Have you ever had a fever dream where your car grew legs and played football? No? Well, Triband, the developers of WHAT THE CAR?, clearly have.
WHAT THE CAR? is the spiritual successor to WHAT THE GOLF?, the hit indie fever dream that graced our screens when it first released back in 2019. The game is everything you loved about WHAT THE GOLF?, but featuring an adorable yellow car. You play through weird levels, cross the finish line, save your bear friends, and have an all-around good time.
Set to release on Steam on September 9th 2024, Quest Daily was provided with early access to the game in anticipation of Steam Next Fest.
It’s safe to say, I love this game. Here’s why you should love it too.
What The Gameplay?
Whacky, intuitive, unexpected. This game is everything you would expect if you had dabbled in its predecessor. In every level you play as a car, however, each level will have you changing drastically. Some levels will have you grow legs, some will have you playing a rudimentary Rocket League, some will have you chauffeuring a giraffe, and more! The possibilities seem endless.
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The controls are whacky on purpose, and while difficult at times, it’s never obtuse. The challenge of making your way to the finish line is fun and welcoming.
Most levels have multiple routes to the end goal, so you can challenge yourself if the main path is too easy. Collectables are often found in these alternative sneaky routes too.
Each level also has an achievement indicator, which grants you bronze, silver, or gold upon completion depending on how long it takes you to complete it. This adds even more replayability if, like me, you want to achieve perfection.
What The Level Creator?
If you have ever wanted to share in Triband’s fever dream, now you can. WHAT THE CAR? introduces a level creator, so when you are done exploring the insane concepts already available in the game, you can feel inspired to make your own. You will also be able to share your creations with the community, though that feature was not available for me to test.
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What The Graphics?
WHAT THE CAR? is a Technicolour masterpiece. The muted vibes paired with a colourful and blocky design adds to the fun and whacky nature of the game. I’m personally a sucker for a bit of cell-shaded glory.
The demo ran smoothly with no glitches, even when pushing the ragdoll physics and chaotic property damage to the full. The game looks and feels completely seamless, which for a game in pre-release is mightily impressive.
PS. There is also a lot of confetti and I’m fully here for it.
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What The Verdict?
Amazing. WHAT THE CAR? has surpassed its predecessor and become an unbelievable concept in its own right. I wholeheartedly await its full release in September this year.
If you want to check out the demo for WHAT THE CAR?, you can head on over to Steam!
A preview copy of WHAT THE CAR? was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
