“LEGO 2K Drive” is one of the best kart games in years | games

You’ll immediately notice that LEGO 2K Drive is not a classic racing game from the world you end up in. Bricklandia is a vast open world with different areas where you can drive freely. You might compare the concept better with “The Crew,” where we explore the entire United States while driving. The regions in Bricklandia are of course fictional, with names that appeal to the imagination, such as Big Butte County – literally translated as Groot Gat in the Dutch version. Each area looks different and has its own theme.

Along the way you will encounter tasks and have to collect things. But of course it mainly concerns the official races. Victories earn you checkered flags that pave the way to the Sky Cup, the ultimate goal of the game. Throughout the story you are not alone. Like any racing driver, you are surrounded by a professional team. For example, you can count on the advice of an experienced Clutch Racington racer. It ensures that you can compete against many competitors who have also been given the craziest names, such as Roest Klompjes. You already realized that the makers have shown their more creative side…

There is a lot to do in Bricklandia, but first let’s talk about the race itself. Because is “LEGO 2K Drive” really a “cool” racing game as our title suggests, or have we perhaps taken too much inspiration from the creative game makers in this choice of words? The game, of course, is not “Forza Horizon” and basically fits into the kart game class with predecessors such as “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe”, “Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled” and “Sonic & All-Stars Racing”. We know from other LEGO games that we can expect crazy situations and this one doesn’t disappoint either.

A track can be set up anywhere in Bricklandia, regardless of whether you’re racing on tarmac, gravel or water. Every time the surface changes, so does the vehicle you drive. One moment you’re in an F1 car, the next in a machine doing tricky off-road stunts, and all of a sudden you’re zipping across a river in a speedboat. There are no rules, except for one: get off the track regularly in the turns and destroy as much decor made from LEGO blocks as you can. After all, this ensures that the boost gauge fills up faster and gets faster.

Although “Mario Kart” is the king of chaotic racing games, “LEGO 2K Drive” makes a nice attempt to pull off the Nintendo classic. You do not have time to analyze the race, although this is not necessary. The only correct strategy is to go to full throttle. Along the way, you’ll get things in certain places that add to the chaos a bit. With missiles that blast the car in front of you or a boost that catapults you forward in one hit.

Each race has a high recreational value. There are seven competitions in each area in which you must be the first to cross the line. And just like in Mario Kart, you can choose between 50, 100 and 150 cc as a difficulty level, and here you can repeat the race in grades C, B and A.

Tired of racing? Then embark on a journey through Bricklandia and immerse yourself in the many mini-games that appear along the path. The games are very short and often last no more than half a minute. You will get a bronze, silver or gold medal based on your performance. And also the money that you can use to upgrade your car. Some of the mini games are a type of time trial in which you have to complete a short distance as fast as you can. But there are also more fun missions, for example, where you have to shove a gold nugget over a bridge. After a while, the minigames become quite repetitive, but it’s still fun. Just because you never have to wait to restart a mini-game and beat your score. With one press of the button, it will instantly shut down.

If you want to know what you can do in an area, just look at a map. So you can spend a lot of time in Bricklandia. The game has something to offer everyone. In the middle, be sure to stop in one of the many garages you come across. There you will find more crew members who can improve your car. You can even build your car here brick by brick.

You don’t have to follow the story to build the cars. You can just choose this option from the main menu of the game. The same applies to races packaged in the form of various cups. You can also explore mini-games separately from the story.

You can judge for yourself whether LEGO 2K Drive is really a “cool” game. We think it’s the best kart game we’ve played in years. It’s definitely not a Mario Kart clone. After all, LEGO always does something of its own and relies on the player’s imagination. This is where the power of games lies. And also in this respect, “LEGO 2K Drive” definitely belongs to the top of the game series.