For the second year in a row, it’s looking like an official Lego tabletop game is going to be one of the most popular board/card games during the holiday season. Last year it was Monkey Palace, a fun strategy board game for up to four players. This year it’s Brick Like This, a collaborative party game for up to eight players. Brick Like This: A Lego Party Game–not to be confused with Lego Party, the video game–is available now for only $20 at Amazon and other major retailers.
Brick Like This and Monkey Palace were designed by Dotted Games, a studio under the Asmodee umbrella dedicated to Lego board games. Based on the sustained success of Monkey Palace and how well Brick Like This appears to be performing out of gate, it seems likely we’ll be talking about Dotted Games’ third Lego board game this time next year.
$20
Brick Like This supports 2-8 players and is recommended for adults, teenagers, and kids ages 7 and up. It’s a fast-paced game that’s dynamically designed to offer a different experience each time you play.
Players are split into teams of two in a race to see who can build miniature Lego models the fastest. One player builds the model based on instructions communicated by their partner. There are 92 shape cards and 48 total Lego pieces. Models have a minimum of five bricks and a maximum of eight bricks. You’re awarded more points by opting for models with more pieces–though the instructor won’t know what the model actually looks like until they flip the card over.
In addition to the regular shape cards, there are 20 challenge cards that introduce restrictions for builders and instructors, such as building the model with your eyes closed or with one hand and limiting the types of hints you can provide as the instructor.
When a team completes the model, they flip the hourglass, which starts a 30-second countdown to the end of the round. After six rounds, teams tally their scores and declare a winner. Each game takes around 15 minutes total.
$10-$12 Each
If you’re buying Brick Like This to play with your kids or as a gift, there’s another newly released Lego experience that could make for a great stocking stuffer this holiday.
One of Lego’s main book publishing partners, Ameet Verlag, created a series of activity kits for kids ages 6 and up. Dubbed Lego Recreate Activity Cards, each themed kit comes with at least 30 cards and 25 Lego pieces. Each card tasks you with completing a challenge using the bricks in the box. Lego Recreate Activity Cards are themed around broad topics like tech, space, animals, and magic as well Lego City and Ninjago. Most of the kits are priced at $10.
$39.25 (was $42)
If you haven’t played the studio’s debut game Monkey Palace, I’d highly recommend for family game nights if you like strategy and puzzle games.
Two to four players take turns building staircases and decorating the makeshift palace. While the project is a collaborative effort, you’re in competition with your fellow builders for Banana Points.
Monkey Palace is recommended for players ages 10 and up. There’s more “traditional” Lego building involved with this one, as it comes with 231 Lego pieces and an official Lego baseplate.
Each game takes around 45 minutes, and no two games will be the same. Adding to the replay value is the inclusion of two double-sided maps, which are placed on the baseplate to alter the starting foundation. Here’s what’s included with Monkey Palace:
- 231 Lego pieces
- Lego baseplate
- Lego tray
- 2 Double-sided Ground Maps
- 67 Monkey Cards
- 14 Bonus Cards
- 3 Trophy Cards
- 4 Player Boards
- 1 Rule Book
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