The Hot Wheels saga back, a fun ride that could have been great.
Image credit: PlayStation / Sony Interactive Entertainment promotional art.
Source: PlayStation
Summary
- Name of the game: Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
- Launch date: October 19, 2023
- Developer: Milestone S.r.l.
- Publisher: Milestone S.r.l.
- Available platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Game genre: Arcade racing
- Context of the game: Sequel to the game Hot Wheels Unleashed, This title expands the formula with more cars, tracks and new game mechanics in high-octane racing.
History and narrative
The game features a light-hearted storyline in which a team of runners from the Hot Wheels fights to save his city from an unknown threat. Although the plot attempts to give context to the races, it remains secondary to the gameplay. The characters and dialogue are basic and functional, without much depth. The story is more elaborate than in the first installment, but it is still not a determining factor. There is not much to add in this regard, just a basic story to distract you a little, but nothing special.
The game features multiple races of different types and five areas of the world, which are unlocked as you defeat bosses. There are a total of five bosses, and each one unlocks a single cinematic. With or without cinematics, this does not affect the gameplay experience in the slightest.
Gameplay
The arcade racing system with drifts, turbo and stunts is maintained, but new features such as double jumps and lunges are added to offer more strategies in the competitions. This is a positive point, since it introduces something different compared to the previous version. Besides, now there are more obstacles, which forces you to be more attentive to some details if you don't want to be left behind in the race.
The game has very precise and responsive controls, although the use of the ramming can feel unbalanced depending on the cart you use. It is a very easy to understand game, but some tests can become excessively difficult. Personally, if you find it difficult, you can set it to easy and I don't think you'll have any problems beyond a couple of tries on this difficulty.
In terms of replayability, the game has a lot of fun tracks and different racing modes; however, it can get a bit repetitive and doesn't lend itself to playing for many hours. An hour of gameplay can feel like two or three hours in another title.
Something to highlight in this version are the vehicles, which are now divided into categories with unique abilities, which adds variety to the gameplay. This variety makes it more dynamic and personalized. In addition, the cars now have abilities that you can unlock, beyond just improving the typical attributes such as acceleration, speed and drifting.
Graphics and visual design
Graphically, the game maintains a good quality, with detailed modeling of the cars and vibrant environments, although some scenarios can become repetitive. Visually, the scenarios are fine, but when you play several races, it feels like you're in the same place, only in a race you now turn left instead of right. Although there is a variety of stages, many can look identical to you.
The most outstanding feature, as it should be in a game of Hot Wheels, Can you imagine a Hot Wheels game where the design of the cars is ugly? When we were little and saw these toys, we wanted the one we liked the most visually. Here, the game delivers on that, with lots of creative cars.
In summary, the game stands out visually within the arcade genre, although do not expect a graphic level of AAA titles, because it does not have to be.
Sound and music
The soundtrack is energetic and in keeping with the frenetic tone of the game, although not very memorable. You will soon forget its music because it is very generic, both in the gameplay and in the menus.
The sound effects are well achieved, especially in skids and crashes, but in general, they are nothing spectacular. The game's story is very short in cinematics, so the voice acting doesn't have much impact.
Difficulty and accessibility
The difficulty is somewhat uneven: some tests are easy and others can be demanding, even worse if you play on hard. In my experience, I didn't want to suffer with a game of Hot Wheels, so I decided to pass it quietly in easy mode.
There are not many advanced accessibility options, although controls and difficulties can be adjusted.
Additional content
The duration of the campaign is approximately 8 hours. The multiplayer is practically abandoned, so finding a game can take a long time. I do not recommend investing time in the multiplayer of this game.
Since launch, there is a lot of extra paid content, which can be a disadvantage for those who prefer to unlock content by playing. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. The game seems like it wants to sell you carts or stick you with the idea of buying physical cars. $5 packs for cars? No thanks. Fortunately, what's in the base game is enough without spending more.
Technical Aspects
The game is stable on next-generation consoles and PC. On Nintendo Switch, there are FPS drops in some moments. In my experience, I had no problems with bugs or glitches, so in this aspect it is a good game. Its optimization is well achieved on most platforms.
Value for money
The launch price is $49.99 USD, which is insane, especially when from day one they are already selling additional paid content. This says a lot about their approach, which is not a good thing. What's worse is that if you add up the base price plus all the DLC, the total cost is absurd. In my case, I got it at PS Plus, So it was worth it, but I wouldn't pay more than $15 for this game.
Trophies / Achievements
- Platinum obtained: No.
- Percentage of trophies obtained: 54% (excluding DLC).
- Estimated time: 25 hours.
- Platinum difficulty: 4/10. I rate the platinum with this difficulty mainly because it's more a matter of investing time than it really being difficult, the same thing that happened with its previous version. I played it on PS5 and, to give you an idea, only 1.9% of players finish the campaign, and the platinum is only 0.6%. This is not because it is difficult, but because the game does not encourage to put so many hours into it.
Conclusion
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a solid evolution of its predecessor, with fresh mechanics and a strong focus on customization and creativity. While the difficulty can be frustrating and the business model with DLCs detracts from its appeal, it's still an excellent choice for arcade racing game lovers.
If you're not a fan of this type of game, I would still recommend it to play something different occasionally and have a short time without having to think about something complex. It's a fun game, though it could be even better and offer a longer lasting experience.
My final rating for Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is:
3.6/5
