LEGO Battles is a Real-Time Strategy game for the Nintendo DS devloped by Hellbent Games and co-developed by TT Games, released June 9 of 2009. As per any other LEGO Adaptation Game, cutscenes are very tongue-in-cheek, minikits can be found for special characters and red bricks can be obtained for extras or cheats.
The LEGO Themes and Their Campaigns
- LEGO Castle (2007-2009): Featuring King Rivet's Kingdom and Wizard Mallock's Undead Army. King Rivet's campaign involves defending from the attacking army while Mallock's story shows he's only after the magic crystals to complete a staff and bring back his lost love: the Sorceress. Like the toy line, the Western Kingdom allies with the Dwarves and the Undead Army unite with the Trolls.
- LEGO Pirates: Captain Brickbeard's story involves an old, drunken pirate telling his tale of a treasure map that was torn into three pieces which he kept one of them. Captain Brickbeard uses this and sets sail to find the remaining treasure map pieces and ultimately find that treasure, meeting native Islanders along the way where King Kahuka lends his aid. The Imperials meanwhile are after the pirates in an effort to police the seas and stop the pirates from plundering others (and because Brickbeard got under Governor Broadside's skin one too many times). The Ninjas approach the Imperials in a bid for help as the Islanders had captured their master.
- LEGO Mars Mission: Earth forces arrive on Mars around the same time as the Aliens crash-land. Like the toy line, both sides are fighting for control of the energy crystals though the Aliens are simply trying to repair their ship and escape. Along the way, the LEGO Space Police had chased alien criminals to the red planet as well with the Space Police Force approaching Earth forces for assistance while the Space Criminals seek the Aliens for asylum and to escape Mars with them.
Examples within the game include:
- A Commander Is You: Done in an odd fashion, free play and multiplayer allows you to customize the specific units you use to suit your playstyle but at most it's changing the balance between Spammer with cheap units, Elitist with the best units or going for a Balance between the two as all units are functionally identical outside of some unit types being land bound, sea bound or flying between the different factions.
- Action Girl: The Queen, Sorceress, Lady Pirate, Camilla, Gemma and the Alien Queen. Though, outside of Gemma, they are only unlocked after beating the respective storylines where they are featured in the respective ending cutscenes.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: The Islanders in the original LEGO Pirates sets were a firmly neutral faction, while this game has them allied with the Pirates in their conflict with the Imperials.
- And the Adventure Continues: After Captain Brickbeard finds out that Victory Is Boring in the Pirate ending, Lady Pirate comes in and shows him a new treasure map.
- Arbitrary Headcount Limit: You can have, at most, twenty minifigure units, one hero, and four special or vehicle units. The Alien Criminal Leader and Agent Chase's hotwire ability allows you to steal enemy vehicles and go over this cap, however. Of course, the limit may be because the DS is a relatively old console with limited capabilities.
- Artificial Stupidity: The unit pathing in this game makes even Dragoons and Goliaths look like geniuses; units will frequently run directly into walls rather than try to go around them when there is otherwise a clear means of doing so. This affects AI commanders even more than it does human ones, as on maps with terrain walls, the AI never seems to order their units to go around the obstructing terrain the way a human player inevitably has to.
- Area of Effect: The King's earthquake, the Wizard's lightning, etc.
- Color-Coded Armies: Blue for the King and Imperials, Red for the Wizard and Pirates, Orange for the astronauts, Green for the aliens. The third side in missions tend to be green, unless the aliens are present then it's blue.
- Construct Additional Pylons: Farms for the Western Kingdom, graveyards for the Wizard's army, plantations for the Pirates, quarters for the Imperials, biodomes for the Earth forces and hatcheries for the Aliens. These all increase your unit cap by four minifigures and one special unit.
- Command & Conquer Economy: Your fief/naval yard/surface base/whatever won't build itself on it's own.
- Covers Always Lie: The boxart shows Biff alongside the King and Captain Brickbeard, suggesting that he would be the leader of the Astronaut campaign. In the actual game, Gemma is the leader, with Biff appearing in cutscenes and only being playable in freeplay mode after beating the campaign.
- Defog of War: It can be done through the extras, either to reveal red bricks, minikits, blue studs, enemies or even the entire map. Otherwise, missions may reveal important objective areas for you.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: The ending to the King's story after the Dwarf King pops out of a barrel and more laughter erupts when the cloak on the unusually tall dwarf falls off, revealing two dwarfs making a totem.
- Gratuitous Ninja: It makes sense that the pirates would enlist the help of islanders in their search for treasure. What do the Imperials get for a sub-faction? Ninjas! Why? Who knows! (Granted, it's because the islanders captured their Ninja Master but it feels a little out of the blue.)
- Hero Unit: Every faction and sub-faction has a hero unit with their own unique magic abilities and each storyline has an even more special hero unit should you collect all of the minikits.
- Hero Must Survive: Certain missions feature this, along with being unable to construct the building that produces the peons or the hero
- Holiday Mode: Playing the game on December 24 or 25 unlocks Santa. Obviously, since it's a console game, one can simply change the DS's time to such to unlock him without penalty.
- Instant Militia: Peon units of any side don't attack by default, and when ordered to do so, they deal pitiful amounts of damage though so it's only for desperate times.
- Kill Sat: Gemma and Biff have the ability to call down an orbital laser affecting an area where you tap.
- Kinetic Weapons Are Just Better: The Earth Commando and Alien Laser Trooper actually have less attack damage than the likes of the Pirate Gunner, Imperial Rifleman. Even the Western Kingdom Archer and Skeleton Crossbowman do more damage too.
- Mana Meter: All hero units have access to four magic spells in increasing magic cost. The first two spells are always buffs that affect friendly units in a radius of where you tap from increased speed to better defense, etc. while the other two spells are more unique effects, such as the King being able to summon an instant forest for resources or a temporary wall and an earthquake that heavily damages enemy units in a large radius surrounding him.
- May the Farce Be with You: The ending to the King's story presents an award ceremony not unlike the ending of A New Hope. This being a LEGO Adaptation Game, it doesn't come off as surprising.
- No Blood for Phlebotinum: The main conflict in both the Mars Mission and the Alien campaign is the war between the two factions over the newfound planet's green energy crystals.
- No Campaign for the Wicked: Soundly averted, all three themes have the opposing side unlocked after finishing the first act of the theme's other side. In-fact, playing the other side makes the first side seem more wicked.
- The Wizard is only wanting to obtain the pieces to his staff in order to bring back his lost love: the Sorceress. That being said, he is still using an army of the undead to wreak havoc on the kingdom, so he's clearly no saint.
- The Imperials only oppose the pirates because they're simply trying to police the seas and stop the pirates from plundering others.
- The Aliens crash-landed their mothership on Mars and simply want to repair their ship and leave but the Earth forces are getting in their way and, if the Mars Mission sets are to be believed, interested in using their Drones as Living Batteries.
- Pirates Vs Ninjas: The Ninjas are allied with the Imperials against the Pirates, because their master was abducted by the Islanders.
- Ridiculously Fast Construction: Especially when you have your peons/hero helping with such. It can be taken to instant construction via the extras.
- Rock Beats Laser: It's entirely possible, in freeplay, to have pirates go up against aliens and win.
- Sand Necktie: The fate of Captain Brickbeard and a random Oarsman in the Imperial ending and then the crab from the Pirate prologue appears...
- Secret Character: Collecting every minikit in a certain faction's story will unlock a hero for freeplay mode.
- The Forestman for the King's army.
- A Ghost for the Wizard's army.
- A Conquistador for the Pirates.
- The Sheriff for the Imperials.
- A Classic Spaceman for the Earth forces.
- And Agent Chase for the Aliens.
- Shout-Out: The Gripley Robotic Mining Mech.
- Siege Engines: The second special or vehicle unit is usually one that moves slowly and can out range static defenses such as the King's catapult or the Wizard's troll giant among others.
- Victory Is Boring: Captain Brickbeard in the Pirate ending, turns out there's not much to do after he finds the buried treasure before Lady Pirate comes in with a new treasure map.
- Villains Out Shopping: Hard to call him a villain, but the Alien Commander seems to be enjoying himself by building LEGO sets.
- Worker Unit: The one you choose in freeplay will affect the style of your structures.
- You Require More Vespene Gas: The only resource in the game is bricks that are either collected from trees (in the case of medieval and maritime maps) and energy crystals (in Martian maps) or from veins which you build mines or quarries over for a trickle of resources. This kind of justifies the ability to train infantry, you're literally building them from minifigure pieces!
- Zerg Rush: Your basic Close Combat unit can easily be spammed, more so if they're the cheapest Close Combat unit in the game selected in Freeplay.
