In a world where automotive simulators are more popular than ever, Wreckfest 2 has the chance to bring something fresh and thrilling to the table — a fun, demolition-derby competitor to shake things up. As an arcade-style romp it holds a lot of potential, but in its early-access phase is a bit bare-bones with some imperative quality-of-life features noticeably absent.
The need for speed has never been greater! With such a huge interest in the virtual racing world, now would be the perfect time for a fun, demolition-derby competitor to enter the ring. So where does Wreckfest 2 stand?
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Developed by Bugbear and published by THQ Nordic, Wreckfest 2 is supposedly the new and improved game to the Wreckfest line-up. I say “supposedly” because the game is still in early access. While in its current state, the game may be lacking… but thankfully the road map looks very promising.
Smash ‘Em Up Gameplay
At its core, Wreckfest 2 is a lot of fun. Race cars, wreck cars — a simple concept that works well. The vehicle-wrecking physics are especially satisfying. As more parts fly off your car, it becomes increasingly difficult to control, but in a way that feels believable without being frustrating. Lose your front tires? No problem, you can keep driving with just the right amount of simulated challenge and chaotic fun.
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There’s a lot of potential for a great, fun, arcade demolition derby if Bugbear play their cards right, but they’ll need to work hard before its full release. It’s an enjoyable experience, but in its current phase it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and a new game should always feel like a step forwards — not backwards.
Multiplayer Mayhem
The multiplayer feature of this game is undeniably the best part (in theory). As a personal preference, I didn’t enjoy playing this game on my own as much as I enjoyed booting it up with a mate. Creating chaos together on the track and smashing into each other on the raceway is where this game really shines. That said, the multiplayer mode lacks some major quality-of-life features that have become such a staple in modern multiplayer gaming. Their absence feels like a major oversight.
The most noticeable letdowns in this early access game are the inability to team up with friends, not being able to search for a server by name, and the lengthy load times. These features are imperative to having a good time on any multiplayer game, so it’s hard to understand why they’re missing in the first place.
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There is a work-around to most of these issues that is tedious but doable. If you are willing to jump in a call with your friends, work together to find a server you all want to join, have everyone manually scroll through the list of servers to all find the same one, and are prepared to sit and wait a LOT, then yes, you can still find some fun in the chaos. But by that point, you might as well boot up something else.
What Do We Want? The Roadmap
My suggestions for further improvements that would make the game more replay-able goes beyond just adding more tracks and cars. I’d love to see more arcade modes, like demolition derby pinball or something equally as crazy — something to really put those new physics to the test. I’d also love to see missions involved — whether in single player, multiplayer, or both — that could push me to want to replay tracks and races.
The current roadmap includes two new maps and two new cars slated for a May release. Here’s hoping the roadmap will continue to be bulky.
The Checkered Flag
Despite some of my frustrations, Wreckfest 2 provided a great arcade experience. Racing and wrecking cars is inherently entertaining, and is made even better when you’re with friends. However, buyers beware that while the road map is extensive, there’s still a fair bit left to be desired in this game.
If you’re a Wreckfest maniac, then by all means I would encourage you to give Wreckfest 2 a go. For everyone else, it might be worth sitting on this one until they can bring more quality-of-life features into the game.
You can purchase Wreckfest 2 for $43.95 AUD in early access now on PC via Steam. There’s currently no slated date for the full release.
An early access code of Wreckfest 2 was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this preview.
