Funko Fusion: Funko Pop or Funko Flop?
3.3Overall Score
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Funko Fusion is an unusual game based in a vibrant and cartoonish world, filled with the iconic Funko Pop! Characters. For those who are not familiar with Funko Pop merchandise, they are the large headed pop culture figures that pretty much took over GameStop until it closed. Developers 10:10 Games have taken these figures and have created something unique

So what is this game? The Funko Pop leader named Freddy is usurped by an evil Funko Pop named Eddy and you are tasked with retrieving pieces of Freddy’s crown to restore order to the “Wonderworlds”. In order to retrieve the crown pieces, you need to immerse yourself into different, but familiar places.

When you start the game you can choose between 7 worlds: Jurassic World, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Hot Fuzz, The Thing, The Umbrella Academy, Masters of the Universe, and Battlestar Galactica.

If you are interested in these specific properties, this is the game for you. If you aren’t, well… this may not be for you.

Go Funk Yourself

Each world is faithful to its specific intellectual property and there are a plethora of easter eggs for fans of each franchise to uncover. It’s really well done and you can see that a lot of effort has gone into making the worlds seem authentic and interesting. The soundtrack is on-point and has all the themes and set piece audio cues from the particular world you are playing in and it doesn’t disappoint.

The gameplay is, by all accounts, child friendly. Funko Fusion plays, and looks, like a Lego game. Solve some puzzles, kill enemies and smash your surroundings to collect stuff. Use that stuff to upgrade your character or to craft power ups. Very formulaic but absolutely fun. There is very little hand-holding on offer. But the mechanics are familiar and shouldn’t be a hindrance to anyone that has played similar games before.

It looks like a child’s game due to the overtly cartoonish graphical presentation, but because of the nature of some of the source material, this can get confusing. Funko Pops being dismembered, decapitated and involved in horrific car crashes isn’t exactly family friendly. It even has an appearance from Chucky the Doll from Child’s Play. This tonal juxtaposition can be jarring.

The Land of (Con)Fusion

It doesn’t seem to quite know who the target audience is. It isn’t adult enough to appeal to adults and is too adult to appeal to children. When it delves into the darker side, it becomes very interesting. I got the feeling they held themselves back from fully exploring that in order not to alienate the younger audience. I think the game might have been better picking a lane and sticking to it.

Another problem is that it can become quite repetitive if you aren’t familiar with the particular film/programme that your level is based upon. The missions aren’t really varied enough to keep you engaged and everything seems a little samey. This obviously isn’t the case if you know enough about the franchise. The little nods and references which only aficionados would notice keeps it interesting even if the mission is a little lacklustre. 

The ability to swap in between 4 different characters mid-game adds an extra bit of variety. Each one plays slightly differently to the others and can make certain tasks or defeating some enemies a little easier. The game also offers co-op play which definitely adds to the experience.

Snap, Crackle and Funko Pop

The level designs in Funko Fusion are really nice. All the different and important scenes and set pieces are faithfully recreated and you have ample time to roam about and see hidden little details that are there to delight. It’s little things like that which really help with the immersion and makes this game stand out. Without these little flourishes, the game could be bang average. But as it is, you can see it’s a love letter to all of the franchises it represents.

There are also some cameo levels that feature films outside of the main worlds. Back to the Future, Jaws, and some more surprises give you a taste of what else could be coming soon.

There are definitely going to be more worlds added to the game. So if none of the original 7 float your boat, it may be worth holding back until something comes your way. I am not a fan of microtransactions and DLC in general, but if the same attention to detail goes into further releases, it may tempt me to splurge on purchasing a new world or two. The opportunities are endless considering the range of Funko Pops that are available.

Funko Fusion is a good game, with the potential to be really good. This will depend on how much additional content is added and your own personal preference towards the subject matter. Although, If you are a fan of some, or most, of the 7 worlds already on offer, it is definitely a worthwhile addition to your library.

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About The Author

Grumpy Old Man. Believes things were better when he was young.

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