I got my hands on a preview build of Hot Wheels Unleashed, the careening new racing game based releasing on September 20, 2021 from Milestone S.r.l. and Mattel. I've been anxiously following the development of Hot Wheels Unleashed, as it seems like just the sort of fun racing experience I've been missing in my life - and one that will be accessible and fun enough that I will be able to play with my younger kids.
I'm not saying that I got a gaming PC just to check out this preview build, but I will admit that the limited time I have access to the game may have bumped up my timeline a little bit. I spent 40 minutes this morning trying out a number of tracks and cars in Hot Wheels Unleashed, and had an absolute blast.
The turbo-based arcade racing in Hot Wheels Unleashed is fast and tight, with highly responsive controls. As you can see in the video, I need a bit of practice before the game actually comes out, as I am prone to drifting right off of the track (and my mid-air steering is pretty sorry too).
Note: The sound mix on this video is pretty rough. This was my first time capturing on my new PC, so I've got to do a bit of work on getting the voice and gameplay sound synced and mixed correctly. But beyond the fact that I sound like I'm screaming from across a great chasm, you can still hear my enthusiasm as I rock out to this awesomely fun game.
After realizing that my first video has terrible sound, I attempted a second video (which also has terrible sound. Whew. Gotta work on that mix.) In this second attempt, you can scrub to the last race, and see me dominate for all three laps before eating it right at the end and losing the whole thing. You can check that one out right here.
Special shout out to whoever designed the music for Hot Wheels Unleashed. I'm hoping the final soundtrack includes the songs in this preview build (and more), because I spent the entire time bopping in my seat and singing songs along with the music (which is of course out of sync in the video). Regardless of how crappy I sound, it was my enthusiasm for the fun instrumental jams that had me bursting with song. So, so fun.
Hot Wheels Unleashed releases for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on September 30, 2021.
