Lego Hill Climb Adventures is a charming, simplified Trials

I played three video games in college: Halo-3 with my friends, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter with my roommate and her father, and Tasting HD by myself. Since then I have expanded my horizons to the possibilities of other video games. And when I want to feel nostalgic, there are plenty of games that will give me the feeling from playing the multiplayer shooters of my youth — but nothing else like Trials itself ever compares. (Ultimately, Tasting evolution (raise the bar even higher.) This week I read a story on Pocket Tactics: “This iPhone Lego game is perfect for fans of Ubisoft’s Trials series.”

That game, which is actually available for free on iOS And Android devices, is Lego Hill Climb Adventures. Released in late May, Lego Hill Climb Adventures is a Lego version of the classic physics-based racing game Hill climbing adventuresanother game that has been compared to Trials — but with cars. I never got along with Hill climbing adventuresbut the Lego reskin was too charming not to try. It’s no Trials, but it gives me a similar thrill when I play it. I can’t put it down.

There are tons of Lego cars to unlock, and you can race through cutesy worlds, collecting new blueprints and meeting Minifigs along the way. You don’t necessarily build your own Lego car, but there are plenty of ways to customize the existing options. My favorite part of the aesthetic is the sound design: there’s just something so satisfying about clicking a Lego brick. (And something even more satisfying about ramming your car through a wall of Lego.)

Lego Hill Climb Adventures is a much more relaxed take on the physics racing game genre, so don’t expect to Tasting HD difficulty. But it does have levels that require knowledge precisely when you have to swipe or tap on your phone screen. Each of the different vehicles feels different too, so there’s always something to play with. Most of the levels require you to race or complete a course with obstacles like jumps, steep hills, or things to destroy. However, the game’s energy system — bottles of milk — means you can’t play these infinitely unless you pay up or grind the exploration modes, which are essentially the same courses but have no real purpose beyond earning coins, levels, milk bottles, and bricks.

The monetization system is the biggest downer of Lego Hill Climb Adventuresbut it is a free mobile game. It is certainly possible to play most of it without spending a dime, but you will have to grind. The thing is, grinding is still fun – and there are plenty of ways to modify the vehicle to create more variety.