Chase McCain is a legend. If you grew up playing Wii U, you know exactly who I’m talking about. If you didn’t, you missed out on one of the weirdest, funniest, and most surprisingly deep open-world games ever made. We need to talk about LEGO City Undercover.
It’s easy to dismiss it. It’s LEGO. It looks like it’s for six-year-olds. But here’s the thing: it’s secretly a high-octane police procedural parody that has more in common with The Naked Gun and Starsky & Hutch than it does with Star Wars or Harry Potter. While most LEGO games tie themselves to massive movie franchises, this one was an original IP. It didn’t have a cinematic crutch to lean on. It had to be good on its own merits. And it was. It really, really was.
The Wii U Curse and the 2017 Salvation
When LEGO City Undercover first launched in 2013, it was a Wii U exclusive. That was a problem. Not many people owned a Wii U. Even though the game used the GamePad in some genuinely clever ways—like using it as a scanner to find criminals through walls—it was trapped on a dying console.
Then 2017 happened.
TT Games and Warner Bros. finally brought it to PS4, Xbox One, PC, and the Nintendo Switch. This wasn't just a port; it was a rescue mission. They added two-player co-op, which was weirdly missing from the original, and fixed some of those agonizing two-minute loading screens that plagued the Wii U version. If you played it back then, you remember those loading bars. They were soul-crushing. You could literally go make a sandwich while Chase McCain was moving from the police station to the city streets.
What Makes LEGO City Undercover Different?
Most LEGO games follow a strict "levels" format. You play a level, you unlock a character, you go back with a different power to get a collectible. LEGO City Undercover flips that. It’s a massive, sprawling open world first. You have LEGO City—a Frankenstein’s monster of San Francisco, New York, and Seattle.
You’ve got the Golden Gate Bridge (Heritage Bridge), Alcatraz (Albatross Island), and even a Times Square equivalent. It feels alive. You can hijack—sorry, "commandeer"—any vehicle on the road. Chase is a cop, after all. He’s allowed. You can jump into a lawnmower, a sports car, or a massive garbage truck. The sheer variety of vehicles is staggering. There are over 100 of them, and they all handle differently. Kind of. They all feel like plastic, which is the point.
The core mechanic revolves around Chase's disguises.
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Instead of switching characters like you do in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Chase just changes his clothes.
- The Thief: Gives you a crowbar to break into buildings.
- The Miner: Lets you use dynamite and smash rocks.
- The Astronaut: Includes a jetpack and a teleporter gun.
- The Farmer: You can glide using a chicken. Yes, a chicken.
It’s absurd.
The Comedy is the Real Hook
I’ve played a lot of games. I’ve laughed at very few of them. LEGO City Undercover is actually funny. It’s not just "kid funny." It’s "parents-sitting-on-the-couch-wondering-why-they-get-this-reference" funny.
There is an entire segment of the game that is a direct, beat-for-beat parody of The Shawshank Redemption. There’s a character named Blue who is a clear riff on Morgan Freeman’s Red. If you haven’t seen the movie, the jokes go right over your head. If you have, it’s gold. They do the same thing with The Godfather, Goodfellas, and The Matrix.
The writing team at TT Fusion clearly had a blast. They knew the kids would like the slapstick—Chase falling over or getting hit by a door—but they wrote the dialogue for the adults. It’s self-aware. It knows it’s a game about plastic toys.
Why It Still Holds Up in 2026
You’d think a game from 2013 would feel ancient by now. It doesn't.
The "LEGO aesthetic" is timeless. Unlike games that try for photo-realism and end up looking like muddy brown potatoes ten years later, LEGO City Undercover looks clean. The plastic textures shine. The primary colors pop. On a modern PC or a PS5, the draw distance is actually impressive. You can stand on top of the Blackwell Tower and see the entire city laid out.
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But it’s the density that matters.
Modern "AAA" games often suffer from "Empty World Syndrome." You have miles of nothing. In LEGO City, there is a Gold Brick or a hidden character around every single corner. You see a blue vending machine? Smash it. You see a silver statue? Blow it up. The game rewards curiosity in a way that modern open worlds often forget to do.
The Technical Reality
Let’s be honest for a second. The game isn’t perfect.
The combat is basic. It’s basically just a counter-button mash. You wait for an icon to appear over a criminal's head, press it, and Chase does some flashy martial arts move to throw them into handcuffs. It’s not Arkham Knight. But it doesn't need to be.
The driving can be a bit floaty. If you’re coming from Forza or GTA V, you’re going to feel like the cars have no weight. That’s because they’re made of bricks. Literally. Once you accept that the physics are "toy physics," it becomes a lot more fun.
Also, the frame rate on the Nintendo Switch version can still dip when things get chaotic. If you have the choice, play it on a Series X or a PS5. The 60fps boost makes a world of difference when you’re drifting a police cruiser around a corner in Pagoda.
Finding Every Collectible (The 100% Grind)
If you’re a completionist, LEGO City Undercover is your Mount Everest.
There are:
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- 450 Gold Bricks.
- 290 Characters to unlock.
- 120 Vehicles.
- 40 Power Bricks (Red Bricks).
Getting 100% takes a long time. Like, 40 to 50 hours. And unlike the newer LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which felt a bit bloated to some players, the progression here feels more natural. You unlock a disguise in the story, and that disguise unlocks a whole new layer of the city. It’s a Metroidvania disguised as a GTA clone.
Real-World Influence and Legacy
Believe it or not, LEGO City Undercover actually influenced how LEGO approached their own physical sets. The "LEGO City" toy line started incorporating characters and vehicles that appeared first in the game. It was a rare instance of a digital product driving the physical toy production.
Usually, it’s the other way around.
The game also proved that LEGO didn’t need Batman or Iron Man to sell units. It sold millions of copies across all platforms. It proved that the "LEGO humor" was a brand in itself.
What You Should Do If You're Starting Today
Don't rush it. Seriously.
The main story is great—Rex Fury is a top-tier LEGO villain—but the magic is in the side stuff. Stop and talk to the NPCs. Listen to the random conversations on the street. Go to the top of the bridge and just look around.
If you're playing with a kid, let them drive. The co-op mode is "drop-in, drop-out," so you can help them with a tricky platforming section and then let them go back to causing absolute structural mayhem in the downtown core.
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Experience:
- Prioritize the "Super Build" Bricks: You’ll see orange pads around the city. These are Super Builds. Some are just for fun (like a giant loop-de-loop for cars), but others, like the Call-In Points, are essential for summoning vehicles anywhere.
- Get the "Data Scan Upgrade" Red Brick early: It’s a game-changer. It highlights collectibles on your map so you aren't just wandering aimlessly.
- Don't buy every character immediately: Save your studs for the Multiplier Red Bricks. Once you get the 2x, 4x, and 6x multipliers, you’ll have more "money" than you know what to do with.
- Visit the Police Station Basement: This is where you can customize your characters and vehicles. It’s also where some of the best Easter eggs are hidden.
- Check the Disguise Booths: Each area has specific outfits that are unique to that district. Collecting them is half the fun of exploring the suburbs versus the docks.
LEGO City Undercover is a rare gem. It’s a game that respects the player's time by filling every inch of its world with personality. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and in an era of "gritty" and "realistic" games, that’s incredibly refreshing. Go find Rex Fury. Save the city. Just try not to smash too many fire hydrants on the way. Or do. The studs are worth it.