Lego Builder's Journey, which came out with iOS and mac versions in 2019, appeared this time with PC and Nintendo Switch versions. I've been trying the PC version of the game for a while too. In this review, I will also include the dynamics of the game, but I would like to talk more about RTX (Ray tracing) and DLSS features. Because the PC version of Lego Builder's Journey is perfect for these technologies and I can say that it uses both technologies very well.
Of course, before moving on to this topic, I would like to briefly talk about the general dynamics of the game. As the name suggests, Lego Builder's Journey brings a world made entirely of Lego pieces. Although the puzzle elements and Lego pieces have a great place in the basic gameplay dynamics of the game, we also see that a child-parent relationship is invested in the subtext. As we solve the puzzles, we see the little details of this relationship and the story of a parent who has to work and a child who follows him is actually told.
Of course, there is a puzzle system that progresses in chapters throughout this story. There are 35 different missions in total. It is possible to finish in 3-4 hours depending on your gameplay speed. The puzzle dynamics are of course based on combining Lego pieces and often by doing this, advancing our character towards the goal. This adventure, which we started by combining a few Lego pieces in the first place, becomes more complicated in the following stages. Puzzles are added to the work, in which you arrange the pieces according to time or try to catch a harmony according to the color.
However, despite everything, that simple structure of Lego logic has not been abandoned. There are parts where you struggle and try to find the harmony of the pieces, but even the most daddy puzzle is not built on too much trouble. You put the pieces together and try to move on.
Although the world of the game is made of Lego pieces, they did not put it into a mold. In other words, you encounter small houses and factories. sometimes you witness the flowing waters flowing in waves like Lego pieces. There are even swamp-themed sections, and all these small sections have not broken the harmony of Lego pieces. I can say that a nice and naive job emerged with the placement of these pieces, your involvement in the event and the graphic structure of the game.
The gameplay, on the other hand, is kept simple like the general logic of the game. Most of the time, you finish the job with just the right and left click of the mouse. Right click rotates the camera to a certain extent, left click takes the task of picking up the lego pieces and placing them. You click once to get the Lego pieces, and when you click again, you are able to turn the Lego piece you are holding. You have to hold down the key to place it or leave it in an empty space. In general, the process goes well, but at some moments you can't use the lego piece exactly the way you want. It slides in narrow parts and does not fit into its slot, but as I said, this is not always a glitch.
Let's get to the technical details of the game. We have written very detailed and different content on Ray tracing and DLSS before, but before we move on to these details of the game and the performance of using technologies, let's briefly talk about what is Ray Tracing and DLSS.
What is RTX / Ray Tracing?
There are many sub-details in Ray Tracing technologies, but to summarize, we can say that it is now showing how this source will be reflected on the playground according to the determined light source. In the past, all reflections of the light source were designed by hand, but now with RTX technology, this process is done automatically and gives much more realistic results. The light source is determined, and we see that Ray Tracing (RTX) technology dynamically performs the remaining processes and reflections.
We can say that Ray Tracing technology, which forms the backbone of the new generation, presents more natural and realistic looking games as well as technical details.
What is DLSS?
We can say that DLSS technology, which is an abbreviation of Deep Learning Super Sampling (Deep Learning and Super Sampling), enables us to reach better frame rates with the use of artificial intelligence. To summarize briefly, with the use of artificial intelligence, this system, which prevents power over the video card, thus opens the door for us to achieve better results.
Previously, we were getting features such as corner smoothing with technologies such as Anti Allising. When we turned on such features, we saw that the power on the video card increased and naturally the FPS value decreased. Nvidia's DLSS technology performs corner smoothing and sharpness dynamically. In this way, since the power on the graphics card is reduced, we can both achieve these features better and reach higher FPS values.
When we come to the DLSS side, I can say that I encountered details that surprised me. I had the chance to test many DLSS supported games, especially Death Stranding, before. I also talked about the performance increase offered by this technology in these games. Lego Builder's Journey came up with a much bigger difference in this regard. When you put it in the performance mode, you can even see that there is a difference of almost 50 - 60 FPS. Of course, the difference will vary depending on the system you are using. I tested the game on Intel I9 9900K and NVidia GeForce RTX 3080 model graphics card.
There are four different setting options for DLSS: closed, automatic, balanced, performance and quality. The game is around 70 FPS with DLSS turned off and all settings turned on, including RTX. In the same section, when you switch the DLSS setting to performance mode, the frame-second rate of the game jumps to around 130. I really couldn't believe it when I first tested it, although this rate varies depending on the section and the RTX load in that section, you usually see a difference of 4-5 FPS at most. For example, if you choose the DLSS setting as Quality in the same section, the FPS value of the game is around 100. In other words, we see that there is a difference of 30 - 35 FPS even at the highest DLSS setting. When you set it as balanced, the middle of the two is around 110 - 115 FPS.
All in all, Lego Builder's Journey is a small but fun game to play. If you are looking for a puzzle game that will not be too tiring to distract your mind, I recommend you to try it. At least, if not now, it may be a game you will chase during discount periods. On the other hand, if you have an RTX supported card, you can also take a look at its ray tracing features and especially DLSS performance.
