Build cars, drive them in a huge open world, compete on race tracks in very different settings, all sprinkled with a bit of humor and mini-games. No, you are not in a new racing game. The gang EITHER Force Horizonbut in a game… LEGO.
The famous brand of plastic bricks has teamed up with 2K Games to design a new game in the franchise. But this time, no action and just adventure. LEGO 2K Drive is first and foremost a racing game, or rather “driving”, with a bit of adventure.
“It was the people at LEGO who came to us five years ago to envision a sports game project,” Mark Pierce, executive producer of the game at Visual Concepts, told Tech&Co.
Humor and bricks to break in the car
On the side of the development studio, a member of 2K Games, we then thought about the sport that could lend itself to a totally different style of play for the LEGO franchise, whose fans are used to adventure in often-known universes (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, etc.). Finally, made up of developers who have left their mark on arcade car games, Visual Concepts is committed to a racing game in the LEGO universe, with its strengths and characteristics.
We were able to test 1h30 in the future game from 2K Games. First observation: we are totally immersed in the universe of LEGO videogames, with brick decorations, characters with yellow heads and the same touch of humor that jumps out immediately, with the names of the two presenters (Ambre Ayage and Jean Talliage) or characters crossed (Otto Mobiles, Hugo Rille) in the different worlds called biomes here and four in number.
The game combines a story mode to navigate alone or in cooperation with other player-drivers locally or online (up to six), multi-terrain racing on the road or off the beaten track, mini-games with items to collect or even the Garage, a space for personalize your vehicle.
Biomes offer vastly different environments to explore: rocky mountain canyons, desert or swampy areas, lush valleys, or even a town of haunted houses.
This vast open world is obviously driven by car, but also in a kind of all-terrain lawn mower right off the road, or even by speedboat if you find yourself on the water. The player can destroy the environment by hitting an object, a tree, or a character.
“There are challenges, races, play online or not, the ability to interact between players. And the whole LEGO building aspect, the official kits. Everything is moddable. It’s a whole and we can’t wait to see how the players will do it. yours”.
Inspired by Mario Kart, but not only
The mini-games give the opportunity to earn money to spend in the garage. And there are very different genres and levels of difficulty. You may have to push an egg into a giant frying pan with your car, golf balls into a hole, or have to drive as fast as possible on a highway.
For its part, the races are short, dynamic and furiously reminiscent of a certain Mario Kart, with the possibility of picking up superpowers along the way to throw some at your opponents.
Family racing game looks set to rival mario kart 8 deluxe, reserved for him only Nintendo Switch while his competitor will be on all platforms. With its humor and offering more than racing, the power of LEGO can allow the game to cast a wide net and attract as many players of all ages as possible.
The Garage, the time-consuming construction mode
Paw LEGO obliges, the construction of his vehicle is one of the proposed modes. You can design everything from A to Z, choose the elements, the color, the assets… The most creative ones will have fun and then they will be able to navigate through the different biomes at the wheel of their creation.
It is true that the customization promises are numerous (more than 1000 pieces announced), with as many elements as those found in real commerce. And even special kits, waiting for the limited or exclusive collections that will arrive later. We don’t know yet if it will be possible to share your creation or collect those of others, but it would respond to a certain logic of the game.
LEGO 2K Drive will be available on May 19 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).
Source: BFM TV
