That said, most of this is alleviated once you start to memorize tracks and master the shifting your vehicle’s weight with the left and right sticks, which is something you will need to do to both get through sections that require it and make sure you stick the landing after a big jump. So much so that, sometimes, it might be best to just restart the event, which can put a ding in the enjoyment. That, and the fact that you don’t automatically get reset on the track after flying off and have to manually do it with a press and hold instead of just a press of the button – can and will cost you dearly in some instances. Nailing perfect drifts, boosting through the crowd, and maintaining the top spot do not come easy with physics that can send you flying off the track or get you turned around as a result of slight miscalculations or, sometimes, through no fault of your own at all. The learning curve was surprising to me at first, though. Thankfully the game’s unique blend of arcadey speed and healthy challenge is more than fun enough to keep you engaged for several hours at a time, as you’ll be unlocking stuff at a fairly steady clip that improves as you get better. If you end up with a car you know you don’t want, you can sell it for coins or dismantle it for gears, though, so that takes some of the sting out of it. It all works, but I definitely would have preferred a comprehensive list of vehicles that I could sift through and unlock at my leisure instead of the game just surprising me with whatever it feels like with these two methods. Vehicles can be bought straight up through a rotating selection of limited offers or won through “blind boxes”, which are effectively just loot boxes that cost 500 coins. After you’ve spent some time winning those events, you’ll start earning coins and gears to spend on upgrades and more Hot Wheels. The very standard and minimal selection of those event types does seem a bit at odds with the child-like imagination and creativity of the IP, but with how well it all works it’s hard to get too hung up on that. The map itself is also somewhat gamified with secret events and unlockable items to be found among the more traditional races and time trials. The vehicles, as well as upgrades and customizable elements are all unlockable with coins and gears that are earned by completing events around the rather extensive world map of the game’s main mode. "All of the cars and tracks are incredibly authentic and meticulously detailed."
A few more locations that looked a bit more different would have helped the tracks pop a bit more, but as it stands it’s certainly not bad – and you do have the option of two players locally and up to 12 online. Similarly, despite the game only having a few different areas to race in, it’s the variants of those tracks that keep things interesting most of the time.
It’s fairly basic, but what Milestone does with these ideas through having interesting variations of them and creative track layouts keep the game lively. Strips that build up your cars boost or give you a jolt of acceleration, some magnetic sections, a couple different types of hazards and some cool jumps make up the majority of what you’ll see. There’s not a huge variety in terms of what you’ll come across in each race. Some textures for background and non-hot wheels-related environmental objects do take a backseat in terms of detail but you will basically never notice that with the more pertinent cars and tracks looking as great as they do. All of the cars and tracks are incredibly authentic and meticulously detailed. Seeing as Hot Wheels has been around for over half a century now, the brand is uniquely positioned to appeal to kids, their older siblings and their parents equally, so smartly, Milestone leans into this at every turn with a ton of unlockable cars that include real Hot Wheels models you might recognize, licensed cars like Mustangs and Mini Coopers, as well as iconic vehicles from other IPs. Hot Wheels Unleashed immediately lures you in with nostalgia overload, which is sure to be effective to just about anybody these days. It’s much more on the arcade side of the racing spectrum than what we’ve seen from them recently, yet, despite being about toy cars, Milestone’s extensive experience with sophisticated racing games proves to be just the type of seasoning this game needed to not only stand out, but also, in many ways, blow the doors off its competition. Regardless of how you feel about the more simulation-style racing games developer Milestone is known for, Hot Wheels Unleashed is worth your attention.
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