Talented developers are not afraid to switch between completely different productions. Perhaps, then, there is a short step from the NBA (or WWE) to Danish bricks, given that the guys at Visual Concepts themselves have created LEGO 2K Drive in record time, released in recent days on practically any console and on PC since 2K Games. With a partially new philosophy: LEGO video games have always been linked to well-known names from the world of cinema, comics or television series. This time, however, the protagonists, the plot and the formulas are completely new, and the title is proposed as a neutral solution, suitable for any type of user.
As long as you like racing games, of course, because we are still talking about a racing game in every sense. The basic formula has been expanded and declined by the developers following the philosophy of what we could define as "LEGO madness", that is, a mix of light-hearted situations, irreverent characters and constant jokes throughout the adventure. In general everything works well, with an alternation of really bright aspects and other more dull ones.
In any case, we have "built" it for you. LEGO 2K Drive Review, so let's press the accelerator; The joke goes, if we don't exploit it now, when can we do it again? - and we zoom in on the analysis of the game.
Plot: The Best of Mattonia
First let's break a spear in favor of localization and dubbing: LEGO 2K Drive can be enjoyed in excellent spoken and written Spanish, with particularly good translation options. The example of the game's world name, Mattonia, applies to all, as it perfectly captures not only the brick-based nature of the open world, but also the "madness factor" that animates the entire production.
LEGO 2K Drive also has a plot, another point in favor. Of course, you can select other more immediate modes, such as fluid laps around the track, cups and everything else that a normal racing game can offer you. But the developers have visibly insisted on the main narrative, which brings together all these elements within a sensible and stimulating progression, although not without flaws.
You are the last to reach a racing obsessed world (on-road, off-road, some also occur along waterways); In Mattonia there is a kind of hierarchy of champions, and to become the absolute non plus ultra you will have to win what in the animated film Cars is the Piston Cup, or rather the Astrocoppa (the name alone gives an idea of its importance). It's obvious that this won't be handed to you on a silver platter: you'll have to complete every track in every region of Mattonia, collect checkered flags and finally reach the final competition, thus stealing the coveted prize from your nemesis. a certain Shadow Z.
In this task you will not be alone: LEGO 2K Drive presents a whole series of supporting actors more or less recognizable, from the monkeys that manage the garage (useful for vehicle customization) to the veteran Clutch Fulminton and the robotic assistant S.T.U.D. They will guide you through endless tutorials (you can skip them using the Options command) and will illustrate one by one all the possibilities that Mattonia offers. In the initial moments this abundance of possibilities is even frustrating, but it is worth listening to everything and everyone, also because the game seems easy to master, but in reality it presents a somewhat cumbersome progression and some of the secondary events are not so intuitive . as they seem.
An open world, many possibilities.
LEGO 2K Drive is presented as an experience open world in full force, but the issue is more delicate. Forget about infinite open worlds, because the extension of the one at hand is very good, but not surprising. In reality, it is a vast map that contains four different thematic areas, each characterized by a specific biome: but it will not be possible to travel from one to another at any time, they will have to be unlocked progressively as real levels; Furthermore, even within individual maps, you will always be tied in some way to an exploration whose freedom has been dictated from above by the developers' idea.
Everything makes sense and works, with some reservations. The first is this: LEGO 2K Drive would like to offer absolute freedom to newcomers, but in reality it is tied to a series of particularly tedious secondary activities (or races to repeat). The progression system is linked to the player's level: you will not be able, for example, to access level 4 races without first having reached that specific level. And to achieve this you will have to play until the end, completing secondary tasks, which are rarely related to real races.
Others side missions They require you to complete improbable feats: fun, sure, but closer to the aforementioned "LEGO madness" than a racing game formula. Bringing the little blue pigs back into the fold isn't even the strangest request we've ever had: you literally had to carry a giant egg into an equally giant frying pan, and there was pain because none of the objects were willing to cooperate. Try pushing an egg with the sound of bumping your car through a canyon full of rocks and cacti (keeping your sanity intact). Since there are minigames that can be used separately, it would have made more sense to limit the challenges we just described to the latter, and perhaps limit the story mode exploits to following races (there is often a good half hour between a and another). the other) .
Racing and construction
In LEGO 2K Drive you don't just explore and complete completely crazy side quests, even if these aspects make up a big part of the entire experience. What matters, in the end, are the Corso on road (or off road). The idea of alternating three different types of vehicles that change instantly depending on the terrain was brilliant: you go from a hamburger car (asphalt) to a quad (dirt) and finally to a motorboat (on water), without problems. The driving system, however, could have been improved: it maintains a clear arcade inspiration, and offers all the possibilities of any Mario Kart, but without the same precision. Skidding allows you to build up the turbo, but using it also means losing control of the vehicle, don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise; The track's gadgets, that is, the power-ups, cause total chaos, between spider webs that block enemies, homing rockets and energy shields. Winning is not impossible, on the contrary; but very often everything is more linked to chance than to skill. We didn't have the opportunity to immediately test the online mode in which six players compete on the same track, but it is difficult to think of a serious "competitive" with such premises.
Lovers construction For themselves, however, they will go wild with joy to discover how each LEGO 2K Drive vehicle can be assembled from scratch, complete with on-screen instructions, by going to their own garage. Of course, the system is not as practical as it is in reality, but it works; Additionally, the title features many models that can then be equipped and used both in open world exploration and on the track. We had fun with the burger vehicle, but from the beginning there are several possibilities. Beyond the general confusion, it is still advisable to take into account the parameters of each vehicle: some are heavier, others easier to maneuver, etc.; They're not really aspects that make a difference, at least not in the story mode, but it's still worth knowing that they exist.
Finally, the technical sector LEGO 2K Drive is totally satisfactory on PlayStation 5: we have not noticed any errors or glitches of any kind, loading is fast in any situation and the view is always pleasant. We would have preferred, yes, a "more LEGO" world, like those of LEGO Worlds, so to speak, but we understand that it was necessary to make concessions for a racing game.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop Price 69,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (11) 7.0 your voteLEGO 2K Drive is a fun, colorful and light-hearted racing game, also perfect to enjoy with friends locally thanks to the split screen mode. The developers have tried to combine the exquisite irony of LEGO productions (evident in many side missions and in the main narrative) with the typical gameplay of arcade racing games. The balance almost always works, save for a few major weaknesses: a vehicle control system that needed several improvements, often confusing; and a progression that will not convince everyone, given that to access each new career it is first necessary to raise the level by necessarily dedicating yourself to secondary activities. After all, LEGO 2K Drive has never hidden its often deliberately confusing nature, and it still makes up for it with the number of unlockable items, the ability to customize and build your vehicles from scratch, and various other aspects that Danish brick fans they can have. I can't help but love him. We are, therefore, facing a product that is not perfect - but it does not even want to be - but that is capable of entertaining, at least for a time, any type of player.
PRO
- Immediate, fun, suitable for everyone.
- Technically solid
- Retains the well-known LEGO irreverence
AGAINST
- As a racing game it is too chaotic.
- The structure and progression could be improved.
- Currency and resource accumulation is quite slow.
