Taking place in the vast
lego City, players play as an undercover cop named Chase McCain as he goes on the hunt for criminals. Chase has various moves at his disposal, such as swinging across poles and performing wall jumps. He can also gain disguises that give him additional abilities, such as a robber disguise that lets him break locks. Chase can also pilot vehicles such as cars and helicopters and use loose bricks to build various objects. The Wii U GamePad also has various uses, such as a scanner to locate criminals. The narrative also centers around
lego City's budgeting problems post the financial meltdown of 2008
Gameplay borrows many elements from the Grand Theft Auto series,
however is role-reversed with the player taking on the role of a police officer enforcing the law, rather than a criminal committing
crime. The game also includes references to notable Nintendo intellectual properties, such as having the ability to build a Lego warp
pipe, and using it to warp similarly to the Super Mario universe warp pipes