Funko Fusion review: forgets to put the 'fun' in Funko

There are two reasons as to why our Funko Fusion review is late; firstly, my review code didn’t arrive until the day before release, secondly, because it was a struggle to play any more than an hour at a time as I’d have to subject myself to some of the most boring and soulless gameplay this year.

Quite an opening gambit, hey? Let’s get the good out of the way, because most of this word count will be about the bad. Funko Fusion looks lovely. The developers have nailed the plasticky collectibles and the playground worlds with style. Each area and character looks like a toy come to life and everything has a visual charm where there’s a uniform style that’s been achieved.

Showcasing certain characters, like the Universal monsters, and more obscure pop culture IPs is a smart move, for some fans, as it goes far beyond the average Funko Pop aisle in a shop. There’s depth to where the developer is reaching and not shying away from some of the lesser known franchises isn’t a bad thing in theory.

However - and this is where we get into the bad stuff - this is a game that has no idea what its identity is beyond ‘Funko Pops.’ Is it a kids adventure game? Unlikely, because there’s Chucky from Child’s Play, and The Umbrella Academy heroes. Is it a game for adults, then? Also unlikely, because the gameplay is so basic that the average player is going to be bored after a few hours. I know, because I felt that boredom.

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Upon booting up the game I chose to start with the Scott Pilgrim world. I love Scott Pilgrim. After playing through an intro level that set up the silly story, which I’ll get to, I was taken to the Scott Pilgrim hub. I chose to play as Ramona, because she’s awesome and was then promptly told to play as Scott as I needed his guitar to complete the levels. Okay, fine.

I began exploring, picking up items, looking in corners for unlockables, much like you would in any of the LEGO games where some of the developers cut their teeth. I bashed enemies over the head, shot quite a few with a guitar that blasted out musical notes, and I solved some environmental puzzles. Doesn’t sound all that offensive.

However, none of it had any personality beyond ‘oh, this is Scott Pilgrim world' and even that is a stretch. The combat is obnoxious, with enemies popping up from everywhere and no on-screen indications that they’re about to attack, the actual attacking has no weight behind it, or any heft that realises the connection between protagonist and enemy, and the boss fights are drawn out to the point of tedium.

Then there’s the most glaring issue, which permeates throughout. Funko Fusion, much like the early LEGO games, doesn’t use dialogue. This is fine when you’re pantomiming something like Star Wars, because the scenes are so iconic. They can be acted out with ease. In Funko Fusion, the developers, or I’m assuming Funko themselves, have used films and IPs that are known for their dialogue.

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Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World doesn’t translate to being visually funny in the same way other films do. Hot Fuzz isn’t visually funny - except the fence scene which kills me. Both films, both Edgar Wright, are sharp, witty, and clever because of the script and the delivery of the lines. So, what we end up with is a bunch of insipid cut scenes that don’t work for fans, and certainly wouldn’t work for a child playing.

Okay, I thought, I’ll try the He-Man levels. Nothing can go badly here. Wrong. More flavourless animations bookending dull combat that even the gloriously cartoony Funko Pop figures couldn’t bring to life.

The issue here, and forgive me 1010 Games if I’m incorrect, is that Funko makes Pops of everything. Disney, horror films, video game characters, TV franchises. However, so little of that content would be licensable to make a game like this. Because of that, we’re given worlds that have little charm because the shows and films just don’t translate the same way a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings would. Is it great to see characters from Invincible show up? Absolutely. Are they fun to use against a backdrop of Jurassic World? Not at all.

The overall story is cliche and bland, too. Funko Freddy, who runs the Funko factory is attacked by some goop that becomes an evil version of the character called Eddy and you’re sent out into these disconnected worlds to find crowns to heal Freddy and fight Eddy. It’s just uninspired.

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Then there are all the technical issues, like items floating randomly throughout levels, cut scenes starting and ending abruptly with black screens, practically no guidance on what to do in each level, or what controls can help you progress, and countless hardware crashes.

I hate to keep comparing Funko Fusion to the LEGO games, but hey, they’re going for the same demographic, right? There’s a small detail that, for me, showcases how lifeless this game is.

You have to bash items in the areas to collect Funko plastic, which is a currency, a bit like studs in LEGO. When you hit an object in a LEGO game, it breaks apart with a glorious animation, the clicky ASMR sounds of plastic bricks shattering, and the shiny studs give off dopamine hits with a plinking collection. Here, the item simply rocks a little, spits out some plastic and does nothing more. Have some pizazz, some whimsy, bring some joy!

Funko Fusion feels like it was put together by a committee who didn’t understand the brief. Or fun. And the worst thing? I actually like Funko Pops. I have quite a few displayed around my flat. I was desperately hoping this would be a hit and give us another great action game to lose hours to. This could have been amazing, it could have been the proper mash-up of pop culture it first appeared to be. Instead it’s a vapid, forgettable release that has no idea who it’s for.

Pros: The Funko pops look nice, there are some interesting deep dives

Cons: Dull combat, lifeless cutscenes, missing personality, lacking in joy and fun

For fans of: LEGO Star Wars, LittleBigPlanet

4/10: Below Average

Funko Fusion is out now for PlayStation 5 (version tested), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.