A team of Bionicle fans isn’t willing to let the strange franchise disappear just yet. With Lego’s blessing, developer Team Kanohi is putting together a full-on 3D adventure through the strange world of the Toa titled Bionicle: Masks of Power. A new trailer for the fan project just debuted, presenting an impressive look at the Bionicle universe and the Lego creatures that live in it.
Bionicle is one of the Lego group’s many franchises, but it may just be its most niche. It started in 2000 giving kids strange, masked characters to assemble. However, Bionicle has gained a cult following over the years thanks to its extensive lore. The entire franchise had an underlying story told through webcomics, games, books, and eventually direct-to-DVD movies. The original run of Bionicle ended in 2010, with a revival lasting only one year, from 2015 to 2016.
Team Kanohi’s revival of the Bionicle IP already looks impressive. The project has been in the works for five years, though we’d only seen a pair of short teasers in that time. An environmental trailer for Masks of Power offers the first real tour of the game’s world, which has been created using Unreal Engine 4. The trailer goes across multiple environments, from snowy tundra to volcanic wastelands littered with lakes of lava.
Of course, Bionicle creatures show up in the trailer as well, appearing highly detailed and even faithful to the original builds.
While the game doesn’t currently have a release date, its website offers some details on what players can eventually expect. Bionicle: Masks of Power is going to be an open-world game where players will “face challenging puzzles, fearsome beasts, and deadly hazards as you endeavor to find all 12 masks.”
