How to play Brick Tokyo

Brick Tokyo drops you into a Japan built entirely from plastic bricks, shaped like the real country from snowy Hokkaido down to Kyushu, with the tropical island of Koh Samui off to the south. Every wall is made of single bricks, so if you hit something hard enough, it comes apart. You can steal any car, fly a helicopter, climb a skyscraper by hand, or just walk a shiba inu around Ueno Park. Here is what you need to know to get going.

Controls

On foot

Vehicles

Cars use W and S for gas and brake, Space to drift and Shift for nitro. In a helicopter, Space takes you up and Shift brings you down. In the submarine, Shift dives and Space surfaces. On skis, steer with A and D, brake with S and jump with Space. On a skateboard, Space is an ollie. In the air, tap Space again for a kickflip, use A and D to spin and hold Shift to grab. Land straight or you bail.

Phones and tablets

The left stick moves you and dragging anywhere else turns the camera. The buttons on the right handle fire, jump, enter, talk, weapons, phone and map. A pause button sits at the top of the screen.

Game controllers

Plug in an Xbox or PlayStation controller and it just works, menus included. Left stick moves (push it all the way to sprint), right stick turns the camera, RT fires or accelerates, LT aims or brakes, A jumps and climbs, B enters and exits vehicles, X kicks or fires the nitro, LB and RB switch weapons and Start pauses.

The main story

Aiko, a reporter, is waiting near the Shibuya crossing (the purple 愛 on your map). She thinks Dr. Kurogane is up to something, and she is right. The story takes you across Japan in eight chapters, and each new chapter shows up in the Story app on your phone, so you don't have to walk back to her.

The map: real Japan and Koh Samui

The map is shaped like the real Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, with a coastline you can drive along and a sea you can sail across. You always start on land in Tokyo. Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and snowy Sapporo each have their own look, landmarks and the way people talk there: Osaka folks say maido, Hakata folks say nan shiyotto.

Between the cities is the countryside: rice paddies, farms, forests, temples, hot springs and small villages, with only a few people and plenty of animals. Look out for deer, tanuki, foxes, snow monkeys, cranes, boars and the occasional bear. Lucky charms hide on mountain tops, in villages and in gardens.

Hokkaido is up north under deep snow. Sapporo is smaller than Tokyo, and Niseko is a ski resort: rent skis, a snowboard or a snowmobile at the lodge, ride the lift to the top and carve your way down. Big jumps pay out. At the summit, the SLALOM spot starts a timed race through 8 red and blue gates: the faster you finish, the bigger the prize.

Mount Fuji is taller than ever and solid all the way through. Climb it from the forests at the bottom to the snow at the top, or fly up.

Koh Samui sits south of Japan in the Gulf of Thailand, drawn from the real map with the ring road around the whole island. Visit Chaweng beach road, Lamai, Bophut Fisherman's Village, Bang Rak and the Big Buddha, Central Samui, the airport with its open-air terminal, the ferry piers at Nathon and Lipa Noi, and two international schools. Songthaews and scooters drive on the left. Fly there from any airport.

Every shop sign on Samui is a place you can use: sit down and eat at Thai kitchens, seafood places, roti stalls and coffee shops, get a Thai massage, dance or drink at the clubs and beach bars, check in to a hotel for the night, rent a scooter, shop at mini marts and boutiques, or get face paint at the tattoo parlour. Walk up to the door and press E.

In a hurry? Every city has a Shinkansen kiosk. Buy a ticket and you ride inside the bullet train, watching Japan roll past the window until you arrive (press C for the outside view), and the Travel app on your phone sets GPS to every city and sight.

Tokyo districts

Akihabara is the electric town: electronics stores with gadgets like the Charm Radar, game centers with claw machines, gacha shops with collectible figures, moving billboards, and more figures hidden on the rooftops. Shinjuku has tall towers and neon, narrow yokocho alleys full of tiny bars and food stalls, multi-storey car parks you can drive up, and street races that start on the car park roofs. The Tokyo Bay port has container stacks, cranes and vehicle delivery jobs: get the car there without a scratch.

Expressways

Elevated expressways link every big city, with tunnels through the mountains, long bridges over the sea, interchanges, green distance signs and service areas where you can eat and refuel. In Tokyo, the elevated Shuto ring loops around the center: drive up a ramp and take on the ring race.

Airports, jets and flights

Every big city has an airport with a runway, a terminal and a control tower, and Samui has its own. Planes wait on the apron: the Brick Cessna, the seaplane (it lands on water), the business jet and the stealth jet. Hold W for throttle, get fast on the runway and hold Space to lift off. Space and Shift pitch, A and D bank. Press E in the air to jump out and skydive.

How to fly as a passenger

1. Open your phone (P) and tap Flights. Or walk up to the blue ✈ CHECK-IN marker in any airport terminal and press E.
2. Pick where you want to go. If you are not at an airport yet, a taxi takes you to the nearest one first.
3. Choose Economy or First Class. First Class costs three times as much, gets you a big seat up front and free drinks.
4. You board a real cabin full of passengers. Press E to stand up and walk the aisle, sit back down, order a drink, talk to people or knock on the cockpit door.
5. In the cockpit you can chat with the pilots, or hijack the plane. That takes out the captain, hands you the controls and puts you on 5 stars with fighter jets on your tail.
6. Press C to switch between the cabin and the outside view, or skip straight to landing from the seat menu.

Keep an eye on the sky, too: airliners fly over the city now and then.

Taxis and songthaews

Open your phone and tap Taxi to get a ride anywhere. In Japan a taxi picks you up and drives you to any city, airport or sight. On Koh Samui a songthaew takes you around the island: Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut, the Big Buddha, the piers, the airport, SIS and PBISS. Sit back, or press E to skip ahead.

The sea, the submarine and the coast guard

The open sea is full of speedboats, sailboats, fishing boats, ferries and a passing cruise liner. Buy the mini submarine from the Mechanic and dive: coral, fish and shipwrecks with treasure wait on the seabed. Get a wanted level on the water and the police boats come after you.

Homes, interiors and daily life

Buildings have furnished rooms: TVs with real channels (sit on the couch and press Space to zap), chairs and couches to sit on, and a bed in every home. Sleep in any bed to skip to morning and heal. Some offices have people working at their desks. At restaurants, sit at the counter next to the other diners and eat. At night many people head home, and in the day kids go to school.

Bars and izakaya sell drinks. Have a few and the controls get wobbly and the screen sways. Water and tea sober you up, and too much means a blackout. The casino in Shinjuku has slots, roulette and blackjack. Hot springs heal you while you soak, and at temples you can leave an offering and draw a fortune that might give you a power-up.

Shops and restaurants

Look for shopfronts with a striped awning. Walk in to the counter and press E.

• Ammu-Brick gun shops sell ammo, rockets, dynamite, armour, the jetpack, a long-range jetpack tank and a heavy bolts upgrade that doubles your damage.
• Brick Mart on your phone sells things that are not food: sunglasses, hats, a samurai helmet, guitars, cameras, fireworks, body armour, scuba gear, golf clubs, a skateboard and the Jetpack Mk II and Mk III. Wear them in the Style app.
• Konbini stores sell snacks that heal, energy drinks for speed and lottery tickets.
• BRIQLO clothes stores sell 12 new outfits, hair dye, hairstyles and face paint.
• Restaurants heal you and many dishes give a power-up: ramen, yakitori, sushi, curry, gyoza, dango, and takoyaki in Osaka. Try the Mega Ramen Challenge.

Where is the jetpack? A free one waits in Hangar 1 at the airport (press L for GPS), gun shops sell one, and the Tower Climb job still unlocks it too. Then press J.

Buildings, residents and the zombie lab

Homes and offices are furnished now, with sofas, TVs, beds, kitchens, desks, fish tanks and arcade machines. Residents with a yellow ! outside their building have a small job for you: rescue a cat from the roof, chase punks away, find a hidden treasure, fix the antenna or rush a bento across town.

Kurogane Labs, north of the city centre, has a big red button. Don't press it. If you do, five waves of zombies flood the streets and bite anyone they catch. Survive all five for a big reward and a new outfit.

Shibuya, Harajuku and the famous streets

Stand near the Shibuya Scramble and wait for the lights: every minute or so all the cars stop and a crowd floods the crossing from every corner. Walk across with them for a little XP. Hachiko, the loyal dog statue, waits on the corner: press E to take a photo. Busy streets in Shibuya, Akihabara, Shinjuku and Ginza have street performers (guitarists, dancers, jugglers and cosplayers): tip them ¥100 and they play you a tune. Harajuku-style crepe stands sell sweet crepes that heal you, and Akihabara has street kart rental: ¥500 gets you a go-kart and a racing suit.

Game centers now have a taiko drum game next to the claw machines, and karaoke boxes let you sing along to three original songs. In both, notes slide toward the line: press F or D for a red note and J or K for a blue one (tap the buttons on touch screens). Good timing pays yen and XP. Tokyo Tower and Skytree have elevators to the observation deck: ride up, run off the edge and open your parachute for a base jump.

Police, gangs and ammo

The higher your wanted level, the harder the police push. Three stars bring armoured SWAT vans, four stars a helicopter, and five stars army tanks that fire their cannons and a second helicopter. Gang members now take several hits to go down: yakuza are the toughest. Ammo is everywhere: enemies drop ammo boxes, crates sit around the countryside and gun shops always have stock.

Stealing cars is not always easy anymore. Some drivers hold the door shut: a tug of war starts, so mash E (or tap PULL!) six times before they slam the door on you. Other owners jump out and chase you down: if they catch you while you are slow or stopped, they drag you out and take their car back, and on foot they throw punches. Floor it and they give up after a while.

The 22 missions

Contacts show up as coloured letters on your map. Walk up and press E. Some jobs unlock after you finish an earlier one for the same person.

New vehicles

Besides the cars, bikes, boats and helicopters, Tokyo now has a mamachari bicycle, street go-karts, a hovercraft that drives on roads and rivers, a Brick Tank that rolls straight through walls, a Brick Mech that jumps and stomps, and a UFO with a tractor beam that can lift cars and people. Every vehicle has its own favourite radio station, just like the cars in the big open-world games.

Wingsuit and skydiving

Anything high is a launch pad. Jump off a roof, step out of a helicopter or hop off the jetpack, then press Shift while you fall. You glide fast and far, and you earn cash for every long flight. W dives for speed, S flares to stay up longer, and Space pops the parachute before the ground does.

Build your own house

Press B for build mode. Pick from 19 brick colours, including glass that lights up at night, or press U to choose a blueprint: Tiny House, Watch Tower, Torii Gate, Stairs, Castle Wall, Cherry Tree, Pyramid, Giant Minifig Head, Garage and Rooftop Pool. R turns it, click places it and Z undoes. Your builds are saved with your game, so the house you build today is still standing tomorrow.

Radio

Nine stations play while you drive: J-POP 81.3, Lo-Fi Shibuya, Kaiju Rock FM, Enka Night, Neon Drive 99.9, Boso Punk 66, City Pop 80.0, Matsuri Taiko and Shibuya Trap. Songs change as you play and the DJs announce their stations. Press R to switch, or on foot to put headphones on.

Trophies, daily challenges and secrets

There are 34 trophies to unlock, three new daily challenges every day with a streak bonus, an outfit wardrobe with 19 looks to earn, and eight secret places hidden around the city. Locals drop rumours about them if you stop and say hi. Random street events pop up too: UFO raids, armoured cash trucks, flash mobs and money rain.

Places worth finding

The heliport, the rollercoaster you can ride, Ueno Zoo with pandas and an elephant, the nightclub, the giant lucky cat with treasure on its head, Edo Castle, the Skytree, a ferris wheel, the stunt parks and the sento bathhouse. Press L to cycle the GPS through them, nearest first.

Street sports

West of the start you will find a cage football pitch, a street basketball court and a skatepark, and there are more further out. Each venue has a glowing ring. Stand on it and press E for a timed challenge that pays out and keeps your best score.

• Goal Rush: score five goals past the keeper in 75 seconds. Aim for the corners.
• Hoop Hustle: 20 points in 60 seconds. Jump and release at the top for a near-certain shot. Jump right under the rim to dunk.
• Skate Session: land 4,000 trick points in a minute. Mixing different tricks in one jump multiplies the score, and ollieing onto a rail starts a grind.

Play online with friends

Open your phone (P) and tap Online. Quick Play drops you into a public room with whoever is around. Create makes a private room with a short code: tap Copy invite link and send it to your friends. Anyone who opens the link joins your room straight away. Up to 8 players share a room.

• You see each other walking, driving, flying jets, sailing, skiing and dancing, with name tags over everyone's heads.
• Press Enter to chat (on phones, tap the 💬 bubble). Messages pop up over your minifig too.
• Friends show up as coloured dots on the map, and the Go to button in the Online menu takes you right next to them.
• PvP is optional. Switch it off and nobody can hurt you. When both players have it on, bullets, rockets and car hits count, and taking someone out pays a bonus.
• Drive around with a friend who has a wanted level and the police come after you as well.

Traffic, pedestrians and police run on each player's own device, so your friend might see a taxi where you see a bus. The city itself is identical for everyone.

The Brick Army Base

West of Tokyo, a tall fence surrounds the Brick Army Base. You cannot climb it or blow a hole in it, and there is only one way in: the guarded gate on the south side. Inside you will find a runway with fighter jets and bombers, hangars, a control tower, barracks, a helipad with an attack helicopter, and rows of tanks and armoured cars. Soldiers patrol, jog and guard the gate, and they will warn you if you hang around.

Steal anything from the base and you go straight to 5 stars. The army joins the police: armoured cars and tanks chase you on the roads and enemy jets hunt you in the sky. Military jets and bombers have unlimited ammo, and when you fly one you see the plane, not your minifig sitting on top of it.

Brick Stadium football

The Brick Stadium is huge and unbreakable, so no rocket will dent it. Buy a ticket at the office by the main entrance: a stand ticket puts you behind the goal and the VIP box sits on the halfway line. Twenty-two players, a ref and a full crowd play a whole match in about three minutes, with goals, saves and a live scoreboard.

Suzuka Circuit

Between Nagoya and Kyoto you will find Suzuka, with its figure-of-eight style lap, the grandstand, the pit lane and the famous Ferris wheel. Buy a grandstand ticket to watch a 10-car, 5-lap Grand Prix with live positions, or rent an F1 car and chase the lap record. A new record pays a bonus.

Golf

There are two 3-hole courses: Fuji View Golf Club near Mount Fuji and Suzuka Hills Golf. Pay at the clubhouse, aim with A and D, then hold Space and let go to set the power. Watch out for bunkers, the pond and out of bounds. On the green, the same swing becomes a putt. Birdies and better pay out, and Brick Mart golf clubs make every round free.

Beach resorts and your own suite

Look for big hotels with a pool on the beaches of Koh Samui and along the coast of Japan. Check in at the front door and you go up to a private top-floor suite that is just for you, with a king-size bed (sleep to save), a sofa and a big TV you can actually watch. Take the lift back down for a swim in the pool.

Diving and snorkelling on Koh Samui

While swimming in the sea, hold Shift to dive and Space to come back up. Schools of fish swim around you, coral grows on the seabed and sunken treasure chests are hidden on the bottom, with many more around Koh Samui. Keep an eye on your air bar. Brick Mart scuba gear gives you four times more air and fins to swim faster.

Natural disasters

Every now and then nature has a bad day. Earthquakes shake the city and knock bricks loose, typhoons bring storms and wind that pushes cars around, a tsunami wave can sweep you off your feet, and if you are near Mount Fuji it might erupt and rain lava bombs. They are rare and they pass.

The Brick Power Plant

North-east of Tokyo stands a fictional power plant with two steaming cooling towers. Inside the control room there is a big red button. If you press it, you get ten seconds to get very far away before the whole plant goes up in a giant blast. It is a cartoon brick world, so it all comes back later.

Style studio, dances and first person

Open the Style app on your phone to rebuild your minifig: hair and hats, hair colour, 30 faces, shirt colour and 32 prints, trousers, sunglasses and something to carry. Press Y (or the Dance app) for ten dances, from the Robot to a breakdance spin. Press C to cycle the camera to first person.

Tips from people who play a lot

• Red bricks give short power-ups like double cash and super jump. Skulls start rampages.
• Treasure chests hide inside houses and on rooftops. Buildings with stairs inside lead up to them.
• The Grapple Gun is the fastest way up anything. Aim just under a ledge and it pops you over.
• Four wanted stars brings a police helicopter. Break line of sight and keep moving until the stars stop flashing.
• If the game feels heavy on an older laptop, open Settings and pick Fast. Dynamic resolution is on by default and adapts by itself.

Saving your game

Progress saves automatically every 30 seconds and whenever you close the tab. Press Esc for the pause menu to save into one of three named slots, each with a screenshot. Saves stay in your browser, so use Export save file to keep a backup or carry your city to another computer, and Import save file to bring it back.

Clearing your browser data also clears local saves. Export a file first if you care about your progress.

Questions people ask

Is Brick Tokyo multiplayer?

Yes. Open the phone, tap Online and use Quick Play for a public room, or create a private room and send friends the invite link. Up to 8 players share a room with chat, name tags, map markers and optional PvP.

Is Brick Tokyo free?

Yes. It is free and runs in the browser. Nothing to download.

Does it work on phones?

Yes. Touch controls appear automatically and the graphics scale down so it stays smooth.

Can I play offline?

Yes. After your first visit the game is cached on your device, and the Install app button on the title screen adds it to your home screen or desktop like a normal app.

How do I get to Koh Samui?

Open your phone, tap Flights and pick Samui Airport. A taxi takes you to the airport and the pilot does the rest. You can also fly a plane south yourself, or take a boat if you have the patience.

Where are the schools on Samui?

Open your map (M): SIS and PBISS are marked with a 🎓. The Travel app sets GPS to them, and the Taxi app drives you there.

Can I go skiing?

Yes. Go to Niseko in Hokkaido (Phone, then Travel or Taxi, or fly to New Chitose), rent skis or a snowboard at the lodge and take the lift to the top. Try the slalom race at the summit.

Why did the driver chase me after I stole his car?

Some owners fight back. Drive away fast, because if they catch you stopped they pull you out and take the car back.

Where is the Shibuya Scramble?

In Shibuya. Head for the big crossing, stand nearby and wait for all the lights to turn red. Hachiko is on the corner.

How do I get to Kyoto, Osaka or Fukuoka?

Drive west on the Tokaido Expressway, fly from Haneda, or take the Shinkansen from a ticket kiosk under the elevated train line. The Travel app on your phone sets GPS to every city.

Where is the jetpack?

In Hangar 1 at Haneda Airport, free. Gun shops also sell one. Press J to fly.

How do I unlock new outfits?

Open the Wardrobe app on your phone. Every outfit shows what earns it, from finishing a job to finding secret places. BRIQLO clothes stores sell more.

Is there a military base in Brick Tokyo?

Yes. The Brick Army Base west of Tokyo has fighter jets, bombers, tanks, armoured cars and soldiers behind a fence you cannot climb, with one guarded gate. Steal anything and you get 5 stars while the army and police chase you.

Can you walk around inside the plane in Brick Tokyo?

Yes. Buy an Economy or First Class ticket, then stand up to walk the aisle, sit down, order drinks, talk to passengers and visit the cockpit, where you can even hijack the plane.

Is there a football stadium in Brick Tokyo?

Yes. Buy a ticket at the Brick Stadium and watch a full match from the stands or the VIP box. The stadium is unbreakable.

Is the Suzuka circuit in Brick Tokyo?

Yes. Watch a 10-car Grand Prix from the grandstand or rent an F1 car and set a lap time.

Can you play golf in Brick Tokyo?

Yes. There are two 3-hole golf courses, Fuji View Golf Club and Suzuka Hills Golf. Pay at the clubhouse and swing with Space.

Can you go diving on Koh Samui?

Yes. Hold Shift while swimming to dive. You will find fish, coral and sunken treasure chests, and scuba gear from Brick Mart gives you more air.

Can I customise my character in Brick Tokyo?

Yes. The Style app on your phone changes your hair, hats, face, shirt, print, trousers, sunglasses and what you carry. Brick Mart sells extra hats and items.

Is it made by LEGO?

No. Brick Tokyo is an independent fan-style game published by snapface.ai. It is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by the LEGO Group.

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