LEGO Ideas 21305 Maze: Can You Really Play With It?

Since LEGO kindly offered to send me a copy of the set LEGO Ideas 21305 Maze In exchange for my opinion on this box, I therefore lent myself to the game and I patiently assembled this reproduction based on LEGO bricks of a great toy classic.

I am not going to dwell here on the process of assembling this set, others will do it better than me and I prefer to dwell on the real intention of this box: To offer a playable version of a mobile maze in wood which undoubtedly had its heyday a few decades ago but which no longer interests many people today.

In short all the same, I found the assembly quite boring during the construction phases of the support integrating the tilting mechanism and the frame in which the game board fits. It is necessarily a bit repetitive and monoso-tone. I took more pleasure in assembling the game board with the little houses of type "Monopoly", green spaces, paths Tan and the (two) trees.

So, can we really play with this mobile maze? Apart from a few details, the answer is yes. However, I quickly cut short my play session: The soccer balls provided by LEGO seem too light to me and I lack the inertia of the good old steel balls. With a little practice and by manipulating the Technic wheels very gently, however, we manage to manage the movements of the balloons, avoid the "black" boxes and complete the planned course.

Another detail that spoils my pleasure a little: On the wooden version, the aim is to prevent the ball from falling into holes scattered around the game board. Here, the ball simply ends its course in a non-open space. "tiled". It is moderately exciting. In my memories, the sudden disappearance of the marble had its small effect. This effect is not there with this LEGO version: The marble just remains stuck on the game board.

By the way, when you have finished assembling the thing by following the instructions, do not forget to remove the wedge provided to prevent the upper plate from moving during transport before starting a game ...

For its part, the tilt mechanism plays its role perfectly: It is precise and on condition of showing a little coordination, even the youngest will quickly master the principle. The only notable defect is that the maximum inclination angle of the inner tray is not the same on both sides. The same goes to a lesser extent for the outside frame. I will be told that it is not necessary to push the two axes to their maximum angle to move the ball, but this detail still deserves to be underlined. The creator of the initial project speaks about it in his video review.

We all know that some of the buyers of this set, collectors of beautiful boxes or investors who bank on the popularity of LEGO Ideas products, will probably never open it. Others will assemble this maze, play it for a few minutes, and then let it collect dust in a corner. There will then remain the most motivated who will try to create a few alternative game boards, just to prolong the interest of the thing, even if most of these changes will ultimately only be purely aesthetic.

Concerning the two game boards presented on the box with the mention "2 in 1", you will not be able to assemble them both with the supplied inventory: They share common parts and it will therefore be necessary to dismantle one to assemble the other. It's petty.

Some people will not fail to tell me that I can always modify what does not suit me, improve it, use other marbles, that it is LEGO and that therefore I can change or adapt what I want. , etc ... In this specific case, this argument is not admissible in my eyes. I buy a product for which the manufacturer promises me a result. Those who will be offered this box do not all have a substantial bulk or the ability and desire to engage in various adaptations or modifications. LEGO or not, it is a finished product that must meet the expectations of the customer as it is sold.

In the end, this box lacks in my eyes a little "panache" for a product stamped "LEGO Ideas". Nostalgia aside, the skill game, invented in the 40s by the Swedish manufacturer BRIO, from which this LEGO version at 74.99 € is loosely inspired, is above all an old-fashioned pastime that hardly anyone plays today. .. The original wooden versions can also be found for a few euros at a flea market.

Even if the 21305 set is visually successful (The packaging is beautiful...), in my opinion, LEGO misses the point of the gameplay issue: The simplification of the game system, wanted by the creator of the project himself and kept by LEGO in the final product, kills the concept a bit starting point. The ball MUST disappear into a hole, which is what causes the most clumsy players to swear and exclaim in the first place ...

You have my opinion on this box which will be available from April 1st and which ultimately may not deserve all the attention it receives. But since it is LEGO that treats, many reviews are now available.

Note: If you have taken the trouble to read this article so far, please be aware that I am giving away the set I received from LEGO via a raffle among the comments posted below (Deadline: on March 20, 2016 at 23:59 p.m.). The box is obviously open, but the winner will save € 69.99. It's always taken.