races and time trials, with a scattering of secret paths and rewards for the devoted player. Even though the action is arcade-like, and the environments are playful, a gratifying sense of speed, accentuated by a push-your-luck boost button, keeps the excitement high.Ĭouched in a tour through “Hot Wheels City,” the campaign features an impressive selection of A.I. While players unlock various (often bizarre) vehicles through blind boxes and direct rewards, the core controls are straightforward, with an easy-to-learn drift mechanic that you can master if you wish to elevate your play.
Instead, you race along kitchen counters, basement floors, and college classroom chairs, navigating driverless toy vehicles through preposterous loops and blazing straightaways. Unleashed doesn’t try to translate the cars into a life-sized real-world setting. Thanks to the rewarding speed, clever course design, and a bevy of customization options, these tiny cars pack a big punch, delivering many hours of racing thrills through single-player, multiplayer, and creation tools.ĭeveloper Milestone recognizes the nostalgia many have for Hot Wheels and ably taps into that fondness. While the game is undoubtedly entertaining to share with the family, this racer is more than it first appears.
You could be forgiven if you were ready to dismiss Hot Wheels Unleashed as another shameless licensed release vying for younger gamers’ attention, but that would be a mistake.
