LEGO 2K Drive is your childhood LEGO dreams come to life in one gathering of trailblazing bricks on a track. However, the inner mechanics and systems, with one system, in particular, hold the game back. Even with its faults, LEGO 2K Drive is still worth the time if you can look past the rough edges but if not, you will feel as though it held the majority of LEGO 2K Drive down from being great.
The Story — Have You Obtained Enough Flags Yet?
The main story of LEGO 2K Drive revolves around the protagonist (whoever you’d like your character to be) reaching the Sky Cup Grand Prix: the most important race in all of Bricklandia. In order to reach it you will have to collect a number of checkered flags by winning races against various rivals across the world. These rivals are packed with personality and one of the most notable examples is “Hugh-Man” who is an alien starstruck with fame because of their followers on social media. If you beat Hugh-Man in their race you will even get a UFO-shaped car to drive around in — quite the spectacle indeed.
Related: Does LEGO 2K Drive Have Crossplay?
The Rivals are what keeps each race unique and interesting but the track layouts and thematic presences all add something unique to LEGO 2K Drive. There are occasionally side activities and mini-games that you have to complete in order to progress the story. The mini-games can get a little repetitive at times because you usually are just bashing into enemies like robot minifigures but the minigames still are diverse enough that players won’t lose attention.
The Gameplay — Drifting Around the Track in Brick Style
The gameplay of LEGO 2K Drive is a standout when you get used to the core systems. Drifting around the track, boosting into other cars, and using a diverse array of brick-defying powerups never gets old. Although you can also choose to do this in local-co op or even online crossplay, meaning there is no need to race alone in the game. I love the fact that there is crossplay included for a racing game and LEGO 2K Drive is a brilliant example of doing it well, thanks to the varied races.
Related: Best Car Builds in 2K Drive: LEGO 2K Drive Build Guide
The building system of LEGO 2K Drive is where the game stands out from the crowd, with a complex but accessible build system that makes this LEGO title not just a rehash of worn-out ideas. This is because of the sheer amount of bricks and pieces that you can use during the building process in one of the many garages across the game. After you build a vehicle you can then go ahead and take it into a test drive area.
These test drive areas are varied, with one being a water-based area with rubber ducks — it’s all very charming. The tutorial and game onboarding systems are also highly thought-out. No matter what sort of games you have played, you will be guided here with little issue. There is even a system in which you can learn how to make pre-built cars from scratch in build mode.
Related: How to Play Multiplayer in Lego 2K Drive – Split Screen Co-Op and Online Multiplayer
Microtransactions and the Open World
Where the game starts to show its cracks is how the microtransaction system is built-out. You can use the store to buy new vehicles with Brickbux that you can earn throughout the game. However, the caveat is that you can also buy Brickbux with coins that cost actual real-world money. The microtransaction store (named Unkie’s Emporium) is in your face every time you pause LEGO 2K Drive. It feels strange to have microtransactions in a racing game like this targeted toward younger audiences, to say the least.
Overall the gameplay holds up excellently and progression is rewarding while playing through the various races. Along with that, the open world of LEGO 2K Drive has side activities around every corner and these keep the pace enjoyably intense while driving around. The locations on offer are diverse enough to keep players coming back for more, such as the Hauntsborough section of the map, which is a sweeping haunted land with a towering castle, murky swamp depths, and more.
The Art and Sound Design — A Brick Rattlin’ Good Time
Both the art style and sound design of LEGO 2K Drive is absolutely stunning. When first starting the game and being placed in the bright, brick-filed green fields of Turbo Acres, there truly was a sense of warm childhood nostalgia that appeared once again. Crashing into cars and hearing the brick “Cha-clunks!” happen as you do is always extremely satisfying. The art design backs all of this up with its stylized nature that always is vibrant and colorful. All of these elements keep us focused on the game fully.
Conclusion
All in all, LEGO 2K Drive satisfies any craving for brick-racing that you may have had in the past with A+ class but still is rough around the edges because of its microtransaction system. Nonetheless, LEGO 2K Drive is an experience that can pride itself on being a game with visuals that match its vibrant personalities of characters and events throughout the world. If you are looking for a new type of racing game that will let you create any car you could imagine, then look no further than 2K Drive.
