After brief pitstops with a pair of F1 games and Dirt 5, developer Codemasters returns to one of its greatest feats with Grid Legends.
The first entry in the series since 2019's Grid, Legends retakes the scene of an industry dominated by Forza and Gran Turismo hoping to catch attention with a deep, narrative-driven story mode and some innovative features to go alongside fun racing.
No easy feat, but Legends offers enough for solo players and others atop to command its own niche and stand out from the pack.
Gameplay
While the series has waffled between simulation and otherwise in the past, Legends leans into the arcade feel like its predecessor.
The result is slippery, arcade-styled action, albeit a little stickier than Grid. But veering off a track still isn't always a major ordeal, and contact with other drivers is almost encouraged, as it can aid in making a tough turn.
It provides a fun, responsive time on a variety of tracks with wildly different vehicles. There's the typical Forza-styled guiding line to help with braking (tweakable in the menus alongside droves of other assists) but also the understanding that experimentation and risks are key to winning. The game rewards drifts, drafting and the usual arcade-styled moves.
It would appear smart that Legends opts for the arcade route, too, because some of the ideas it permits are a blast. The best example is boost gates. If players can string a few of those together, they get a boost. But they sit well off the necessary path, so it's a big gamble. Hit the gates and profit, but things could spiral out of control quickly in failure.
Grid (2019) worked hard to implement a feeling of randomness too. A.I. drivers aren't merely set pieces accompanying the player to the finish line. They each have their own personality and behavior that is responsive to other drivers—the player chief among them.
The Nemesis system returns and, while it doesn't appear to be changed much from 2019, still feels fun. Slamming into an A.I. driver will have that opponent looking to swap paint again, whether it's outright ramming, slamming on the brakes while in front or otherwise.
This sort of rivalry, while not necessarily triggered by more nuanced maneuvers besides notable contact, can span several races, not just one. It does feel a little dated now that it's been done before, but it's better than nothing at all.
Different classes of vehicles indeed feel notably distinct. Still, within those classifications, everything does feel a bit samey, though it's hard to complain too much with the game boasting 48 different car classes.
Written another way, Legends slots meets expectations in most areas of gameplay. That's not a bad thing, but it does rely on its surrounding features to really stand out.
Graphics and Presentation
It's a similar story for the immersive elements flanking the gameplay. Legends looks good standing still or in motion, and the sound design is top-notch, be it voiceovers or the distinct sounds of engines, screeches of tires or thumps of impacts between vehicles.
The expected greatest hits are here. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the heavy hitter of a list of notable and colorful locations.
San Francisco street tracks especially highlight that this is a next-generation racer. Bystanders pepper the sidelines, and the roar of crowds and speakers comes and goes based on a player's position on the track. Beautiful vistas paint the backdrop of most locales, too, such as the skyline-dominating landmarks of Paris or London.
One notable point of flexing for the game's visuals, and especially the lighting system, is a night track in which drivers pass through consistent pale ovals from lights overhead.
While Legends doesn't look bad by any stretch, it's starting to pale in comparison to some of its contemporaries. Every game, be it Forza or otherwise, has evolved into the level of vehicle damage players seem to seek these days, for example. Legends does some of this, but it's the frontrunner of days past.
Still, Legends' vehicles look good. The real visual treat are the happenings of the tracks themselves and dynamic weather. Storms look good, but so does trying to combat a colorful lens flare on a sunny day, which realistically disappears behind buildings or while passing under bridges.
Maybe the highlight is how good everything looks in the rain, with slick pavement or, ducking into first-person mode, the raindrops hitting windshields. Speaking of that perspective, the cockpit itself is, as expected, a treat to take in that adds to immersion.
Driven to Glory, Esports and More
Driven to Glory is the biggest talking point around Legends.
Inspired by Netflix documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the narrative-based story focuses on Seneca Racing and the team's uphill climb.
It hits on the expected tropes, but kudos goes to the creators for really leaning into the documentary style. Even the opening cutscene blends in interview segments from after an event with several racers, getting their thoughts on what transpired. Then, it shifts to the track itself, where players seize control in the aftermath of those events to continue.
There is a bit of a disconnect between the narrative of the story and the on-track results at times. No matter how a player seems to finish, even if it's a win, the driver and team is still positioned as the underdog. It's also hard to buy into that underdog status when a race goal could be simply to finish in the top three.
But the blend of presentation styles, some heartfelt performances and a fun overall tale over the course of a rather lengthy campaign are worth a look. It might not have the never-ending checklist of things to do like some open-world racers, but it's unique enough to warrant a run-through. And truthfully, the documentary style with real actors is something annual sports games might want to learn from for their story modes.
Like most racers, Legends runs through a gamut of other modes and options. There's a traditional career mode, multiplayer with functional lobbies, as well as garage and team sections. The former is exactly what players have come to expect from racing games, while the latter is a renewal of the must-see feature from Grid.
Like back in 2019, getting into the nitty gritty of fine-tuning an entire team (not just vehicles, for once), is a little RPG-lite mechanic that only deepens immersion. Players can level up teammates and the garage's mechanics atop things like managing team sponsorships. Even if the mechanic skill tree splits off into things as simple as "upgrades are x percent cheaper" or "prize money is boosted by x percent," it's a nice system to have for those who want to take a deeper dive.
One particular mode that sticks out again is Elimination, which is exactly what it sounds like. Trying to stay ahead of the cutoff point, not just coasting along in hopes of a checkered flag, creates race-long tension that other modes don't typically match.
Race creation lets players control the weather, time of day and even boost gates and jumps. Given the wealth of vehicle classes and customization options, it should be interesting to see what the most popular modes and races end up being online.
Elsewhere on the multiplayer front, it's nice to have the option to join a friend's live event thanks to a hop-in feature. Players can seize control of an A.I. in the race as opposed to just waiting around in a lobby.
Overall progression uses a standard credits system. Earn those, unlock more cars. That, or use a loan system to borrow cars for an online match at potentially reduced reward rates. Either way, the progression system, like a lot of things, feels fair.
On the esports front, Legends probably isn't going to be the main home for simulation-only players. There's enough in the gameplay and the basic functionality like server browsers and match creation to make it work.
But Legends will make its headway on the esports front with a more diverse crowd of all skill ranges to match its gameplay. That could easily mean plenty of brackets, tournaments and staying power on streaming over the long run despite stiff competition from the usual suspects. Cross-play will be a major factor, too.
Conclusion
These days, even after the arrival of the next generation, it seems there are very few guaranteed things in gaming.
Codemasters making a superb racer is still one of them.
As expected, Legends is a brilliant blend of arcade and simulation that should appeal to as broad of an audience as possible. While other racers have made open worlds or unabashed simulation-only experiences their thing, Legends excels in whatever the player wants it to be, which can be the highest praise of all.
While the racing or presentation will feel like well-trodden ground at this point for some players, it's done so well that it's hard to complain, and Driven to Glory is a feat more sports games should look to emulate, and quickly.
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