When I was a child there were three toys that I was totally obsessed with. Lego (which still consumes my life to this very day), Action Man, and Hot Wheels. I had so many Hot Wheels cars, in fact it was what I saved my pocket money up for each week. With each car coming in at maybe £2 maximum when I was around the age of ten, I quickly racked up a collection of dozens of cars that I would race around the new tracks I would receive most birthdays and Christmases. But there have been surprisingly few Hot Wheels games with only two I vividly remember, Hot Wheels World Race, and Hot Wheels: Velocity X, both on PlayStation 2.
So when I discovered that there was a new Hot Wheels game releasing for the PlayStation 5, and that the reviews it was receiving were great, I wasted no time in picking up a copy of Hot Wheels Unleashed. It’s safe to say that my inner child certainly was unleashed here.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is an arcade racer wherein you collect and race Hot Wheels cars from throughout the decades around plastic tracks in locales like a living room, garage, and college dorm. With each race you complete you unlock new cars, customisation items, or in-game currency to spend on unboxing random car crates to increase your collection further.
The game has over sixty cars to collect that range from golden oldies to slick modern designs, as well as a handful of licensed vehicles. Each car has its own set of stats to determine how it handles in a race, and what kind of races it would be best suited to.
The game features a single player career mode filled with challenges to test your driving skills, online multiplayer to race against friends and foes for the fastest lap times, and a track editor to design your own twisted creations.
So when I discovered that there was a new Hot Wheels game releasing for the PlayStation 5, and that the reviews it was receiving were great, I wasted no time in picking up a copy of Hot Wheels Unleashed. It’s safe to say that my inner child certainly was unleashed here.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is an arcade racer wherein you collect and race Hot Wheels cars from throughout the decades around plastic tracks in locales like a living room, garage, and college dorm. With each race you complete you unlock new cars, customisation items, or in-game currency to spend on unboxing random car crates to increase your collection further.
The game has over sixty cars to collect that range from golden oldies to slick modern designs, as well as a handful of licensed vehicles. Each car has its own set of stats to determine how it handles in a race, and what kind of races it would be best suited to.
The game features a single player career mode filled with challenges to test your driving skills, online multiplayer to race against friends and foes for the fastest lap times, and a track editor to design your own twisted creations.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is one of the most unadulterated good times I have had with a game in a while. There’s no barrier between you and enjoyment as you can just jump in, pick a car and a track, and race the day away. The handling model is extremely easy to pick up, and the only thing to master is the track layout. A lot of the tracks can be manipulated in interesting ways (such as boosting off a ramp in a specific direction) allowing you to create your own shortcuts and get faster lap times.
The real hook of Unleashed however is in the impressive car collection the game boasts. Each car is highly detailed and completely unique. Much like in Pokemon games, the only way to truly finish Hot Wheels Unleashed is by collecting all the cars and completing your garage, but this is easier said than done. Some cars are unlocked by completing specific challenges, the rest are unlocked using random loot boxes purchased with the coins you earn from completing races (it's worth noting that you can't purchase loot boxes with real money, meaning you can't just buy your way to a complete collection), or by buying them in the store which only had limited time stock. The excitement of getting a new car is fantastic, especially if it’s one you’ve been wanting to pick up for some time, but you will often find you have multiples of particular cars in your collection, and loot boxes tend to drop the same cars over and over again.
Tracks are a true thrill to drive around. As is the staple for Hot Wheels, you’ll find yourself scaling vertical inclines, performing insane loop the loops, firing yourself off huge ramps, and driving on the ceiling. Each track feels unique, and the fantastic track editor will let you make anything you can possibly think of. Driving around these tracks feels completely natural thanks to an excellent handling system imported from developer Milestone’s other racing titles Ride and MotoGP. You can drift around corners with ease, and the rubber banding is generous to allow for races to always be competitive without feeling unfair, you’ll need to work for that first place but you’ll never find a car suddenly appear in front of you on the final corner unless you really mess it up. The locations seem limited though, you will grow tired of seeing the same backdrops to your race, and it would have been nice to have a couple of outdoor locations like a back garden or playground.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is nothing short of a great time. Much like any good arcade racer it’s incredibly easy to pick up, but the more difficult tracks will definitely take some time to master. With plenty to do and a healthy library of cars to unlock, you’ll keep coming back to unlock everything and see what new vehicles have to offer. Plus, with a great online matchmaking system and endless possibilities with the track editor, Unleashed is one of the best racing games I’ve played in years. I certainly hope Milestone aren’t done with the Hot Wheels brand just yet, because I’d love to see what else they can do with the property.
The real hook of Unleashed however is in the impressive car collection the game boasts. Each car is highly detailed and completely unique. Much like in Pokemon games, the only way to truly finish Hot Wheels Unleashed is by collecting all the cars and completing your garage, but this is easier said than done. Some cars are unlocked by completing specific challenges, the rest are unlocked using random loot boxes purchased with the coins you earn from completing races (it's worth noting that you can't purchase loot boxes with real money, meaning you can't just buy your way to a complete collection), or by buying them in the store which only had limited time stock. The excitement of getting a new car is fantastic, especially if it’s one you’ve been wanting to pick up for some time, but you will often find you have multiples of particular cars in your collection, and loot boxes tend to drop the same cars over and over again.
Tracks are a true thrill to drive around. As is the staple for Hot Wheels, you’ll find yourself scaling vertical inclines, performing insane loop the loops, firing yourself off huge ramps, and driving on the ceiling. Each track feels unique, and the fantastic track editor will let you make anything you can possibly think of. Driving around these tracks feels completely natural thanks to an excellent handling system imported from developer Milestone’s other racing titles Ride and MotoGP. You can drift around corners with ease, and the rubber banding is generous to allow for races to always be competitive without feeling unfair, you’ll need to work for that first place but you’ll never find a car suddenly appear in front of you on the final corner unless you really mess it up. The locations seem limited though, you will grow tired of seeing the same backdrops to your race, and it would have been nice to have a couple of outdoor locations like a back garden or playground.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is nothing short of a great time. Much like any good arcade racer it’s incredibly easy to pick up, but the more difficult tracks will definitely take some time to master. With plenty to do and a healthy library of cars to unlock, you’ll keep coming back to unlock everything and see what new vehicles have to offer. Plus, with a great online matchmaking system and endless possibilities with the track editor, Unleashed is one of the best racing games I’ve played in years. I certainly hope Milestone aren’t done with the Hot Wheels brand just yet, because I’d love to see what else they can do with the property.