LEGO announces iPhone-based building game

By Rick Marshall September 29, 2011

Now here’s an unexpected pairing that makes a wacky sort of sense: LEGO and iPhones.

The Danish company responsible for the iconic building blocks announced its new interactive iPhone app this week, and it’s an interesting one, to say the least.

Titled The Life of George, the app challenges users to quickly build small models using real LEGO bricks and then snap a photo of the finished product with the iPhone’s camera. Points are then awarded for accuracy and speed.

Sounds easy enough, but before you start building, you’ll need to purchase a real-world retail package required for the app. The package comes with all the necessary blocks and a special pad that facilitates pattern recognition on the app.

The game will feature 12 levels of brick-manipulating challenges, all of which revolve around George, a tech-savvy character who travels the world. Users will build things like George’s board shorts, a pineapple, or other items he encounters during his travels.

LEGO has indicated that, along with the specified models in the game, there will also be a “My Life” feature that allows users to create their own models. The company plans to add some element of Facebook-facilitated sharing of these models down the road.

At this point, the app is iOS-only and limited to the iPhone and 4th-generation iPod touch, though LEGO has indicated that an Android version is being considered. The Life of George will retail for $29.99, and is only available at LEGO’s website and LEGO retail stores for now.

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