Hot Wheels Infinite Rush - Hands-on Preview
Fans of family-friendly racing games will likely already be very familiar with the Hot Wheels series, and will have been thrilled to see the announcement of Hot Wheels Infinite Rush during the recent Summer Game Fest showcase. While I haven’t spent a lot of time with the series personally, the Player 2 team at large have been fans of the last few entries in the series – so I was excited to get hands-on with the game at a recent preview event held by the publisher, to see what all the fuss is about.
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is, like its predecessors, an open-world racing game that has the vibes of Forza Horizon if you made it at home out of your own model cars. I mean this in the most complementary way – playing Hot Wheels Infinite Rush feels in many ways like just messing around with your toys, vibing around a city and interacting with it in whatever way you feel you want to. It’s a gateway into the racing genre for kids, so the difficulty level isn’t necessarily high – this isn’t a game you go to if you want a challenge. But if you just feel like messing around and going fast, it seems like this one’s going to be a winner.
During the preview, I was able to freely roam one of what will be four main islands – this one themed like a city hub, complete with loopy tracks, packed city blocks, and commuters whose days I surely ruined. The world is decently sized – I’m sure it would feel huge to explore as a child – with challenges littered throughout that you can approach with purpose, or an aimless sense of discovery. While in the open world mode, complete with its own classic map, you can switch between cars, chase down new models, or search for secrets hidden throughout the levels. Some you’ll find by accident, others it seems will be a little harder to find.
If it’s racing you’re after, the game has you covered – whether you’re interested in a quick race, time attack, or a knockout-style elimination race, there are plenty of challenges to take on. The races are intended for children, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to crash against your opponents, or easily breeze through knockout rounds. I can imagine playing with someone younger would be a ton of fun for both involved, and you could add some extra spice to the races by trying to take them on in cars that don’t necessarily favour speed.
And there are many cars to choose from. There are four main types – Speeder, for when you just want to go fast, Drifter, for when you want to (you guessed it) drift around corners with more control, Versatile, for all-purpose use, and Titan, which allows you to basically smash through anything that gets in your way. Races are easier with the smaller, zippier cars, but there’s something to be said for the pure fun you can have just absolutely hooning your way through a Hot Wheels city in a fire truck.
Aside from races, there are a bunch of other activities you can find strewn across the city, and I found myself more drawn to these than the races during my short time with the game. You can take on a ‘Waypoint’ challenge, which asks you to get through a series of checkpoints as quickly as possible (while taking out many street lamps, if you’re me), or my favourite, ‘Smashing Wheels’, which basically asks you to take out as many things as you can in a short period of time in the city. Again, if you’re me, absolutely ruining entire setpieces is where you may thrive and find joy in chaos, and it’s absolutely a cathartic way to spend your time.
There are ways to unlock more content, like boss races you can take on to unlock new cars, and a whole customisation mechanic that allows you to put your own livery across your favourite cars – but I didn’t get to mess with that during my session. There’s also a track builder, which will allow you to build your own courses, which I also didn’t get to try, but which promises to be a lot of fun for young creative minds.
From what I gleaned from my short time with Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, it’s likely to be a hit with younger gamers, particularly those who feel the need to zoom and/or create chaos in cars of their own design. It’s pure, simple fun, and I can truly see it being a gateway for younger gamers to get into racing games. I hope it delivers on those promises when it releases in September on all current-gen platforms.
