Funko Fusion brings the cult plastic statues to life with some interesting, licenced adventures.

I’m not a fan of Funko Pops. Of course, I have a few, but as far as I’m concerned, they sit so far on the peripheral of pop culture fandom as to be a bit too try-hard for this cynical (and slightly snobbish) OG nerd.

So, a video game featuring the large-headed plastic oddities should be about as far away from my alley as a seat in the box at an AFL game. Curiously, though, I found Funko Fusion considerably more appealing than its static namesakes.

Funko Pops are stylised licenced plastic models of pop culture characters and icons. Everything from Back to the Future to obscure anime has been immortalised as a Funko Pop. Depending on your viewpoint they are hugely collectable merchandise or overpriced plastic rubbish aimed at the gullible.

From a gaming perspective, the massive umbrella of licenced franchises means that a Funko Pop game could draw on a huge amount of material. And that’s exactly what Funko Fusion does.

The developers have been smart as well. Almost as if they could see me lining up my crosshairs ready to take potshots at their stupid idea of bringing to life the plastic models I dislike so much. Instead of picking some of the more tenuous licences likely to make me see red, they picked some absolute corkers to include in the game.

So even if some of the combat is a bit shonky and repetitive, I’m going to put all that aside and wax lyrical about how bloody awesome it is to play weird versions of absolute classics like John Carpenter’s The Thing and the 1970s Battlestar Galactica. The soundtracks alone make playing the game worthwhile. Those two gems are joined by big-headed versions of Hot Fuzz, Masters of the Universe, Jurassic Park and many more – some as guest appearances and others as unlockable scenarios.

The concept is not unlike the Lego games combining puzzles and combat. Funko Fusion looks similarly aimed at younger viewers, but the material is not really age appropriate. Whilst it was cool discussing 1970s Battlestar Galactica with my eight-year-old, things took a darker tone when trying to explain why the scenario based on The Thing was probably not a good choice to play next.

Despite the eclectic inspiration for the various scenarios and the variety of puzzles, as I hinted, the combat is a bit dull. It’s about as unsophisticated as in the Lego games, to be honest. But Funko Fusion labours on it a bit more, with different weapons from different scenarios needed to proceed in the game. But other than that, the game wears its heart on its sleeve.

Funko Fusion is an interesting love letter to the famous franchises that it draws from. Film and TV plots are lovingly translated into bite-sized levels that are both enjoyable as well as sometimes a bit dull. This is a game that I found myself wanting to enjoy more than I did. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the game is a wasted opportunity, but it’s not exactly the licence to print money that the developers probably thought it would be.

Time will tell, however, as a bit of a rocky start can be turned around. I think the game has a solid foundation and the available material to improve if the publishers want to spend the time to fix an interesting but flawed game and turn it into something special.

Rating: Good