Same track, same environment, just a slightly different event. In the game’s campaign mode, known as Hot Wheels City Rush, I lost count as to how many times the same race would appear in different events. Going back to the track design, there are some neat ideas that have been implemented, but variety is an issue. Rather, it comes off like the old models you’ll find at the bottom of a chest that clearly have some wear and tear. Hot Wheels Unleashed clearly has some charm to it, but as alluded to earlier, the experience isn’t exactly in mint condition. Yet, despite all the cool ideas and concepts on offer here in Hot Wheels Unleashed, I quickly came to realize that the toy box isn’t quite as big as I was hoping for. As no real humans occupy these spaces, the tracks are able to be far more larger and elaborate than a traditional toy set would be. With this all coming from the perspective of tiny toy cars, the environments feel impressively imposing, and it’s cool how the track meanders through furniture and building fixtures.

Playing through the different courses kind of feels like a mix between a rollercoaster ride and a traditional race track. Of course, there are also death-defying jumps, along with 90-degree inclines and even sections of track that cling upside-down from the ceiling this is only made possible by special magnetized track parts. It feels satisfying to glide the car around a bend, and then rocket out just at the apex with a well-timed burst of nitro. The key to success in Hot Wheels Unleashed is definitely mastering the drifting mechanics, as these tracks consist of a lot of serpentines. The iconic bright orange pieces bend, curve and snake their way through five different environments (College Campus, Skatepark, Basement, Garage, and Skycraper). Thus, the track design is reminiscent of some of the toy sets. It’s clear that the dev team is really trying to convey the feeling that these are the same toy cars that everyone knows and loves, in digital form. Right from the start, you can tell a lot of care went into recreating them, right down to the inclusion of little scuffs and other imperfections on the models. Hot Wheels Unleashed features a variety of vehicles from different runs. In some ways, it does capture that rush, but the experience is not without some bumps and scratches along the way. Basically, it’s as if the aim is to bring to life the intense action that we imagined as kids while the cars were being propelled up, down and over furniture merely by the power of little hands and an overactive mind.

Hot Wheels Unleashed seeks to replicate the physics-defying, high-octane action that the real-life toy sets achieve. Thus, it’s no wonder why Mattel has teamed up with developer Milestone to reintroduce the brand to the world of video games for the first time in years with Hot Wheels Unleashed. Admittedly, the rise of gadgets has caused the popularity of such physical toys to diminish. These metal and plastic creations are so simple, yet so iconic. Not to mention you can still easily find a collection of Hot Wheels cars in the toy aisle of most stores. To this day, you can ask just about anyone about the popular toy line and they’ll know what you’re talking about. I don’t think I can really remember a time when Hot Wheels wasn’t a, well, hot commodity.

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