LEGO Vidiyo Review
Vidiyo from LEGO is their latest physical and digital LEGO product that combines the love of bricks with the love of video making and music. From the get go, the concept feels a bit weird and out of left field, but execution is fantastic. With a bunch of new and unique bricks to collect – many of which will have amazing uses well after the desire to play Vidiyo ends – this is an easy recommendation that may take a small leap of faith.
The Concept
When you open a starter pack, builders will get the opportunity to build a little stage for their would be music video stars to dance on. Add in a plethora of Beat Bits and a mobile phone, and you or your kids will be creating fantastic music videos, even if they are sometimes a little difficult to create. It’s a near new concept from LEGO, and whole I’m not sure it meets the app integration that LEGO Super Mario does, it definitely outshines the integration of Hidden Sides.
The Build
Building your own Beat Box set to get yourself started. The 82 piece Beat Box set has everything you need to get started with LEGO Vidiyo, including a minifigures, a dance stage, and 16 Beat Bits. Additional character packs are also sold which come with a new character and a few other Beat Bits.
Putting the Beat Box stage together is relatively easy, and while almost everything fits snuggly together, the handle on the box itself is a) pretty small, even for little hands; and b) falls off way to easily. That being said, the rest of the build is incredible, and the way it folds up is phenomenal. The final stored product is only a few inches square, and it will securely hold everything that comes in the box. When unfolded, the stage looks, well, exactly like a stage, which is pretty awesome. This was a pretty fun build for my kids, and one they enjoyed putting together from start to finish.
A few new included bricks are a welcome addition to the LEGO universe. Each Beat Bit has a unique picture on the 2×2 smooth flat block, and I could see them having a multitude of purposes outside of the LEGO Vidiyo world, such as small records, posters on a wall, and more.
A few other unique bricks are included, which are highlighted by the white storage base that holds all your extra Beat Bits, as well as the ‘glass’ dome thay ultimately protects and holds all your pieces. These don’t have uses outside LEGO Vidiyo, but are great none-the-less.
The Play
Ultimately, however, your 19.99 investment is less about the included pieces and more about what those pieces can do! Once you’ve build your dance stage, you can load the LEGO Vidiyo app and get started. After putting in a few personal particulars, you’ll be asked to scan your Dance Stage select up to three dancers, and asked to find a clear space on your table, floor, or somewhere in your room. Here, you can adjust the size of your minifigures within the app, to get the desired size. Next, fill your filming area with backdrops or other cool things you think would look great in a music video, and begin shooting!
Everything works seamlessly once you get started. Tapping on the variety of Beat Bits (scanned when you scanned your stage) will allow you to add special effects to your music video. Some may give your video a different colour overlay, while others will add unique lighting effects, and still others will sprinkle the screen with a variety of fun and unique items. This isn’t about making a professional, serious music video, but more about making something completely funny.
The inclusion of a wide variety of popular musical artists thanks to Universal Music Group gives this product an extra flair. My kids instantly recognized some of their favourite artists and songs, and had tons of fun creating silly and fun videos around those songs, carefully choosing what Beat Bits they wanted to use from the extras we had amassed (LEGO was kind enough to send two Beat Box sets, and two character sets). LEGO Vidiyo has provided by kids hours of entertainment, and it won’t likely stop anytime soon.
The application also has a built in, kid safe sharing feature that allows you to upload your creations to a safe space within the application. Watching the videos of others has quickly become one of my kids favourite things to do, which is OK with me. They’ve also tried to replicate some of the videos others have made because they were so freaking good.
Conclusion
LEGO Vidiyo was a bigger hit than I thought it would be. My kids have enjoyed it for almost a month now, and there isn’t a week that goes by where LEGO Vidiyo doesn’t make an appearance at least once or twice on the living room coffee table. The kids have been creating some epic pieces of art within the application, and the fun doesn’t seem to stop. At some point, LEGO Vidiyo will be put aside, as most of our LEGO toys are, but those pieces will continue to get loved as they get incorporated into future unique builds down the road!
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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