Developer: FiveXGames S.L.
Publisher: FiveXGames S.L.
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Motor Strike: Racing Rampage – Preview
Back in the old days, you had to really grind in a game to unlock all the content available. This trend has changed to allow people with less time to equally enjoy the game, firstly, by blatantly allowing players to pay to unlock everything or just have everything unlocked from the start. In Motor Strike: Racing Rampage, you will have the enjoyment of unlocking an arsenal of tracks, vehicles and weapons, all while exploring different game modes, alone or against friends.
The core of Motor Strike: Racing Rampage is having fun arcade action, packed into a game where your time is rewarded with the many items that you can unlock. This means that there isn’t directly a story present in the game, only a short bio of each character in the vehicle select screen. It would be really cool if there were factions like in Vigilante 8 or a backstory as to why each driver is competing in these events, but sadly we’ll have to do without. As this game is still in Early Access, you will notice that a few modes aren’t available right now, but there is plenty of content to try out. In the Fast Race section, you will find three modes: Race, Point Race and Runaway Race. Race is just as the name implies, a race around the track and you must finish first to win. In Point Race, you must stay in front or kill enemies to accumulate points and the first to reach a certain amount wins. If you want a better challenge, then Runaway Race is the thing for you as you only have three lives and you must survive your enemies to win this last man standing event.
If you rather race in a championship, then you can always try your hand at the Twin Cup or Tetra Cup. In this mode, you will have to qualify during races to gain legend perks that will aid you in the final event. These legend perks can do anything from granting you more health, giving you more firepower, or having your weapons cool down faster to improved shielding. The person who finishes first gets the first pick, second place gets the second one, and so on. These perks are not game-breakingly strong but are a fun addition to have on the playing field.
Speaking about the playing field, there is a wide range of tracks to smash your opponents on. At first, you begin with only two of the 24 circuits unlocked, but the more you play, the more points you earn to unlock a diverse arsenal of locations. Each place is unique and differs in lighting, atmosphere, background and track layout. Spending your hard-earned points can be a bit flustering at first, as there are so many options. You can buy new tracks, new vehicles, special weapons and skins for the cars. A good tip is to first buy a few racing venues, so you have some variety because the starting vehicles are already great. Three vehicles will be at your disposal, each one having unique stats and a special attack. Every vehicle has been inspired by movie and game culture as you will see references from Ghost Busters, Back to the Future, Batman and many more.
Overall, for a game that is still in Early Access, it does have a lot going on. The graphics are pretty decent, only the characters at the end of the race screen look like they have been quickly made in paint. It has a certain charm (and is even funny) that each vehicle has a driver that expresses their happiness after a race, but we hope these are only placeholders for the time being. The tracks are simple but because of the large variety, they don’t feel the same. Every car has unique looks in different modes, such as missiles attached to the roof during a raid or a generator strapped to the back during another mission.
The music fits the game well. Racing games tend to tone down the music these last few years but Motor Strike: Racing Rampage knocks it right out of the park with the great music playing during races. The soundtrack is a mix between rock and techno with even some synthwave mixed in during some moments. Characters are sadly not voiced, which could have made the gameplay really cool. One of the best sound effects is the ‘missile incoming’ beep, because thanks to this, you will know when you are being targeted by a long-range missile and will be able to counter it in time.
When finally getting around unlocking some new tracks, cars and weapons you might want to tackle the Experimental mode: Titan Strike. In this competition you will race on five different tracks, completing different objectives to ultimately have great gear to fight the other team’s Dreadnought. In the first four races, you try to weaken the defenses of the opponent while gathering as many supplies as possible for the final battle. During the team races, you can quickly switch between teammates to maximize potential or just turn your car around with the handy ‘back strike’ move. With this move you can just turn your car around and release your weapons to the person behind you, which is perfect if you are getting bored in the first place. Then in the last section of the Titan Strike, you will finally try to destroy the enemy their Dreadnought in quite a long battle. Even with a proper advantage at the start, everything is still possible.
The cool thing about Motor Strike: Racing Rampage is that every mode can be played with up to four players locally or online. This is a great feature that when it is finally allowed to have your friends over that you can have some classic arcade vehicular manslaughter like in Vigilante 8, Twisted Metal and Mashed. Since each car has unique stats, you will notice that handling differs between each vehicle. Because of the arcade nature of the game, it makes controlling the vehicle really simple and makes the title easy to pick up and enjoy. Some cars will need a very skillful driver as they are rather slow and clunky around the corners however.
Conclusion
Motor Strike: Racing Rampage is a simple game with a lot of content to unlock, so it really gives you an incentive to keep on playing. As there is so much to discover, you best focus first on getting new tracks so you don’t get bored on grinding the same route time after time. The graphics are good and the music fits the game perfectly. The gameplay is pretty fun and even though Motor Strike is still in Early Access, you are guaranteed to have multiple hours of fun right ahead of you. Because of the many vehicles, unlockable weapons and skins, you will be able to maximize the power of your favorite vehicle while having it look good. Invite your friends over (when it is allowed) or duke it out online, against others or bots in this hectic throwback to better times.
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