LEGO 2K Drive delivers a fun experience but needs upgrades
Released on May 19, LEGO 2K Drive is a Lego-based racing game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Games. Lego 2K Drive is a third-perspective racing game set in BrickLandia, a Lego-based world that can be explored freely by players.
The game comes with characteristic destructible environments, a plethora of game modes, and even a traditional split-screen mode for those entertaining gaming nights. Still, there are plenty of things to complain about. Lego 2K Drive has been met with a mixed reception. This is majorly due to the constant push towards microtransactions which is steadily becoming the norm for video games. Furthermore, the artificial nature of the tracks has also been a factor that has brought criticism.
Of course, that is something one should grow to expect by now, from a LEGO game. Gamers start off the story mode as newbie drivers who are given various tasks to complete. These usually revolve around participating in one of the plethoras of racing championships held in Bricklandia.
The story mode also gives gamers plenty of other things to do, including side-quests, basic exploration across different kinds of terrains, and even water. While the experimental nature of the game means that there will always be limitations, especially towards the beginning, LEGO 2K Drive gives gamers enough reason for optimism regarding its future. With that in mind, we look at an in-depth review of the Lego 2K Drive.
Storyline
The story mode starts gamers off as a newbie driver who dreams about winning the Sky Cup Grand Prix. In order to qualify, you will have to win a number of racing championships, make new friends and enemies along the way, and upgrade all aspects of your vehicle as well.
The default vehicle builder is probably the most expansive one ever created for a video game. There are hundreds of Lego pieces to choose from, with multiple default Axels to build the car from. This opens doors for innumerable customizations that can be added in order to create your perfect vehicle.
While the primary focus of the Story mode revolves around the races themselves, there’s an abundance of enjoyable content beyond the racetracks. Each map has a lot of supplementary content, including collectables, exploration questions, and off-story events. Some of these events may be mandatory but they do not take enough time to prove to be an actual problem.
Apart from the story mode that revolves around racing and hilarious exchanges between you and other characters, LEGO 2K Drives gives the feel of an open-world game. Gamers can choose to ignore the storyline and simply explore one of the 4 Sandbox maps on offer. All in all, LEGO 2K Drive’s storyline has exactly the elements one would expect from a LEGO video game.
Graphics and Environment
LEGO 2K Drive will transport you to a magical world
The true charm of the LEGO 2K drive lies in the graphics. The game offers a number of colorful environments and racing tracks. The races might give the feel of an arcade racing game in the style of Mario Kart.
However, that seems deliberate and stays in line with the overall narrative of LEGO 2K Drive. Created on Unreal Engine 4, the visual effects in the open world give a Fortnite-like feel which makes the game enjoyable and fun to play. There is a range of different terrains to choose from, and an all-in-one vehicle means that you can traverse basically anywhere on the map.
Vehicles automatically transform into off-road cars and boats when the terrain demands. The existence of 4 maps means that there is a huge amount of variety when it comes to terrains and environments. LEGO 2K Drive delivers everything one would expect when it comes to graphics and environments.
The game offers innumerable thrilling terrains and beautiful areas decorated by hot-air balloons, pretty water bodies, and green mountains and hills. This might be the only aspect of LEGO 2K Drive which does not need any immediate improvement.
Gameplay
LEGO 2K Drive is an arcade racing game that leverages the renowned LEGO brand to deliver a thrilling and carefree experience. The Story mode serves as the primary gameplay component, offering a substantial amount of content to engage with.
Additionally, players can indulge in Cup Series or single races, and even partake in online multiplayer. It’s safe to say that the game offers an abundance of activities to explore, and this is further enriched by the impressive building tools found in the Garage.
With a total of four expansive sandbox maps at your disposal, you have the freedom to drive around without constraints, and it’s an exhilaratingly boundless experience. Vehicles in the game seamlessly transition between street cars, off-roaders, and boats as you encounter different terrain types.
The open world is teeming with objects, bustling traffic, and pedestrians, all of which can be traversed without penalty. Smashing through LEGO props also gives rewards, in the form of health and speed boosts, apart from the poetic destruction that you cause.
Of course, a racing game will primarily be judged on how the races actually operate and feel. LEGO 2K Drive gives an experience that Mario Kart gamers will be familiar with. Overtaking your opponents and dodging obstacles is an option.
LEGO 2K Drive gives gamers a wide range of customization features
However, you can also use power-ups and weapons in order to get past other racers and obstacles. LEGO 2K Drive has also seen the return of the teleportation ability, as well as a ghost power-up feature that was previously seen in titles such as the 1999 Lego Racers.
Overall, the gameplay during races feels artificial and cartoonish. The rubber-like tracks mean that your vehicle can easily bounce around in Mario-Kart style. There are some things that can be expected to be corrected as part of later updates. This includes the fact that some important features are not made accessible until you progress your vehicle to class A.
This can easily take gamers a dozen hours, with some important features such as jet-packs not being made available right from the beginning. However, as far as the actual gameplay is concerned, there is simply not much to complain about, apart from the artificiality of the races, which is deliberate.
Verdict
LEGO 2K Drive has some basic problems that can be expected to be solved in the coming time. This includes the artificiality of the races in themselves. No matter what kind of vehicle you use and how you drive, the race leader zooms off into the distance at the beginning and reappears once the last lap begins.
Furthermore, a variety of features make the game feel like a “pay-to-play” game that will demand microtransactions for various vehicle upgrades. This means that free-to-play players will find themselves at a constant disadvantage unless they are able to upgrade their vehicles organically.
Other than the above, there are no major gameplay or graphic-related issues. The storyline is humorous and engaging, and the exploration features give gamers plenty to do on LEGO 2K Drive. Overall, the game has various limitations but delivers a fun, engaging experience that should be improved in the coming time, via updates.