Hot Wheels Unleashed – Review

Our Score: 9/10

Hot Wheels Unleashed brings back Hot Wheels and does so in style! Developer Milestone has done an incredible job bringing back a classic that fans have been waiting for since what feels like forever!

Hot Wheels Unleashed is an arcade racer that will teleport you back to your childhood! With a plethora of cars to collect, including some of the most iconic and sought-after cars, you will be spending a lot of time racing with some of your childhood favorites. So buckle up your seatbelts because things are about to get fast, drifty, and very-very loopy.

Look and Feel

Hot Wheels Unleashed brings the world of Hot Wheels to life. Ever wondered what it would be like to be driving those tiny cars on the iconic orange tracks? Well, wonder no more. Hot Wheels UInleashed looks incredibly realistic and life-like.

The game features a variety of different tracks, all set in different environments. All those cool track sets have been brought to life. All those awesome tracks you would see in cartoons or create in your bedroom are now here, in glorious 4K.

One of the biggest draws to a car game is the cars themselves. And my goodness to the cars here looks incredible. With such precision to even the most minute details on the cars, it’s an absolute joy to be racing around and honestly, just taking in their beauty. Heck, I would even compare my own Hot Wheels cars to the one in-game just to see how accurately they modeled them.

Gameplay

Alright, one of the biggest and most addictive thing about Hot Wheels games besides the cars, obviously, has been the gameplay. And let me ease your fears and let you know that the gameplay is absolutely on point.

Milestone has nailed the feel of the Hot Wheels game. Now obviously it isn’t exactly the same as the older games but they’ve nailed the actual feel of how vehicles handle and how the track works.

Physics does play a role in the racing, so you better have some decent speed or some boost stored up before you go on that loop. And that’s not all, there’s so much room for improvisation and to pull off some awesome shortcuts thanks to the fantastic track design.

This might be one of the best arcade racers on the market right now, and probably one of the most fun racers out there. It’s just an absolute blast to play and run through levels. Speaking of levels, there’s a track editor so you can make your own and share it with the world.

The game also has split-screen and online multiplayer which means you can gather your friends and find out whose car is truly the fastest.

Blind Boxes

One aspect of the game that might put you off is how unlocking new cars work. While you do unlock cars by going throughout the campaign, you will unlock a majority of them through loot boxes called Blind Boxes. You can buy Blind Boxes with in-game currency or by getting through the campaign.

There’s a rarity system for cars as well due to which you will end up getting duplicates. Thankfully the duplicates can be dismantled or sold in exchange for gears or currency. Those can either be used to upgrade your car or to buy more Blind Boxes. This makes trying to collect all the cars in the game slightly frustrating.

Final Verdict

Hot Wheels Unleashed has truly unleashed the power of Hot Wheels and shown that there still is a big place for fun arcade racers in the market. The game is just so much fun to play and thanks to the very in-depth track editor, offline and online multiplayer options this game looks like it’s going to have a lot to offer for quite a while.