Air controls give the player an advantage with experience that allows them to pass over the top of other cars or even make mid-air turns onto shortcut tracks for example.
#Hot wheels unleashed custom tracks upgrade#
It’s simple enough to pick up for players of all ages and with the customisation and upgrade offerings available for every car, the experience is surprisingly layered and enjoyable for older players too. Drifting corners, activating boosts and avoiding environmental hazards such as spider-webs shot from a gigantic spider perched on top of the race track or tornados that suspect the racers in the air. Luckily, the gameplay follows suit and delivers a fairly accessible and enjoyable racing experience that leans into the arcade racing style. The environments look great and the cars look amazing. Seeing the plastic poke through the metallic coating is a layer of detail that truly takes Hot Wheels Unleashed into unrivalled territory. Plastic and metal bodies look as they should, the variety of paint finishes are beautifully accented by authentic decals from the miniature range of collectibles and feel even more genuine with the scuffing, scratching and chipping that gradually become apparent with the chaos on the track. There can not be enough said about the excellent level of detail present in the cars. This is an unusual method to say the least and one that demands its players put in a ridiculous amount of time to even consider collecting them all.
The other option of obtaining cars is to purchase them from a selection of five that rotate every 4 hours of in-game play time, not real time. The downside to the blind boxes is that they can give you the same car, they are not unique unlocks unfortunately. These are awarded for winning certain races or can be purchased using the in-game currency earned by playing the game, there is no premium currency or micro-transactions to worry about with this title. Each car has its own specs, affording the player the luxury of choosing whether they prefer the likes of speed or acceleration over turning.Ī number of cars are unlocked by playing through the campaign but majority will come as random rewards from blind boxes. Recent and classic models of cars comprise the suite of cars to unlock and choose from, including a number from films such as the iconic DeLorean from Back to the Future and Batman’s Batmobile. Hot Wheels Unleashed feels larger than life with its playful execution of scale and attention to detail across every aspect of the visual presentation. A diverse photo mode offers some great filters and customisable options to snap the perfect shot that is well worth checking out.
The glaring sun and immaculate lighting in general breathe such credibility to the visuals that it can be difficult to remember that it is toy cars running laps in these circuits. Weaving tracks atop a sea of bookcases and a spiralling raceway that ascends a skyscraper and taking racers outside into the skyline look amazing. Racing through a garage, a skyscraper and a library are just a few of the environments that are brought to life in a manner far grander than they appear on paper. Represented in their actual scale, the cars look amazing, with a level of detail that feels amplified by the life-sized environments that each of the tracks take place in. The die-cast collectible range of cars that has been a staple of children’s toy boxes for generations has transitioned to the video game platform once again, though Hot Wheels Unleashed is easily one of the finest micro-racers to date.