Lego video games have been in a comfortable rut for a while now. A handful of mobile games and one-off experiments aside, the various licensed Lego open-world beat ‘em ups from developer TT Games have been the dominant force, but it seems that’s changing. While TT Games will surely continue to make Lego games, they no longer have a monopoly on them, as today 2K Games announced a new “multi-title partnership” with Lego. The first product of this fledgling partnership is Lego 2K Drive, a new racing game coming from NBA 2K and WWE 2K developer Visual Concepts.
I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with Lego 2K Drive for around three hours, during which I got to experience its races, open-world, and vehicle customization. So, have Visual Concepts assembled the pieces of a successful new racing franchise? Scroll on for my early impressions.
You can’t accuse Lego 2K Drive of a lack of ambition, as it attempts to combine kart racing, a simplified kid-friendly take on Forza-Horizon-style open-world driving, and the requisite building and other trademark Lego touches. The game features a simple story, told in typical Lego tongue-in-cheek style, with your goal being to become the best racer in Bricklandia by overcoming your rivals and winning the Sky Cup. Initially, you’re dumped into Turbo Acres, where you’re taught the tricks of the trade by grizzled veteran Clutch Racington, but soon enough, you’re set free to explore other parts of the world.
The game’s driving mechanics are relatively straightforward. Cars are easy to maneuver and drifting is a simple matter of holding down a single button, making it even more accessible than something like Mario Kart. The game’s core gimmick is that your ride will change from a regular car to an offroad vehicle or watercraft, depending on what type of terrain you’re traveling over. It’s a pretty neat trick and feels completely seamless. Clearly, Lego 2K Drive’s mechanics are meant to appeal to younger and less experienced players, but as somebody who’s played through a racing game or two (or several dozen), I can assure you the game feels satisfying, if not particularly challenging, to play.
As for Lego 2K Drive’s world, I compared it to Forza Horizon earlier, and while that may be overselling things just a bit, the scope of the game’s world is fairly impressive. Based on my glimpses of the game’s map, it seems like Lego 2K Drive will offer up four worlds to explore (in addition to the starting area). During my hands-on time, I got to fully explore the desert-themed Big Butte area, but I also jumped into races from the mountainous Prospecto Valley and the spooky Hauntsborough. While not quite on the visual cutting edge, Lego 2K Drive has been built with Unreal Engine 4 and looks pretty solid. Each area has its own unique vibe and in addition to all the cars, NPCs, and other objects actually made of Lego, an effort has been made to give all the background elements an appropriately blocky look.
While Lego 2K Drive’s maps aren’t so big you’ll get lost – you can drive across most of them in a minute or two – they’re absolutely jam-packed with races, challenges, and on-the-go events you can immediately jump into. All manner of collectibles also dot the maps and garages can be located to unlock fast-travel points. The game’s challenges are nicely varied – just within the Big Butte region, I found myself rounding up tumbleweeds, rolling a giant egg into a frying pan, and saving cows from alien invaders. Of course, there were also more traditional time trials, jump challenges, and more.
Each challenge you complete earns you XP, which will allow you to level up and enter races against rivals. Admittedly, my Lego 2K Drive gameplay session was broken up between various aspects of the game, so I’m not 100 percent clear on how progression works, but the end goal seems to be to enter and win a cup from each part of the world. These play out similarly to Mario Kart cups, with points being awarded based on your placement in a series of four races. Score the most points in the end and take home the trophy.
While on the topic of progression, it should be mentioned that “Brickbux” are also spread liberally around the world, which can be spent on cars and cosmetics at the “Unkie’s Emporium” store connected to every garage. We weren’t allowed to explore the store during our hands-on time, but Lego 2K Drive creative director Brian Silva and 2K PR confirmed to me that the shop would include items you can purchase with a premium currency bought with real money. Needless to say, this feels a bit skeezy given Lego 2K Drive is clearly a game largely targeted at kids. That said, 2K were quick to point out that you’ll need a 2K Account to make real-money purchases, which must be verified by an adult, so at the very least, your youngsters probably won’t be able to max out your credit card when you’re not looking.
Returning to our discussion of the cups, Lego 2K Drive really is a surprisingly-solid kart racer. Courses take full advantage of the game’s different vehicle types, at times bringing to mind the N64 classic Diddy Kong Racing with its mixture of different rides. Course design is varied, with many having a unique theme – one I tackled was cat themed, with balls of yarn and other kitty trappings littering the track, while another was laden with giant live electrical wires. The game’s suite of weapons runs the gamut, with some, like the homing missiles, being of obvious use, while others are a bit more mysterious in their function (a tutorial specifically focused on these weapons would probably be useful). AI seems solid, offering a decent challenge without pummeling you with weapons right at the finish line.
Everything described thus far can be done co-op with up to six people, although finding that many folks to race with may be difficult, as you have to party up to play. Everyone can explore the world and tackle challenges individually, but if somebody opts to start a competitive challenge or race all players will be automatically drawn in. Certain challenges and competitions are specifically designed for multiple human players, with a red-light, green-light race (in which you blow up if you drive during the red light) being a particular highlight of my co-op session.
Of course, building is also a key part of Lego 2K Drive. While you can customize existing vehicles, you can also build your own ridiculous rides from scratch. There are a good variety of parts available and a vehicle can consist of up to 350 individual bricks, allowing for some real monstrosities, although beware, physics do actually affect your creations. If you’re like me and your Lego building skills are still about where they were when you were seven years old, you might want to stick to the pre-made rides for big races.
Current Thoughts on Lego 2K Drive
Is Lego 2K Drive on track to become my new favorite racing game? Probably not, as it’s a bit on the simple side and the game’s monetization gives me pause. That said, is it a fun, low-stress experience I could see myself winding down with at the end of the day? Absolutely. Do I think my kid will enjoy it? Almost certainly. Lego 2K Drive may not break new ground in any one area, but Visual Concepts has managed to combine a surprisingly solid kart racer, an enticing open world, and versatile building tools into one package, which is no small feat. As is often the case with Lego, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and I’m excited to test out all the pieces when this game launches later this spring.
Lego 2K Drive rolls onto PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Switch on May 19. The standard edition of the game will cost $60 on last-gen platforms (including PC) and $70 on XSX and PS5. There will also be a $100 “Awesome Edition,” which includes the game’s Year 1 Drive Pass, and the $120 “Awesome Rivals Edition” which will include the Drive Pass and additional cars and cosmetics.
