Always copied, never equaled, Mario Kart continues to be emulated today, and in recent months, some titles have even tried their luck. We obviously think of Chocobo GP from Square Enix, Smurfs Kart from Microids or even Gigantosaurus Dino Kart from Bandai Namco Entertainment, but none has managed to overshadow Nintendo’s kart racing. But the competition is growing and in 2023, Mario Kart will have to face Disney Speedstorm, which will be able to count on the biggest licenses of the Mickey firm to seduce the general public, but also a newcomer carried by two brands with strong ambitions. : LEGO and 2K Games. That game is LEGO 2K Drive which unfortunately leaked entirely last weekend, and everything described on the Reddit forums was true. A press event even took place 10 days ago, in which it was possible to test the game in preview. There was solo, multiplayer and a few laughs, enough to reassure fans of kart games. We were among the guests and without further ado, here are our impressions controller in hand.
Long partner of Warner Bros, the LEGO brand has decided to make some infidelities, probably to play the competition, but also to renew the desires. According to rumors that have been circulating for several months, the toy manufacturer has signed a big contract with the publisher 2K Games for many sports games to come. The first, which had also leaked several months ago (thanks to the merchandising), is a LEGO football game which would be developed by the English at Sumo Digital. But something we didn’t know until now is the arrival of a racing game strongly inspired by Mario Kart, but also other titles such as Forza Horizon or The Crew for the more open aspect. , even open world. To do this, 2K Games called on Visual Concepts, one of its best studios, and already busy with the NBA 2K and WWE 2K franchises. But the challenge does not frighten the Californian company which has taken the project head on, the production of which is already almost complete. Because yes, LEGO 2K Drive will arrive on May 19 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One and even Nintendo Switch. The ambitions are great, the potential too, since we know how LEGO is a very strong brand with young audiences. And we won’t surprise you by telling you that this LEGO 2K Drive is aimed above all at the youngest players, with great accessibility, and the least possible obstacle. We explain.
GENDER MIX
LEGO 2K Drive was designed to immerse the player in a permanently connected world, where it is possible to switch from one mode to another, but also to interact with other players around the world, the game having a PvP approach quite pronounced. The player will therefore find himself in the – more or less – open world of Bricklandia, made up of several biomes and accessible over the course of the adventure through a solo mode which will allow you to unlock a lot of things. If the adventure starts in the downtown “City” with very urban environments, quickly we will discover other decorations and stylized atmosphere, like that of Big Butte County which will propel us between the rocky Grand Canyon of the Arizona. For people who prefer green with lush nature, we can walk around Prospecto Valley, while those who prefer the moist atmosphere of New Orleans can discover a biome filled with swamps. Obviously, at this stage of the communication, 2K Games did not want to reveal everything to us, and we imagine that other trailers will be there to shed light on the other environments in due time. Besides, we can tell you that LEGO 2K Drive will take up well-known themes from the LEGO universe, namely City, Creator, Speed Champions and more. Something to please fans of these little Danish bricks.
Of course, since the game is divided into several different biomes (which are unfortunately not seamlessly accessible), the developers have thought of fast-travels, a story that we can go from one universe to another from one snap of the fingers. All you have to do is go to a dedicated garage to have the choice of being teleported elsewhere. But obviously, LEGO 2K Drive has been structured so that the player spends as much time as possible in the different biomes to be unlocked over the course of the adventure. The world being open and populated by people, you can stop at any time, type the discussion and launch challenges and other championships to prove your piloting skills and let the guns speak. Obviously, by positioning itself as an alternative to Mario Kart, LEGO 2K Drive uses many mechanics of Nintendo’s kart game, starting with the power-ups that we will find on the road and which allows you to take advantage of bonuses to try to finish first in the race. Acceleration boost, missiles, protective shield, bombs and many other items, we find the usual weapons. There is however a new bonus which is a kind of teleporter, which allows via a screen of light like a Star Wars thruster, to find yourself among the front runners if you are ever too far behind. A kind of Bill Ball but more effective. In terms of driving, it’s also quite close to a Mario Kart, with very present arcade sensations, and that’s normal, the game is above all intended for children. It is also possible to jump, to skid (to gain a speed boost as well), to hover too, knowing that the differences will also be made through the customization of your vehicle.
But LEGO 2K Drive does not only borrow from Mario Kart, it also drew its inspiration from Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed with the possibility of changing cars depending on the surface crossed. Do you drive on asphalt? So you will be driving the F1 version of your vehicle, whereas if you ever go off-road, you will immediately switch to an off-road machine adapted to the terrain. On the other hand, when crossing water points, your vehicle also turns into a boat or off-shore. Everything is done automatically and instantly, which makes the races even more varied and dynamic, knowing that the driving also differs depending on the surface, making the challenge more substantial. These real-time transformations take place during the races of course, but also in the different biomes, which makes it possible to fully understand the different driving styles and therefore to master them. The semi-open world of LEGO 2K Drive promises many challenges and other activities anyway, but despite the 3 hours of hands-on offered by 2K Games, it was difficult to get a complete overview of the content.
On the other hand, there is a point on which we have lingered a lot, it is the customization mode of the vehicles. Because yes, it will be possible to shape your car entirely, piece by piece, as if you were in front of a large bin full of LEGO pieces with your imagination to make your ideal machine. The tool in the garage could not be more complete, with more than 1,000 parts announced at launch, which promises hours to design its vehicles. You will have to be patient, because the possibilities are total, with all the existing LEGO pieces available, the choice of corridors, the ornaments to add, all while offering the possibility of rotating each piece in the direction you want. . It’s very complete, but also complex to learn, and it’s probably already one of the game’s flaws: it’s clearly not kid-friendly, as you are lost in front of so many possibilities. There are no examples to guide us, nor even manufacturing aids, just his imagination and his great patience. And this will also be one of the points to improve by next May, because for the rest, it is rather promising.
With LEGO 2K Drive, the Danish manufacturer of small bricks takes the next step in terms of video games, wanting to be more entertained and become an essential player with a young audience. By opting for the Mario Kart approach, coupled with semi-open biomes, LEGO and 2K Games intend to attract as many players as possible, especially since we find all the good ingredients of Nintendo’s kart racing, while imposing its personal paw. Everything has been thought out so that the game is as welcoming and accessible as possible, with the fewest constraints and obstacles in play (you can rush anywhere in the scenery, they are almost all destructible). The races are punchy, the fun very present from the first minutes, without forgetting this construction approach so dear to the LEGO brand. The tool is also very complete, perhaps a little less kid-friendly than expected, but there is a chance that you will spend hours building your own vehicle as the possibilities are numerous. Either way, we won’t have to wait long before we can enjoy it, as this LEGO 2K Drive is already scheduled for May 19.