LEGO 2K Drive – Game Review – Crafting to Victory

Since the mid-90s, LEGO has released numerous video games on different platforms. However, most games tie into other franchises, creating LEGO worlds. At the end of 2022, the brand changed this dynamic with the release of LEGO Bricktales, which allows the player to build their path through the story in a more creative approach. The creativity continues with the latest game, LEGO 2K Drive.

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Although it is a collaboration with 2K, it is not an expansion of another existing title, which makes LEGO 2K Drive an original intellectual property. As the name suggests, it is a racing game. More specifically, it is an arcade racing game developed by Visual Concepts. In recent years, the developer has focused only on sports games (NBA 2K, WWE 2K and previously NHL 2K), but it has gained some experience in developing racing games, although there are more 20 years old. More recently, however, the team developed the LEGO DLC for Forza Horizon 4 in 2019. So there was a certain level of experience before taking on the task of developing LEGO 2K Drive.

LEGO 2K Drive

Following the success of Bricktales and its approach to limitless creativity, LEGO 2K Drive aims to achieve the same as an arcade racing game. However, the focus is more on the underlying arcade racing game than on creating meaningful differences through creative construction.

At its core, the game aligns itself more closely with all the karting games that came before it. Think Mario Kart, Sonic Racing and others. There aren't many differences in the game model, with similar style racing, plenty of power-ups, and the drive to destroy opponents while crossing the finish line first.

Even if players don't expect a big difference in game dynamics, it's still a fairly well-designed karting game. The controls are precise, almost like a real-world LEGO race car. Elements such as drifting, sharp turns and others are also controlled. Players can choose the best approach lines, reach peaks like in racing simulators, and plan every lap on the path to victory.

But it's easier said than done. With the dynamics of powerups and weapons, being in the lead a few meters from the finish line does not guarantee that you will win the race. To my great frustration, I learned it the hard way, far too often to want to remember it. But, while frustrating, that's also the joy of many kart games, where you can exact exact revenge on your opponents just before crossing the finish line.

Story-wise, it's very basic. You are a new driver in the world of BrickLandia. The world is divided into three regions as of this writing, and the goal is to beat rivals in each of them. As you accumulate victories and flags, you can compete in the Sky Cup, the pinnacle of BrickLandia.

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The first races are entertaining, accompanied by crazy comments worthy of the LEGO franchise. Putting your drifting skills and nitro boosts to the test as you blast your way to victory is highly entertaining. However, after the fifth run, you will quickly notice a trend. After the tenth race, the game becomes more and more monotonous, as you have to go through all the races to obtain the flags necessary to qualify for the Sky Cup.

Although each race tries to distinguish itself from the others, each with a different rival driver, the dynamic is not much different. One of the aspects that annoyed me the most about this game was the omnipresent catch-up logic. I noticed it after a few races, whether I was following the leader or racing in the lead. Whatever the situation, it almost always ends in a close battle, often a second apart in the lead. In a few races I picked the best lines, got the best bonuses and quickly took a quarter lap lead. I thought that was enough to get the victory, I continually used nitro and other similar products, but inexplicably got caught up on the last lap. Watching this all play out on the world map is terribly boring.

Then there is the creative aspect of LEGO 2K Drive. Players have the option to create their vehicles from scratch. Builds have some minimum requirements, such as wheels and motors, which you can then take to the track. You can let your imagination run wild by creating personalized cars as you wish. The dynamics are relatively easy to learn: you rotate the camera, reverse the bricks and connect them to form your car. However, as this is a children's game, I don't think it will be easy to use for anyone under 10, who will probably want to race.

Then there's the in-game currency and collectibles. Although I continued to collect Brickbux (BrickLandia's currency), I didn't make much of it during story mode. You get rewards by completing races and side quests or performing a specific skill.

Microtransactions: a continuing scourge

What I didn't like was the time to spend your hard-earned Brickbux. While it's easy to select and purchase accessories, such as new cars, bonus LEGO bricks and decals, you'll use them up just as quickly. It takes a while to collect 10,000 Brickbux, which is often the minimum to buy a car. And this is where microtransactions come in, the bane of almost every gamer.

I won't go into detail about why microtransactions are annoying, but in games like LEGO 2K Drive, they make almost no sense. While you can customize and choose many upgrades and such for your hot rod, it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme.

Parts, such as new unlocked engines and specialty vehicles, don't add much to racing performance, speed, or handling, and don't provide a certain level of progression with upgrades. your car. Sure, every car built has a few dynamic traits, such as speed, handling, and health, but that doesn't mean much if you can't improve them over time to get better results. So, spending real-world money for a simple cosmetic improvement is a disadvantage.

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A fun game in small pieces

If we add to this the catch-up logic and the exhaustion races, we don't have the impression that the game is progressing as a whole. Instead, it's a fun, casual racing game that you can pick up and enjoy for a few minutes while competing in races, completing a few side quests, or trying to improve your personal bests on certain challenges. Besides, there's not much to write about, and nothing worth investing the extra money on.