This translates awkwardly to the world of Hot Wheels, with Unleashed playing out as if it's trying to dial in how an actual toy car would operate on tracks full of loops and impossible curves. Milestone is known primarily as a developer of simulation games, helming everything from MotoGP to Monster Energy Supercross. It's a disappointing monument to one of Hot Wheels Unleashed's strangest juxtapositions. While these are some of the best tracks in the game simply due to how much they shake things up from default racing, it's disappointing that the appeal doesn't lie in some over-the-top gameplay experiment. The monsters themselves are simply a quartet of some of the more extreme track pieces from the toy line, and they show up in other tracks as default hazards as time goes on. Said boss fights are less impressive than Forza Horizon's "follow the plane" challenges, presenting a simple race with slightly more complicated elements embedded in the track. Related: Hot Wheels Unleashed DLC Roadmap Reveals Batman, BMW & More Crossovers There's no narration, no graphical flourish between events, and no stop to a soundtrack filled with the type of music that warms up a crowd before a press conference.
While it works fine as a way to dole out race after race, the City Rumble mode features a barebones presentation, explaining both its mechanics and its monster-themed boss battles via tiny bits of text that pop up in brief spurts. It's the only way to unlock all the racetracks for local multiplayer and the primary way to generate currency for upgrading and accruing new vehicles. World of Light-esque board game menu full of races and time attack challenges. Most who play Hot Wheels Unleashed will end up starting with the game's City Rumble campaign, a Smash Bros. It's a fitting attitude when it comes to tackling a popular line of toys, but that's cold comfort to anyone hoping to just blaze through a few sets of tracks at a steady pace. While developer Milestone provides a refined racing experience, the priority in the full game lies in car collection and endless progression. These bold choices reveal exactly what kind of game Hot Wheels Unleashed is before a single tiny rubber tire meets the plastic road. The game sounds a lot like the Micro Machines titles where you'd race through real-world environments, just obviously with Hot Wheels branding.The first thing Hot Wheels Unleashedshowcases as it loads up is a loot box. Before racing, players have to open several boxes to unlock a set of initial vehicles, earning an achievement entitled "First One's Free" for their trouble. That sounds like a really neat idea, especially since die-cast metal cars could look stellar with ray-tracing.Īs for any special features you can look forward to, Koch Media did mention a track editor that players will be able to tinker with. A description makes it read as if the visuals will be taking a more realistic tone so as to replicate the experience of playing with the physical toys. The title was announced alongside a trailer, though there isn't much of what you'd call gameplay.
We owe it to the Hot Wheels community and to our inner children." This is the reason why we're all so committed in delivering the purest and most authentic Hot Wheels gameplay experience ever in a videogame. Mike Calletti, executive producer at developer Milestone, added, "Like many other team members who worked on the game, I've been playing with Hot Wheels since I was a child, and today I'm still a hungry Hot Wheels fan and collector. RELATED: Relive Your Childhood With Hot Wheels Infinite Loop Milestone's expertise in racing game development has enabled us to transform the Hot Wheels brand into a compelling console and PC gaming experience for both current Hot Wheels fans and gamers who may be rediscovering the iconic brand." Hot Wheels is all about encouraging the challenger spirit and Hot Wheels Unleashed brings that mission to life for gamers of all ages. In a press release, Andrew Chan (head of Mattel's gaming department) said, "We continue to focus on engaging consumers with our brands through gaming platforms. The title will be made in collaboration with toy manufacturer Mattel as part of its digital gaming division. I'm surprised there's not a mobile port, though maybe that's going to be announced down the line. Titled Hot Wheels Unleashed, it will be speeding on over to pretty much every current and last generation console there is. Out of the blue this morning, Koch Media (via subsidiary Milestone) announced a brand new Hot Wheels game for PC and consoles. There's an awful lot of 90s nostalgia going around lately.