Funko Fusion

Funko Fusion misses the opportunity to be a good action/adventure game, with such a range of licences under its belt. Unfortunately, the transition to reality is a painful one.

Uninspired game design, recycled content, monotonous gameplay, and technical issues. A dull experience that not even a few rare bright moments or a decent soundtrack can save. Best avoided.

With repetitive puzzles and monotonous battles against the same eight enemy types over and over again, Funko Fusion is a prime example of how raw nostalgia can only carry a game so far. While there are plenty of characters to play as, and the art style is inoffensive, Funko Fusion is ultimately an experience that's best avoided unless you're a diehard fan of Universal properties.

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.

Funko Fusion’s biggest success is how well it matches the vibe of Funko’s uber-popular line of vinyl figures as a whole – joyless, soulless representations of beloved franchises that capture almost none of the charm of the source material. The most culturally-relevant thing here might be the collectible KFC buckets.

Funko Fusion struggles to find its audience, with repetitive gameplay, messy narrative, and dated franchises that may not appeal to everyone. While the game looks visually good and the Funko figures are well-represented, the mix of childlike focus, challenging puzzles, and creepy story makes it feel mismatched. Ultimately, it lacks clear direction and doesn’t justify its full price.

The combat feels awkward; the game is buggy, and filled with abrupt cutscene transitions. At the end of the day, we’re left asking, ‘Who is this for?’ Children don’t care about Battlestar Galactica and The Thing, and adults won’t love the boring, simplistic gameplay loop.

Funko Fusion has no shortage of oversized heads, but between them all it still manages to contain precious little in the way of interesting new ideas. Its simplistic shooting is dull, its many bugs and backtracking requirements are exhausting, and its peculiar marriage of child-pleasing character styles and LEGO-like level design with a number of film and television licenses that are distinctly adult just seems ill-advised from the jump. Although it definitely nails the signature look of the pint-sized collectibles, it’s just not much fun to play which means that just like your Funko Pop collection it’s probably best left on the shelf.