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LEGO 2K Drive review roundup: A fun racer with a childlike charm - - News | lego 2k drive review | GamesHorizon

LEGO 2K Drive review roundup: A fun racer with a childlike charm

Tanay SharmaBy Updated:7 Mins Read Reviews

For the most part, Lego games have always harnessed our childlike appreciation for everything simple. The blocky aesthetic with creative characters and settings makes for some excellent source material you can count on. Fans have access to several Lego games, movies, and collectibles, and this time, we’re playing LEGO 2K Drive.

Your versatile, evolving cars in LEGO 2K Drive allow you to quickly race across thrilling racetracks, off-road terrain, and open oceans. The game is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X and S. 

If you appreciate Lego games and are interested in trying out a fun racing game with the signature Lego aesthetic, this game might be worth checking out. Let’s take a look at what reviewers are saying.

“LEGO 2K Drive is big, bold, and beautiful”: GamesRadar+

GamesRadar+ seems to be having a ball with this title, and according to them, the gameplay itself is fantastic. Most LEGO 2K Drive’s races on Xbox Series X run at a respectable 60 frames per second despite the screen being covered in scattered LEGO bricks and scenery elements. The game also features dynamic water waves and some of the most convincing mud spray effects since the pre-rendered MotorStorm trailer from 2005. 

The robust frame rate and vibrant colors that Visual Concepts created truly help to give LEGO 2K Drive a retro arcade-racer feel. Visual Concepts has wowed gamers for around three decades now, and it continues to do so. The game is enormous and magnificent, and some of the later races are absolutely outstanding.

While 2K Drive has some great character names, sight gags, and humorous signs, it has a different level of cleverness than games like Lego City Undercover, which is recognized for its goofy sense of humor. The few (hopefully occasional) potty jokes will surely make youngsters giggle, but other than that, it’s all in good humor and hilarious enough to make you smile. 

“Full of charm, a little bit chaotic, but ultimately doesn’t know what it wants to be”: The Gamer

The Gamer holds the game’s childlike appeal in high regard. Based on their review, some experiences are simply designed for children- Lego 2K Drive is one of those games. It may not surprise you, but that underestimates how kid-friendly the game is.

While titles like Lego Batman are unmistakably designed with a specific audience in mind, they still have that universal Pixar appeal. That is exactly what’s missing in 2K Drive. It’s almost entirely geared toward children, and it’s unfortunate that some of the classic Lego charm has been lost to cater to a younger demographic.

There is some good depth to the driving though. The fundamentals of kart racing are nothing new; you drift, obtain speed boosts, and acquire (very reductive and un-Lego-like) goods. However, the fact that drift and rapid turn are two distinct mechanisms adds another degree of complexity. Different tracks will also present new challenges.

Unfortunately, the fundamental campaign is absurdly simple. While the cars you acquire along the way have a variety of attributes, you typically choose them solely based on appearance because you always stand a good chance of winning. It’s mainly smooth sailing, but once you get far enough along, you’ll need to grind to acquire more cars (in a pretty predatory way, you can pay real money to skip). Since the goal is to outperform your competitors, you don’t even have to win any races; you need to place higher than one random driver who, while being immune to things, repeatedly fails to reach the podium.

“A colorful blast of creative air”: GamesHub

GamesHub’s positive take on the game certainly makes us smile. According to them, in a racing game market dominated by legacy heavy-hitters like Forza and Gran Turismo, Lego 2K Drive is a colorful blast of creative air. It skews more towards the children’s market than other adult-focused racers; however, it provides a welcome balance of humor and solid, high-speed racing that will likely appeal to many.

You’ll need to learn the game’s distinctive driving style, which is both familiar and slightly strange, in order to complete each objective that is presented to you. Similar to Mario Kart, every vehicle has the ability to drift, which gives you a simple way to make bends in winding races. Additionally, there is a “quick turn” option that significantly improves car agility. When combined with a hair-raising boost system, this results in faster, higher-intensity races.

Gain boost strength that enables you to fire your blasting rockets as you navigate each course and purposefully collide with obstacles. These boosts let you travel at tremendous heights, scale mountains, cross rivers, and dodge obstacles along the route.

Despite its obsession with microtransactions—which, to be fair, can be totally disregarded without affecting gameplay—Lego 2K Drive manages to show a genuine sense of personality in a market long dominated by well-known, respected brands. With the skill of Visual Concepts at the wheel, this adventure emerges as a fully-formed and shockingly beautiful voyage. There are many possibilities to explore its Legofied universe in-depth, in epic races and rivalries.

“LEGO 2K Drive is a joy to behold”: The Outerhaven

The Outerhaven carefully gazes over the game’s different aspects that make it so joyful. Based on their review, the moment you load into a race or the expansive environment of Bricklandia, you can immediately sense the LEGO magic that permeates every single LEGO game.

With the plastic gloss that comes exclusively from LEGO bricks, the locales have a highly distinctive LEGO appearance. Almost everything you see is made of LEGO bricks, including automobiles, buildings, and even the trees in the field. Some of them look fairly square or blocky, while others resemble more expensive playsets you might purchase from your neighborhood LEGO store.

LEGO 2K Drive review roundup: A fun racer with a childlike charm - - News | lego 2k drive review | GamesHorizon

You also get access to the Garage, a part where you may use the LEGO system to build, alter, or create entirely new cars, in addition to the basic play-style activities. You will need to place bricks either by following a manual (if you select one of the prefabricated cars) or by using whatever you can get your hands on as a result of story unlocks or purchasing from the in-game store. The advantage of this mode is that you essentially have no restrictions on what you may build. If you want to construct a box on wheels or a duplicate of your preferred race car design, by all means, go ahead. Here, the sky is the limit.

The racing part of this game is the only good thing about it. You may drift around and plow through various land, sea, and air vehicles in the same race, thanks to the easy-to-use controls. In contrast, LEGO 2K Drive also tries to do things that you shouldn’t do in a racing video game, aside from the actual racing. The other elements seriously ruin the fun and make the game tedious. But LEGO 2K Drive will rank among the best racing games of the year if 2K Games can stick to the racing more, which is significant.

The Good and the Bad: What does the game deliver?

LEGO 2K Drive review roundup: A fun racer with a childlike charm - - News | lego 2k drive review | GamesHorizon

Positives

  • Positively challenging for newbies and racing veterans alike.
  • Seamless multiplayer and co-op options.
  • Intuitive brick building system.

Negatives

  • Not as hilarious as other LEGO games.
  • Winning races may not feel as rewarding.
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Tanay is a writer at GamesHorizon. He wears many hats - musician, gamer and interactive storyteller to name a few. He's pursuing a Master's in Behavioural Sciences and holds a Bachelor's in Human Centred Design. You'll often find him taking tough life decisions in unreal worlds. Some of his favourite game studios include Quantic Dream, Rockstar Games and Telltale Games.