Make Way Review (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

Developer Ice BEAM has wrangled all the necessary components together to craft an all-new, albeit slightly reminiscent of Micro Machines’ earlier works, top-down party racing game for consoles and PC. Aptly titled Make Way, the 1-4 player pandemonium-brazen racing game has players not only navigate unique courses and thrash it out for the podium, but also build said courses before the beginning of each bout, thereby ensuring that each and every round is an original experience, and, above all, a collaborative effort. On paper, it all sounds rather straightforward — and it is, thankfully. But, is it worth the relatively small asking price of $15?

In just short of eight hours, I’ve been able to comb over more than enough track pieces and build up enough XP to rival some of the trickiest obstacles, weapons, and set pieces Make Way has provided by the truckload on an oily, uneven silver platter. Am I likely to return to the myriad of courses and continue building XP to unpack even more of its contents? Well, therein lies a question that we’ll have to unravel in a piece-by-piece manner — if only to make the definitive answer a little easier to comprehend. Care to join us as we delve deep into the depths of the sky-high sandbox racer? Then let’s go ahead and gear up for launch. Cue the checkered flag!

Sky’s the Limit

Make Way is a multiplayer racing game in which each players bears the right to build new portions of the track by selecting one of several attachable pieces. Once all pieces have been assembled, the fledgling petrol-obsessed drivers must compete to accrue a total of 3,000 points—a feat that can only be accomplished by reaching checkpoints, and essentially annihilating other players with a series of projectiles and other weapons. It’s all rather simple to grasp, which makes it one of the most accessible games of its kind, straight up. What’s more, as each player can depart each course with a significant amount of XP, regardless of their final position on the roster or the amount of times they launched themselves into the bottomless depths, it also means anyone can progress.

XP in Make Way can be divvied up and poured into several new set pieces, including courses, vehicles, and weapons. So again, while you may encounter your fair share of tedious tidbits and molehills to clamber over, progress is always marching forward. To that end, I couldn’t ever really fault it; there was always a silver lining at the far end of my every failure — even when said failures resulted in me barreling my car into oblivion in a desperate attempt to reach the next checkpoint.

Make Way also rolls out the red carpet for a selection of signature modes, including Classic, Race, Chaos, and Custom, with the latter being an opportunity to unleash your inner creative to orchestrate mounds upon mounds of illogical ideas and hectic track designs. And so, for $15, it’s practically impossible to argue that there simply isn’t enough content to satisfy the urge to load up on track-based carnage.

An Infinite Wealth of Mayhem

The fact that each player can spruce up the course after each new checkpoint is enough to have you settling scores and running the motions for an indefinite period of time, truly. And not just spruce up the tracks, but add ramps, loops, weapons, and of course, hazards to shake up the narrative and cause all hell to break loose at any given moment. It’s mindless fun, and it never really stops, either, as there are plenty of perks to unlock, pieces to craft, and new ideas to emulate into full-fledged biomes.

Of course, I was bound to question whether or not four players would be enough to generate a genuinely exciting experience, what with the bulk of its rival games featuring wider rosters. As it turned out, though, having fewer drivers on the field of battle was all the more riveting, as it made each rivalry significantly more meaningful, and not to mention each redemption arc equally as important. In my mind, I wasn’t out to prove myself as the best racer on the track, but someone who could right a few wrongs and annihilate their oppressors as and when needed. To that end, I felt that I succeeded — if only in small victories.

Label me optimistic, but deep down I feel as though Make Way could blossom into something even greater — more so since the foundations are already there for it to evolve. For what it’s worth, the blueprint is already there; it’s merely the case of adding a slew of fresh features and improvements to the infrastructure that would allow it to elevate its potential. And from what I’ve seen so far, I can’t say I have any doubts that Ice BEAM won’t be able to make such things happen, if not tomorrow, then in the future.

The Ups and Downs

There is one issue that I happened to find a little frustrating, and that’s the fixed camera angle—a feature that, while functional at the best of times, often led me to fall from the sky — even when I had just about memorized the course layout. Simply put, it didn’t always stay on my toes, which, at times, forced me to make split-second judgements on whether or not I should jolt to the side, or squeeze the metal and bolt towards the horizon. It wasn’t great, but again, as I was still making some amount of progress, and even receiving XP for all my involuntary wrongdoings, I rarely found an excuse to abandon the course and fleet for the hills in a toddler’s tantrum.

It’s a party game at heart, and so, when saddled with three other like-minded players who share the same goals, it often makes for an invigorating, albeit highly competitive experience. However, unlike a lot of racing games that make failure a bit of an underwhelming sensation, Make Way does all in its power to alleviate such a problem and soften the blow as much as possible. Again, can’t complain there.

From a graphical standpoint, Make Way trickles between the lines of Micro Machines: World Series and Trials Evolution; it isn’t overly fancy, but it does chalk up some rather neat visual effects and color combinations. Outside of its vibrant locales and set pieces, it also offers an extensive range of colorful and expressively wacky vehicle blueprints, too, again, adding to the flavor of an already impressive and equally digestible platform.

Verdict

We’ve been blessed with more sandbox racing games than I dare to fathom, and so, from a studio’s perspective, I can almost envision the difficulty in trying to acquire a foothold on the market. Having said that, Ice BEAM was clearly able to sweep over the competition and conjure something highly worthwhile — and it’s down to the fact that it mixed a surprisingly palatable progression system with a unique and infinite wealth of customizable features. At no point during my eight-hour session did I begin to suffer from an immense case of deja vu, as each obstacle was presented in a different light, and every race, although lauded by the same objective, felt original.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of technical issues that bog an otherwise memorable experience down just a smidgen, but for the most part, I found that I was able to comb over the shortcomings and focus on the silver linings and nothing else. So, to answer that initial question: is Make Way worth the $15 price of admission — yes, it most certainly is, and if anything, it’s actually worth a bit more, given the amount of content it actually coughs up.

If you are on the market for a quality party sandbox entrée that has all the natural trimmings of a ludicrously entertaining competitive video game, then there’s no doubt about it — Make Way is one of the most enjoyable you’ll find in the indie department, and then some. Don’t believe me? Wrangle a few buddies together and test the waters yourselves; there are numerous ways to scratch “that” itch, that’s for sure.