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0 Developer Three Fields Entertainment knows a thing or two about wanton destruction. Their previous games, such as Dangerous Driving and Dangerous Golf, prove that sometimes, games simply about smashing stuff are fun! Now, though, the developer is attempting to think bigger, with Wreckreation. And by bigger, I mean open-world vehicular mayhem, of course!
Wreckreation is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, priced at £34.99. This review will be based on the PlayStation 5 version, so pick up your DualSense because it’s time to race!
Wreck the Casbah
It’s immediately apparent, even from looking at screenshots, that Wreckreation bears more than a passing resemblance to 2008’s Burnout Paradise. Which isn’t too surprising, as many of the team had previously worked on that title. And, with EA all but shelving the Burnout IP, it’s high time someone made use of such an incredibly fun gameplay concept! The question is, does this feel like a true spiritual successor? Or does it feel like a cheap imitation?
Gameplay
Wreckreation is all about driving around a large, open-world map and completing all sorts of challenges. From smashing billboards, to discovering new cars, to events with the goal of smashing as many cars as possible, there’s a good range of content here. Not having events readily available on the map makes exploring the world have meaning, and I wish more games would do this!
Racing works as you’d expect. You and a bunch of computer-controlled drivers vie to cross the finish line first. The fun comes from engaging in ramming wars with the opposition, aiming to shunt them hard enough that they veer into oncoming traffic or off the road. With this being a very arcadey racer, cars are easy to control and drift around corners as if they’re on ice. It controls well, though, with tight, responsive vehicles. Plus, the sense of speed when you’re really gunning it feels very impressive, with your boost recharging as you takedown enemies, drift, jump, etc.
I Feel the Need. The Need for… Wait, Wrong Game!
The collisions can feel a bit wonky on occasion. Sometimes a slight nudge against an NPC vehicle is enough to send your car careening to its doom, whilst other times you’re left wondering how you didn’t end up in a pile of scrap at the side of the road. All in all, it’s an incredibly fun driving experience that doesn’t put too much (if any) emphasis on realism.
Focusing on the crashing aspect of the game, I never got tired of seeing this in action. If you cause a rival car to crash, the game will focus on said car and show you a slow-motion view of the carnage. Whilst you temporarily lose control of your own vehicle, the game does a good job of ensuring you keep on the road and away from hazards as you watch the chaos. The same also happens should you be the one to crash, except you’ve got one last effort to wreck another car in the form of Impact Time. This allows you to adjust your wrecked car in mid-air, in the hopes of taking out an opponent. Yes, it all feels incredibly similar to Burnout, but hey, it’s been so long since we’ve had a new game in that series, I can’t complain!
Live Mixin’ It Up!
What sets Wreckreation apart from other arcade racing titles is the Live Mix system. This allows you to edit the world as you see fit. Fancy a drive during a storm in the middle of the night? No problem! Want to reduce traffic as you hunt down collectibles? Go for it! But the main aspect of Live Mix is the ability to build your own tracks with pieces and objects you unlock as you play. This can range from a few simple ramps and crates to smash, right through to huge, Trackmania-esque creations in the sky. Any other player in your session can also use Live Mix to create new tracks and hazards, and being able to have friends racing around your own creation is where the game truly shines!
Even jumping into a random online lobby yields some genuinely fun gameplay moments. Cruising around only to come across another player creating a behemoth of a track that defies gravity, then zipping around it at breakneck speeds is constantly enjoyable. The actual map itself feels a little barren because of the game allowing anyone to create tracks anywhere, though. So, if you’re strictly focused on playing offline, you may find that the world doesn’t have much there. Although, you can always remedy this by creating your own sky raceways!
Graphics & Audio
Whilst the world may not be the most detailed, half the time you’ll be going too fast to even notice. Cars fare a little better, looking all sleek and shiny, that is until you plough into a wall! These crash animations are definitely the standout, and I never got tired of wrecking and watching the chaos that ensued. The performance, particularly when playing online, can be a bit all over the place. The frame rate dips semi-infrequently, but it happens enough to be noticeable.
As for the audio, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as hearing an opponent’s car crumple into a hunk of metal! Sound wise, Wreckreation is your standard arcade racing fare. Screeching tyres, boosts kicking in, and the guttural roar of souped-up engines make these machines sound like true beasts. Whilst the soundtrack is varied, featuring many different radio stations from disco to jazz, there isn’t anything that stood out. Best to fire up your music streaming service of choice and blast that mid-2000’s Pop-Punk!
Longevity
With plenty of single-player and multiplayer content, Wreckreation could last you a long time. Jumping into an online session and just seeing what other players build, before test driving their creations, is something I can do for hours. Add to this each event having “Wreckords” to beat, alongside friends’ best times, the amount of cars to find and unlock, and plenty more to do, you’ll be in this for the long-haul!
Final Thoughts
Whilst, yes, it does feel like a slightly less-polished version of a Burnout game, there’s no doubt that this is a lot of fun to play. As someone who put countless hours into Criterion’s long-dormant franchise, it’s refreshing to be able to play something familiar, yet with its own unique mechanics.
With that being said, I’ll be giving Wreckreation the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
Prefer your racing games to be a little less crash-heavy? Why not give Cameron’s F1 25 review a read!
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