Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush レビュー (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 & PC)

I could easily compare Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush to a universal experience—to the act of thinking that a toy is a lot of fun to fumble around with, but that it’s also one of dozens in the same room, and that there are so many different varieties that you can choose from. To that end, I feel like a toddler in a candy store; I want a piece of everything, even though I know for a fact that I’ll get bored after sampling the one treat and want another shortly after. The sensory overload is real, and my attention span, like that of a toddler’s, is all rather short. I want to love Hot Wheels, but it just isn’t giving me a reason to roll out the fabric mat for extended periods of time.

First impressions mean a lot when it comes to open-world racing video games. Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush, unsurprisingly, gives off Forza Horizon vibes. And to be clear, that isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, if a racing game has to imitate something, it should be Forza Horizon. Hot Wheels just feels like a natural choice to lift that torch, too, given its rich history of producing overtly bright visuals, chaotically designed track layouts, vehicular modules and mini-games. It might not be a festival for the ages — but it is one that serves its purpose as a pre-headliner act.

There are just as many good things I can say about Infinite Rush as there are bad things. On the positive side, it is a thoroughly enjoyable game that checks all of the usual boxes—the fluid driving mechanics, the varied event types, the distinct and colorful sandbox elements, and the jam-packed open-world biomes that collectively form the backbone of a family-friendly festival. Infinite Rush has all of that, as does it have a quality selection of vehicle configurations and classes for you to experiment with. For example, you have four distinct classes to work with: speedster, titan, drifter, and versatile. Naturally, each class has its own strengths and weaknesses to consider, as well as a preference of event. The versatile class, however, is the most obvious choice here.

Infinite Rush is spread across four islands: a city, a desert, a tropical island, and a slice-of-Japan-like region, all of which feature their own conveyor belt of events and activities. And when I say events, I mostly mean the usual suspects of a racing game: circuits, drifts, checkpoints, and of course, time trials. There are additional tasks for you to scoot around in, too, with elimination-based races, stunts, and a handful of photo opportunities, naturally. With all of these bits and pieces strewn across the mat, you have quite the chunk of content to carve through. And again, that’s a great thing, as is it the one thing that puts Infinite Rush up there with the all-time favorites.

Driving, too, is slick and intuitive, as is it comfortable to familiarize yourself with. Granted, the game does have a bad habit of spoon feeding you a lot of data; the fact that the opening portion shoves a ton of weight on your shoulders and hogs the screen with text box after text box is a bit of a headache I’ll admit. That said, it does eventually kick off the training wheels and give you the freedom to explore the palm-sized boroughs at your own leisure. And, for the most part, the world is a great deal of fun to explore, especially if you’re actively searching for a new slice of orange-soaked asphalt to swagger your driving prowess. It’s all very Hot Wheels, too, in that it takes full advantage of the old-school color scheme and inflated obstacles and otherworldly track pieces. I can’t complain about any of that. Or at least, not the events, anyway.

The problem I have with Infinite Rush is that, like most toys in the room, it gradually loses its appeal the more you play with it. Say, once you mop up your fair share of events and sample the chassis of each of the four classes, the quest to establish your microscopic kingdom eventually becomes a little predictable and sluggish. Don’t get me wrong, Infinite Rush has a lot of great tracks and event categories, but with a rather dull and barebones world, there sadly comes a point where you are no longer joyfully exploring the world, but simply traveling from one anchor point to the next. There are no crowds to spur you on, and there are no dramatic intervals to keep you on your toes. The race continues, and you tow the line until there is nothing left to pull on.

On the bright side, Infinite Rush provides a sizable catalog of cars to unlock and drive. With a hundred vehicles to choose from, the game does give you a lot of opportunities to explore the world in a multitude of ways. But that sadly brings us back to the problem: the world. Unlike your usual toy-centric universe—a place where you would naturally expect to find room after room of oversized furniture pieces and grand-scale environments—Infinite Rush simply feels like an ordinary world with orange highlights. Oh, you can tell that it’s a Hot Wheels game, but its lack of creative world-building makes it feel like less of a familiar plaything and more of an imitation of a Forza gig. Is it generally fun to romp around in? Sure. Does it strike the same tone as a Micro Machines game? No.

Of course, if you can approach Infinite Rush with the right mindset, and with a sense that it won’t exceed the usual expectations of a Forza-obsessed society, then you will probably get a good kick out Hot Wheels’ take on an open-world festival. It’s a little different to the Unleashed chapters, so it is worth taking that into consideration before you hop behind the plastic wheel. That being said, if you’re looking for a quick and reliable entry-level racing game that caters to both die-hard Hot Wheels fans and avid youngsters alike, then you ought to consider Infinite Rush as a means to an end.

Verdict

Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush injects its signature orange and plastic into a multiverse of absurd track pieces and play mat-worthy escapades, not with the intent to dethrone Forza Horizon, but to create an entry-level open-world racing experience for younger fans and Hot Wheels enthusiasts alike. While it might be a tad predictable and lacking in grand-scale flamboyancy, it makes up for its shortcomings with intuitive driving mechanics, thoroughly enjoyable circuit racing, and hundreds of vehicular modules and classes. To that end, I’d say that, minus a few minor issues, it’s still a journey that’s worth taking.