Nowadays the collectibles market is experiencing one of its most flourishing periods, above all thanks to the increase in products intended for the representation of every type of imaginable universe, be it based on a video game, film, TV series, anime, manga or book. If certain collectible “pieces” can be considered true Holy Grails, there are also many compromises for those who want to collect even just a small figure of their favorite media. Precisely in this area we find the now very famous Funko POP!who through their iconic style have quickly become a real brand, even getting their own video game. It was born this way Funko Fusionthe studio’s latest product 1010 Games Ltdwhich aims to make the universe known Funko to an even wider audience, allowing us to impersonate the very famous figures from around twenty different franchises, dragging us into their world and experiencing a fun reinterpretation of their adventures.
Find out if this crazy experiment was a success in our latest review!
- Title: Funko Fusion
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)
- Version analyzed: Xbox Series (EU)
- Type: Action, Adventure
- Players: 1
- Publisher: 1010 Games Ltd
- Developer: 1010 Games Ltd
- Tongue: Italian (texts), English (dubbing)
- Release date: September 13, 2024
- Availability: retail, digital delivery
- DLC: not announced
- Notes: none
We reviewed Funko Fusion with an Xbox Series X|S code provided to us for free by 1010 Games via Keymailer.
A story in… “Limited Edition”
For the world of video games it is now not unusual to see the union of multiple worlds through particular crossovers, in fact we just need to think of the well-known KINGDOM HEARTSwhere the aim is to offer the player the possibility of finding all his favorite characters (or at least most of them) within a single product. Funko Fusion sets itself the same objective, finally dedicating the necessary attention to its corporate mascot, Freddy Funko. We will indeed be called to help Freddy and his staff as they face the unprecedented evil counterpart of the house mascot, Eddy Funko. The power of Eddie However, it manages to spread across the different worlds based on the franchise, with decidedly unexpected consequences.
The game plot will not follow a linear storyand we will be able to freely choose which level to dedicate ourselves to. Each of the seven game worlds will have five different levels, which will also provide us with access to the standard pack of figures Funko of that specific universe. Each world will also feature levels and cameo characters from other franchises, but they will only be accessible after meeting particular criteria. The objectives of the various missions revolve, as you might imagine, around the plot of the film in which the level is setthe retelling of (sometimes gruesome) stories in a decidedly more funny and farcical style, we can say that almost always manages to find a balance with the basic plot.
There Funko Factory serves as the central hub, and here each floor is assigned to one of the seven universes chosen as the game’s main settings, although a certain number of crowns will be needed before the next world can be unlocked. These can be earned by completing levels or collecting different collectibles. Everything is fine Funko has unique abilities that will allow us to find hidden objects in the various levels (following the lines of video games LEGO with which it shares more than a simple parallel), pushing the player to want to collect them all in order to fully explore the possibilities of the game. However, the lack of a map and the inconsistency with on-screen waypoints made navigating the movie-themed sandbox excessively laborious in some places.
Be careful not to lose your head!
All playable characters within Funko Fusion they are equipped with a melee weapon and a firearm, with simple, but essential gameplay mechanics if you look for them a title capable of relaxing the player and letting him turn off his brain. The title also offers the possibility of enabling assisted aiming, although it will be almost impossible to miss the enormous head of our enemies. The world around our protagonists will be almost entirely damageable, allowing us to obtain a particular currency with which to purchase upgrades, health drinks, weapons and many other essential items. We wouldn’t have minded having a larger inventory at our disposal, especially given the wide variety of collectible weapons that are made available to the player.
Within the numerous levels it will also be possible to obtain special tokens with which to unlock new consumable items or even unique objects with which to solve the different puzzles made available to the game. The tokens, like many other collectible elements, will force our protagonist to have both hands full, leaving us defenseless in the face of enemies who will frequently appear to make the adventure slightly more difficult. This is particularly noticeable when we have to deliver the object to the opposite side of the level, bringing this game plan almost precludes the possibility of searching for and unlocking new weapons or upgradesproceeding only with the level.
The world outside the box
Technically speaking it is undeniable that Funko Fusion has had more than a few problems in its development path. The main aspect in which we can notice it is the sound design of the work, with the audio often interrupting and a muffled or even absent soundtrack. This discussion is also applicable to the game texts, with several jokes not translated into Italian and left in the original English. Even graphically the situation is not rosy, with numerous drops in frame rate even in performance mode, also noting the presence of several bugs that afflict the entire work and even force the player to have to re-face several levels in their entirety.
However, perhaps the most successful element of Funko Fusionare the environments created by the development team, which fully embrace their Funko POP! with a bright and colorful aesthetic. Exploring and fighting in locations that at that time we had only been able to see in films and television series (also reproduced with great accuracy) add a touch of novelty to the world of “toys” as we are used to knowing it. Also noteworthy is the character selection menuespecially once we add some new figures to the shelves, with the boxes Funko replicate carefully.
What leaves us confused, however, is the audience to which the work is intended to refer. Although it was initially advertised as a game aimed more at an adult audience, certain gameplay choices bring an excessive cloying simplicity that could easily become boring for a more mature audience. At the same time, some scenes and references make it unsuitable for an audience of minors, resulting in a title stuck in its own limbo in many respects.
Who do we recommend Funko Fusion to?
Funko Fusion it is recommended for all lovers of the collectible figures of the same name, but also for those who wish to be able to experience their favorite media in a humorous way (provided it is among the seven available). You can purchase the physical version of Funko Fusion on Amazon by following this link.
- Unique artistic style
- High attention to detail of the settings and representation of the stories
- Simple and immediate gameplay…
- …Although it might lead some players to feel monotony
- Excessive presence of bugs
- Some situations may appear confusing
Funko Fusion
A Funko that is perhaps best left unopened… for now
Funko Fusion it certainly represents an excellent idea, but poorly executed both on the technical and playful side of the work. The ideas brought to the screen draw inspiration from famous titles LEGOvery often passing more as a caricature of them than real inspiration. The worlds made available to the player are not many, but the presence of cameo levels manages to convince even the most demanding players. The gameplay is simple, fun, satisfying, but the monotony will begin to be felt already at the end of the first game world. The presence of numerous bugs does not help the already not too rosy situation and only the attention to detail in the settings and stories shown on the screen improves it. A game that we recommend picking up at a strong discount and perhaps after several patches that can improve the overall situation.
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