LEGO City Undercover Review - Is the Switch version a worthwhile investment?

Unlike the PC version at current, the Nintendo Switch version of LEGO City Undercover is actually an enjoyable experience.

Though it follows the same general thread of other LEGO games - destroy the environment and reap the rewards - LEGO City Undercover gives you a less constricted view of the franchise.

From its typical but hilarious script, intriguing gameplay, and movie references galore, it's definitely a title to add to your Switch list of must-buys.

Unless you've played the game on the Wii U already, in which case there's really no need.

LEGO City Undercover follows the story of Chase McCain, a superstar cop brought back to work on the same case that essentially uprooted his life years prior.

Rex Fury, an elite criminal mastermind, has escaped from prison and is causing havoc throughout LEGO City.

Surrounded by an assortment of excitable buddy-cops, a totally incapable and egotistical police chief, a will-they won't-they love interest, and a scattering of useful support characters, its cliche is forgivable.

At least in this case, the stereotype of classic detective/prison escape films shine brightly without any attempt at trying to disguise them as something original.

Chase McCain is an overly cocky person with a script full of 'I'm so great' lines to match. Whilst his excitable partner, Honey, has that lovable, Doge-like 'very cop, much police, wow' feel to him which balances everything out.

The music is absolutely perfect, implementing a mixture of swinging 60s tracks and upbeat jazz, through to the classic, cool-cat, double bass moments. Again, the game knows it's being stereotypical and it's doing so unabashed.

Performance-wise things hold up pretty well considering how much the PC port is being slated. The game runs smoothly and the load times aren't too bad. They're certainly no worse than the average LEGO game.

The odd thing here is that the game definitely ran better when docked than when in portable mode. Un-docked its frame rates had a nasty habit of dropping, though perhaps its fluidity is down to a 27" monitor screen as opposed to a 50-60" TV.

The open world-side of things isn't awfully detailed, but it's still pretty fun. As you unlock more disguises and abilities, you can access different parts of LEGO City and reap handsome rewards for your efforts.

To point out one small gripe, you do occasionally have to grind to pick up blocks in order to progress in the story. In other LEGO games the stories continue regardless of how many coins or blocks you collect, but here you physically can't continue at times until you've gotten the necessary number.

Even with these few points it's not enough to put you off the game. Yes, its price point is a little steep for a four year-old port, but there's a lot of content and fun stuffed in a portable package.

Overall, LEGO City Undercover is an entertaining ride for people of all ages. However, if you've already given the game a go on any platform you likely won't find anything different here aside from its Switch-like convenience.

Though some may find its constant movie references and slapstick humour a little cheap, it's a game that has a heart of gold and it makes you smile while playing.

It isn't perfect but it is light-hearted, and sometimes that's just the type of game you really want to play, grind and all.