the Dig ability, which lets him dig up certain pieces of dirt to find hidden treasures underneath.
Although there are some vehicles that also have this ability, none of them can dive underwater and there’s at least one section in the game where a gold brick is hidden in some dirt underwater.
As a result, Scoobs is essential if you want to complete the game 100% (though he also unlocks the Scooby-Doo adventure world, so he’s essential anyway).
Buy him:
Scooby-Doo and his Scooby Snack come in a Team Pack along with Shaggy and the Mystery Machine.
Sensei Wu
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
William Salyers (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Pole Vault, Spinjitsu, Stealth
Who is he?
He’s only the ruddy Master of Creation, you know. Sensei Wu teaches the other Ninjago crew the art of Spinjitzu, and he’d know given it was his dad who was the First Spinjitzu Master.
Notable interactions:
• (to The Doctor) “I sense you have great wisdom, Doctor.”
• (when entering the game) “Your decision to summon me was most enlightened.”
Gadget:
Flying White Dragon: Lloyd isn’t the only Ninjago character in the game with a flying dragon he can ride. Sensei Wu’s does pretty much the same thing in its standard form, flying around at high speeds.
It’s more useful than Lloyd’s dragon though, because you can upgrade it to the Golden Fire Dragon and use it to spit fireballs.
Upgrade it again to the Ultra Destruction Dragon and it goes less Yoga Fire and more Yoga Flame, as it breathes a huge stream of fire. It’s a dragon mate, that’s what they do.
Review:
If you only want to buy one Lego Ninjago character so you can unlock the Ninjago Adventure World and beat the game 100%, Sensi Wu is the Sensei for Yu.
“But WHY Chris,” I hear you wail. “I need to know the reason or I won’t be fully convinced.”
Cheer up, I’m going to tell you. Not only does Master Wu have the standard Spinjitzu ability all the other Ninjago characters have (rendering them all unnecessary), he also has the rare Pole Vault ability.
The only other characters with this ability are the dull Legolas and the obscenely rare Green Arrow, meaning if you buy Sensei Wu you won’t need the other Tu.
Buy him:
Sensei Wu and his Flying White Dragon come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Shaggy Rogers
Franchise:
Scooby-Doo
Voice actor:
Matthew Lillard (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Illumination, Stealth, Tracking
Who is he?
A member of Mystery Incorporated, Shaggy and his trusty dog Scooby-Doo spend their time being terrified of ghosts and thinking of ways to hide in the background instead of helping their friends solve mysteries.
Notable interactions:
• (in the TARDIS) “Like, I always wanted to travel through time. I could eat lunch twice.”
• (to the Wicked Witch) “It’s always a guy dressed as the witch. Haha, so obvious! Uh, you ARE in costume, right?”
• (to Peter Venkman) “Like, dude, we unmask ghosts all the time. No big deal.”
Gadget:
Mystery Machine: When you think of iconic movie and TV vehicles the big ridiculous hippy van that is the Mystery Machine has to be on the list.
The standard build is your typical ground vehicle fare. It can drive around, looking cool because it’s the Mystery Machine, and that’s it.
The Mystery Tow & Go upgrade changes its appearance slightly and lets you use Tow Bars (much like the Batmobile already can).
Finally, its Mystery Monster upgrade adds two water cannons to the side, letting you clean up hazards and make plants grow (a relatively rare ability).
Review:
Together with Scooby-Doo, Shaggy is another hilarious character to play as.
His original dialogue (provided by long-time Shaggy voice Matthew Lillard) is a treat (or a Scooby Snack, if you will) and his animations are just as exaggerated as his canine companion’s.
He’s a far less useful character than Scooby-Doo is, mind you, with a fairly small array of abilities that are generally common among a number of other characters.
Considering he already comes with Scooby though, it would be downright cruel not to keep them together while you play.
Buy him:
Shaggy and the Mystery Machine come in a Team Pack with Scooby-Doo and a Scooby Snack.
Slimer
Franchise:
Ghostbusters
Voice actor:
Frank Welker (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Boomerang, Dive, Flight, Hazard Cleanup, Illumination, Invulnerability, Mini Access, Sonar Smash
Who is he?
A ghost that used to haunt the twelfth floor of New York’s illustrious Sedgewick Hotel, until the Ghostbusters turned up and decided to catch him. It’s said Slimer is supposed to be the ghost of late comedy actor John Belushi.
Notable interactions:
None (he only grunts and screams)
Gadget:
Slime Shooter: The Slime Shooter is an odd gadget. It’s a static weapon that doesn’t move, and can be used to fire slime bolts at enemies and targets.
Upgrade it to the Slime Exploder and it does much the same thing, except it fires a constant stream of slime instead of individual shots.
Upgrade it one more time and the Slime Streamer acts like a sort of chargeable slime explosion, blasting slime into the sky and causing it to rain down on enemies.
Review:
Slimer was one of the last Year One characters released and he was worth the wait.
Just look at his list of abilities and you’ll see why he’s an absolute beast of a character. You can fly around, completely invincible, diving underwater and squeezing into tight spots.
In fact, if you want to 100% the game you’re going to need Slimer because one adventure world has a bunch of ghosts underwater and he’s the only one who can get through them.
That’s because he’s Slimer. And he’s awesome.
Buy him:
Slimer and his Slime Shooter come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Stay Puft
Franchise:
Ghostbusters
Voice actor:
None
Abilities:
Big Transform, Super Strength
Who is he?
One of the main antagonists in the original Ghostbusters film, Stay Puft is the physical embodiment of Gozer the Destroyer, unintentionally chosen by Ghostbuster Ray Stantz. He’s adorably terrifying.
Notable interactions:
None (he’s mute)
Gadget:
Terror Dog: Stay Puft’s ‘vehicle’ is one of the two demon dogs that stand beside Gozer at the end of the first Ghostbusters movie. It’s not clear which one it is, but let’s say it’s the one with Rick Moranis inside.
In its standard form it just runs around, but the sight of your character sitting on its back is entertaining enough to justify riding it.
Upgrade to the Terror Dog Destroyer and it can spit balls of molten rock at enemies, which can also destroy silver Lego blocks.
Even better though, upgrade again to the Soaring Terror Dog and that sucker can FLY.
Review:
I’m torn when it comes to Stay-Puft. You see, in theory I should be telling you that he doesn’t have a lot going for him.
I should be telling you that the only real ability he has is using Super Strength to smash some walls and objects, which is something a lot of characters can do.
I should also be telling you that his combat ability isn’t up to scratch and the fact he’s pretty much mute means he doesn’t even have entertaining dialogue to make up for it.
But look at his FACE.
Buy him:
Stay Puft and the Terror Dog come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Supergirl
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Kari Wahlgren (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Dive, Flight, Invulnerability, Laser, Super Strength, X-Ray Vision, Red Lantern
Who is she?
Kara Zor-El is Superman’s older cousin. When Superman’s parents sent him to Earth as a baby, Supergirl’s parents sent her in another ship to take care of him. However, her ship got lost in the Phantom Zone for 24 years, during which time she didn’t age.
When she finally landed on Earth more than two decades later, she was still a teenage girl. Still, not to worry, she still has powers and that.
Notable interactions:
• (to Benny) “You have a spaceship? Me too! Well, mine’s more of a pod. But it was in space.”
• (to Superman) “Hey Kal, how’s it going? Seems like I keep missing you lately.”
Gadget:
None
Review:
Unsurprisingly, Supergirl is very similar to Superman, with much of the same abilities.
This means that, like Superman, she’s one of the most powerful characters in the game. She’s invincible, can fly, can fire a laser, has super strength, the list goes on.
One difference she does have is the ability to transform into her nastier Red Lantern form. This adds a couple of new abilities, like shooting energy blasts from her hand and ‘Red Lantern Constructs’, a mysterious ability that seemingly doesn’t come into play yet but might when the Year 2 packs arrive.
Long story short, if you already have the much easier-to-get Superman then you don’t need Supergirl for now. If you don’t have Superman and have a chance to get Supergirl instead, go for it.
One thing to bear in mind, though: her Valley girl style voice acting is really annoying.
Buy her:
The only way you can currently get Supergirl is by buying the PS4 Starter Pack for Lego Dimensions as of 16 September 2016. If you have an older version of the Starter Pack or want the game on a different system, you’re out of luck for now.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not yet clear if she’s going to be available to buy separately in the future. The trailer for her says she’s “included in specially marked Lego Dimensions PS4 Starter Packs until 28 March 2017”, but many are taking that to mean she’ll be available to buy separately after then.
That’s not really what it says, though – there’s every possibility that she’ll simply be unavailable anywhere after that date.
Superman
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Travis Willingham (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Dive, Flight, Ice Breath, Invulnerability, Laser, Super Strength, X-Ray Vision
Who is he?
Born Kal-El on the alien planet Krypton, Superman was sent on a rocket to Earth right before Krypton was blown to smithereens. When he landed on Earth, it soon became clear he had superhuman abilities.
Notable interactions:
• (to Batman) “Let’s settle this rivalry once and for all. Coffee or tea?”
• (to Chell) “You were captured by an evil computer? Yeah, I’ve been there.”
• (to Owen Grady) “An island full of dinosaurs? Was I there? I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a theme park.”
Gadget:
Hover Pod: I sort of get the feeling the Hover Pod is in there just because they couldn’t really release Superman without any gadgets or vehicles.
It’s a standard looking ship which in its first form can only fly (Superman can already fly) and in its second Krypton Striker form can fire missiles (Superman already has a laser).
It’s only in its third form, the Super Stealth Pod, that it gains an ability Superman doesn’t already have – the ability to blow up silver Lego objects, like so many other vehicles.
Bit pointless, this one.
Review:
Superman is my second favourite character in the game.
He’s basically a cheat code in playable form. He’s invincible. He can fly at insane speeds, which lets him cut out huge chunks of levels during the Story mode.
He can mow through enemies with his laser. He can swim underwater and do all this there too.
In fact, he’s so fast at both flying and swimming that you can use him for every type checkpoint race – the air ones, the underwater ones and even the car ones by flying low to the ground – and win most of them easily.
He’s an absolute beast. He isn’t essential to complete the game 100%, but he’s essential for getting the most enjoyment out of it.
Buy him:
Superman and his Hover Pod come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Unikitty
Franchise:
The Lego Movie
Voice actor:
Alison Brie (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Big Transform, Master Building, Rainbow Bricks
Who is she?
One of the main characters in The Lego Movie. Unikitty comes from Cloud Cuckoo Land, the most colourful land in the Lego universe. Get her annoyed though and she’ll show her mean side.
Notable interactions:
• (to the Wicked Witch) “If you spent more time singing you wouldn’t be so wicked, witch.”
• (to Bad Cop) “I have a particular set of skills, Bad Cop. And they’re to bring you happy thoughts.” (a reference to Liam Neeson in Taken. Neeson voiced Bad Cop)
• (to Homer) “Is that a can of Buzz Cola? Can I try some? I’ve never had sugar before.”
Gadget:
Cloud Cuckoo Car: Despite its name, the Cloud Cuckoo Car is actually a plane, not a car. It is shaped like a cloud and has a cuckoo’s face though, so two out of three isn’t bad.
In its normal form it can land on flight docks and hook onto cargo like many other flying vehicles can.
Upgrade it to the X-treme Soaker and it gains two water jets. These are used to propel the vehicle jetpack style but the water can also clean hazards and make plants grow.
Finally, upgrading it to the Rainbow Cannon lets you fire rainbow coloured pellets which destroy both enemies and rainbow bricks.
Review:
If you’re the sort of manly man who wouldn’t be seen dead buying a bright pink toy then you’d better get in touch with your feminine side pronto because you need Unikitty to beat the game 100%.
She’s the only character in the game with the ability to destroy rainbow blocks, and there are plenty of instances in which you’ll come across them too.
Thankfully she’s also a fun character to play as, thanks to her extreme split personality. Hold the action button to transform her into a huge, raging, bright red hell cat with a Super Strength ability.
Buy her:
Unikitty and her Cloud Cuckoo Car come in a standalone Fun Pack.
The Wicked Witch Of The West
Franchise:
The Wizard Of Oz
Voice actor:
Courtenay Taylor (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Flight, Illumination, Magic, Magic Shield, Mind Control, Silver Destruction
Who is she?
The nasty antagonist of The Wizard Of Oz, the Wicked Witch is the evil ruler of the Winkie Country. And I promise that isn’t a euphemism.
Notable interactions:
• (to Cyborg) “Careful you don’t rust, tin man! Mwa ha ha!”
• (to Aquaman) “An aquatic man, eh? Keep that horrible water away from me.”
• (to Wonder Woman) “Another good witch? Curses!”
• (riding the Ecto-1) “What a horribly bright-looking carriage, although I do like the spooky ghost on the side.”
Gadget:
Winged Monkey: “Fly my pretties, flyyyyyy!” Good job that’s all the Wicked Witch asked of her winged monkeys, because in its standard form this one can’t really do anything else.
Upgrade it to the Battle Monkey and this changes, as it gains the ability to fire missiles at enemies.
The Commander Monkey upgrade, meanwhile, gives it a little trumpet which lets it smash glass using the Sonar Smash ability.
Review:
The Wicked Witch is a useful character to have, not least of all because she’s the only Wizard Of Oz character in the game and therefore the only way to unlock the Wizard Of Oz adventure world.
She’s also got a couple of rare abilities which are handy if you fancy mixing characters around a bit.
For example, she’s the only character other than Gandalf with the ability to use magic. Well, in Year 1, at least. Harry Potter and co will change that in Year 2.
That means if you aren’t much of a Lord Of The Rings fan you can ditch old beardy and play as a much more entertaining baddie instead.
Buy her:
The Wicked Witch and her Flying Monkey come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Wonder Woman
Franchise:
DC Comics
Voice actor:
Laura Bailey (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Boomerang, Dive, Flight, Grapple, Invulnerability, Laser Deflection, Mind Control, Super Strength
Who is she?
She’s an Amazon from the island of Themyscira and her real name is Diana Prince (as opposed to Princess Diana). After winning a contest, she was chosen to be the warrior who would travel to ‘Man’s World’ and help people out there. That’s ‘Man’ as in mankind, by the way. She empowers women but not in that way.
Notable interactions:
• (to Gollum) “No, these are my bracelets, not your ‘Precious’, whatever that is.”
• (to the TARDIS) “What is this? Looks like something Superman would change outfits in.”
• (to Homer) “Hey Homer. Someone told me you were a fan of mine?”
Gadget:
Invisible Jet: Much like Superman, Wonder Woman is accompanied with a vehicle that is completely useless to her because its main property is its ability to fly.
When you upgrade it to the Laser Shooter you can… you know what, I’m going to let you figure that one out.
Upgrade it again to the Torpedo Bomber and… yup.
Review:
You know how I was saying Superman is my second favourite character in the game? Meet my favourite.
Just like Superman, she’s invincible and can fly at ridiculous speeds. And just like Supes she’s got a whole host of other abilities.
The thing is though, these other abilities are much more impressive and useful than Superman’s.
While Superman has a laser and X-Ray vision, Wonder Woman instead has a boomerang and grapple. These aren’t a big deal in theory because Batman can do both, but that’s the point – get Wonder Woman and you don’t need to switch to Batman anymore.
Considering huge swathes of the game have Batman-based puzzles because he’s a Starter Pack character, this makes Wonder Woman not only an invincible flying machine, but one whose skills are in constant need. Get her bought.
Buy her:
Wonder Woman and her Invisible Jet come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Wyldstyle
Franchise:
The Lego Movie
Voice actor:
Elizabeth Banks (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Acrobat, Master Building, Relic Detection
Who is she?
The other main protagonist of The Lego Movie, Wyldstyle is tasked with finding ‘The Special’ and making sure he fulfils the prophecy by saving the world from destruction. When she realises it’s the hapless Emmet, she starts to question whether the prophecy really is true.
Notable interactions:
• (to Wonder Woman) “Hey girl, how’s it going? Things with Superman all good? We should grab a coffee sometime.”
• (in the Cloud Cuckoo Car) “Don’t tell Batman but this is the greatest ride ever.”
Gadget:
None
Review:
As one of the Starter Pack characters it sort of goes without saying that, like Batman and Gandalf, Wyldstyle’s abilities get called upon frequently.
Her Master Building abilities are only shared by a couple of other Lego Movie characters (Benny, Emmet and Unikitty) while her Relic Detection ability is unique to just her and Bad Cop.
Unless you have a serious love for any of these characters, then, you can expect to have Wyldstyle close by at all times because any time you see a purple glowing area in the game (and it happens often) you know she’s going to be called into action.
Buy her:
No need, she’s already included in the Starter Pack.
Zane
Franchise:
Lego Ninjago
Voice actor:
Yuri Lowenthal (original dialogue)
Abilities:
Boomerang, Dive, Spinjitsu, Stealth, X-Ray Vision
Who is he?
Ninjago master Sensei Wu first discovered Zane trying to hold his breath underwater. Wu took him to the dojo and trained him to be a Ninja of Ice. It soon emerges that he’s only a bloody robot (well, a Nindroid to be precise).
Notable interactions:
• (to Gimli) “Your beard is surprisingly lustrous for a small child.”
• (to Cyberman) “Were you also built by my father?”
• to Cyborg) “If you do not mind me asking, what percentage of you is robot?”
Gadget:
Ninjacopter: In its initial for this is a standard flying vehicle with a built-in gun. It’s easy to control and it does the job in terms of aircraft.
Upgrade it to Glaciator and things start to get interesting as it gains the ability to fire big ice blasts.
Upgrade it again to the Freeze Fighter and you can shoot a powerful ice beam, which incorporates both the Laser and Freeze Breath abilities in one powerful shot.
Review:
Zane is the bulkiest of the six Ninjago ninja, and doesn’t share their acrobatic abilities. Suppose that’s what happens when your insides are all metal and stuff.
That said, it does make him easily the most unique of the ninja characters, because he has different abilities they don’t possess. He can fire his shuriken as boomerangs, for example, and can also dive underwater.
He can also use his freaky robot eyes for X-ray vision, letting him solve some of the X-ray puzzles dotted around the game. Cyberman and Superman are the only other characters that can do this.
While buying one of the other five ninja essentially means you’re buying them all in terms of abilities, then, Zane is different enough to make him a good companion to any other ninja character.
He does talk like a bit of a numpty, though.
Buy him:
Zane and his Ninjacopter come in a standalone Fun Pack.
Well, there you have it. A massive thank you for reading all that if you got this far.
As you can probably imagine, writing 17,000 words and capturing nearly a hundred screenshots took a hell of a long time.
If you want to support my work and help me write more wrist-shatteringly in-depth articles like this, please consider contributing to my Patreon. When I hit my next stretch goal I’ll be launching a Tired Old Hack podcast.
Christ, you weren’t messing about here. I don’t even care about Lego Dimensions but I read it anyway, because I want to support your admirable promise of keeping it all on one page. It also helps that I enjoy your writing anyway, of course, even if this was a lot “cleaner” than usual 😉
My favorite parts were the bits on there notable interactions, so much detail in here, really great!!!
Great article!
I really want to play Lego Deminsions. And this may be a dumb question but- Do I continually have to have the toys to hand when I’m playing? Or can I place them on the portal thing once and the game always knows I have it, so I can just select characters/ levels from a menu?
I don’t want to clutter my house with the figures but there are so many packs I’m interested in. If they offered all the stuff as DLC I’d jump on it.
Hi! I’m afraid you have to have all the toys to hand when playing. I suppose it’s to stop people borrowing their friends’ toys, scanning them in and giving them back.
Thank you for taking the time to put all of this out there! Really really helpful.