It's fair to say that GRID has never been Codemasters' biggest franchise, but that could be about to change this year. GRID Legends was revealed to be in development last year and we're hyped for it. Legends will take the series in a new direction and one that's more story-orientated.
During the EA Play Live 2021 presentation, Codies got their own spot to discuss GRID Legends. The trailer focused heavily on the story mode and definitely piqued our interest. What do we know about the story mode so far though? We've got everything you need to know right here!
The racers
We get a sneak peek at a lot of the main cast of the game in trailer from EA Play. The first one we see is Valentin Manzi, a racer for Voltz Racing played by Ncuti Gatwa. Manzi is one of the first rivals you'll face in GRID Legends. We also see him having a fight with the game's antagonist, Nathan McKane.
McKane should be a familiar name for those who have been long-time fans of the GRID series. We finally get to see him for the first time here and he's a five-time world champion, going for a record-breaking sixth crown. McKane will race for Ravenwest, GRID's all-conquering outfit.
Next up, we have Yume Tanaka, a trailblazer who is aiming to become the first female champion in the GRID World Series' history. Tanaka is your teammate at Seneca Racing.
We also get confirmation that the World Series will encompass many different classes of vehicles, as open-wheelers, muscle cars, touring cars and drifters are all included. Another racer for Ravenwest confidently states that her team makes the best cars and are the best team. These are definitely the guys you'll need to knock off their perch.
Plot
As for the filming, GRID will meet Drive to Survive, as live-action interview sections will split up the racing action. This really reminds us of F1 2021's Braking Point but also feels unique enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
Director Smith also stated that the story mode will take place over the course of a season and that the story will be a linear one. That means that your actions on-track won't effect the story, but you will have objective that you'll need to complete in-game to complete the race.
What's your role?
Becky Crossdale, a Senior Game Designer at Codies, couldn't talk much about the plot of GRID Legends, but she did give us some details. You play as a new driver to the series, Driver 22, and the overarching story will be one of an underdog story.
Driver 22 will drive for Seneca Racing, who are a team down on their luck under Team Boss Marcus Ado. On your team you've also got Ajith Singh on your side, a mechanic with fantastic aspirations.
Your character isn't one that will be seen, nor heard. That may seem a little strange, but GRID Legends' Director Chris Smith explained this decision in an interview with Gamespot:
"A game should be accessible to everyone. You're going to play it [GRID Legends] and think [the main character] is you. The second we start putting a name to the character and we have the character talk, then you have to consider gender - do you make them non-binary, male, or female? It starts excluding certain players and we're an inclusive game. Driver 22 was picked so that anyone playing this game can enjoy the game for what it is - an amazing racing game - but can also enjoy being in this story."
Revolutionary tech
As we've come to expect from the next-gen consoles, there will be some ground-breaking technology implemented into GRID Legends. From the gameplay we've seen so far, it's fair to say that Legends will run in crystal clear 4K and at 60 fps. This will only be the case for the PS5, PC and Series X, as the old-gen systems may struggle to do so.
Legends' impressive specs extend far more than that though, as a new filming system for video games has been implemented into GRID. Star Wars fans will have experienced this in the Mandalorian, as Extended reality (XR) was also used in the filming of that TV series.
First look at Driven to Glory Story
After the first gameplay was revealed for GRID Legends, we have been eager to see more. Codemasters definitely listened to the fans as well, as we got a huge 40-minute gameplay video uploaded to GRID's YouTube channel. This is our first proper look at the Driven to Glory Story Mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrw_PlD1utI
Driven to Glory is unique in that it's a story mode that has real-world cutscenes in between the races. This is something we've not seen in a very long time, and a breath of fresh air for the series
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