LEGO City Undercover | Review

Disclaimer: This review only applies directly to the Nintendo Switch and Wii U versions. Some features are likely altered, removed, or added when playing on any different system.

LEGO City Undercover was originally released for the Wii U in 2013. It featured a full open world, a somewhat short story mode, and tons of hidden items to find. I honestly don't think it's a stretch to say this game demonstrated the potential power of the Wii U thanks to a massive render distance and fairly consistent framerate.

The game received a port/remake for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch in 2017. While the new features were minimal, one substantial addition was local co-op with one other player

The open world of LEGO City Undercover is what made this an interesting game to me originally. The fact that you can drive around a city without dealing with the violence and swearing of Grand Theft Auto put LEGO City Undercover on my priority list back in 2013. After playing that and GTA V, I can easily say that LEGO City Undercover has an impressive world, but anyone expecting GTA V's level of polish will be disappointed.

One major advantage LEGO City Undercover has on the Switch is the portability, which is my biggest disappointment with the game. It doesn't run nearly as bad as The Chase Begins on the 3DS, but there are a few issues. The framerate in handheld mode is far more inconsistent, but I find it gets better over time. The resolution also looks to be less than 720p. I don't have any methods of testing the resolution, but if it's 720p it's the worst 720p I've ever seen.

The story is, like I said before, short. Unfortunately that doesn't keep it from overstaying its welcome. Nothing about the story feels gripping, and I honestly didn't want to play it. This might not apply to everyone, but I didn't find any of the characters super gripping, and the humor tends to be a bit childish.

The gameplay of LEGO City Undercover is where the game absolutely shines. Exploring a city should be fun, and once you finish story mode it is! The world isn't incredibly massive like in Breath of the Wild or Skyrim, but it is more manageable. You can't fast travel because you don't need to. The size of the city means that you can get just about anywhere in about 10 minutes.

Voice acting in LEGO games has always felt weird to me. I grew up with LEGO Star Wars as my favorite LEGO game, and I loved how they represented the story of Star Wars without using a single word of dialogue. LEGO City Undercover is fully voice acted, and it works well here. It feels like a story that would be impossible to convey otherwise. The voice acting is high quality, though random characters talking on the street gets repetitive quickly.

As any longtime player of LEGO games can tell you, there's going to be some jank. LEGO City Undercover on the Wii U and Switch has surprisingly little, but it definitely has some. Sometimes you'll slide off a surface you should stand on, you can't jump off of cars, and other minor issues like that. Not a huge deal, but the level of polish is obviously not as high as you might hope.

I'm also disappointed by the lack of things to do as a police officer. Once the story is complete you won't be tasked with taking down criminals or solving mysteries. You'll just be driving around the city looking for additional content.

The Switch version also has local co-op (two controllers one system) which allows you and a friend to experience the full game together. The framerate will start out somewhat low but it gets better over time. Players also have the ability to warp to each other. Ultimately I like the co-op mode quite a bit. It's very similar to how LEGO games in the past have handled it, though you are stuck with a split screen.

Controller Report:

LEGO City Undercover is fully compatible with a set of Joy-Con controllers and the Pro Controller. The game also appears to be beatable with a GameCube controller. Minor features like the ability to stop NPCs from driving away will not be available, and certain "extras" won't work. I don't believe motion controls are ever required (or even allowed) in the Switch version.

Overall Opinion:

LEGO City Undercover is a great game whether you're playing on the Wii U or the Switch. I was honestly surprised the Switch port was as solidly built as it was, especially since it's as cheap as it is. If you have a kid who wants a game like Grand Theft Auto, this is a great choice. If you want a more family friendly game like Grand Theft Auto, this is still a solid choice.

Here are some links to buy LEGO City Undercover:

Nintendo Switch Digital: eShop
Nintendo Switch Physical: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop