Hot Wheels Infinite Rush Review – Needs More Under the Hood — Despite a love for sim-racing, I don’t always need the fancy bells and whistles to have a good time. Sometimes all I want are fast cars and pretty lights. And I think that’s the philosophy behind Hot Wheels Infinite Rush. Is it deep? No. Is it dripping with content? Absolutely not. Is it fun? Yeah, it’s okay. Milestone, the Italian developer behind the previous two Unleashed games, has opted for an open world this time around. Instead of exclusively confining the racing to pre-built tracks, players now have four islands to explore at their leisure. After a week with Infinite Rush, I think the toy-car magic is still there. The problem is that expanding the series into an open world has also introduced new, particularly grating issues.
One thing you gotta give ‘em credit for: Milestone continues to be exceptionally good at making these toy cars look great. Infinite Rush is full of lighting effects that give the vehicles the type of finish you just don’t expect to see in a game geared towards kids. Cars catch the light beautifully, and reflections morph across the bodywork. The vehicle models are equally impressive whether I’m examining one in the garage or watching it rip past me during a race. And small details like decals and surface wear help distinguish a stock model from a customized version. After three games, it’s safe to say Milestone has figured out how to make these toy cars come to life.
It isn’t just the visuals that Milestone has figured out, though. Engine audio is also excellent. Engines pop, growl, and roar in ways that make it easy to forget these are supposed to be toys. It really is impressive. Unfortunately, Infinite Rush’s music didn’t receive the same attention. The soundtrack quickly cycles through a small selection of bubbly, forgettable songs. Repetition sets in quickly, and it couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours before I was begging for the sweet release of death…er, I mean a Spotify playlist.
The garage is another area where I give Milestone credit. Look, Infinite Rush is a kid’s game. I don’t expect to see a roster of 600+ cars like your Gran Turismos and your Forzas. What’s here is plenty. There are more than 150 vehicles divided among four classes, and changing categories has a significant effect on how I approach races. Muscle cars can (naturally) muscle their way through the competition, while lighter off-road machines are better suited to squeezing through narrow spaces and conquering rough terrain. The roster also mixes familiar Hot Wheels favorites with newer licensed vehicles, including Ferrari, for which Milestone has finally acquired the license.
Though, Infinite Rush’s honeymoon period ends before you know it. As mentioned, Infinite Rush is built upon an open world made up of four islands that can be flown between. The trouble is that the larger environments don’t necessarily contain enough activities to justify their size. Once the initial excitement of exploring each island fades (and it fades quickly), I was more or less left with a ho-hum checklist of mediocre events to tackle. The underlying amount of content feels more comparable to the older games, despite the expanded playground. To be fair, that may not be a problem for younger players who simply want somewhere colorful to drive around.
Then, of course, there’s the driving itself. After three games, it’s clear this series has one persistent weakness: drifting. Sliding around corners looks cool enough, but the mechanic doesn’t offer the precision that could entice an older player base. I can’t make the kind of small adjustments that the likes of Mario Kart allow, and I never quite feel as in control. Younger players won’t notice, but this is the single biggest divider in keeping adults from gravitating towards the series. Mario Kart is easy to learn, and difficult to master. Infinite Rush is easy to learn and nothing more. That’s a big problem, but only if you’re not content with always being a kid’s game and never an arcade-racing heavyweight.
Then there’s the loading times. Moving through menus, restarting events, and traveling between islands can all mean you’ll be sitting for an uncomfortable amount of time reading general help tips. Quite frankly, in a world where games like Spider-Man 2 and Ghost of Yotei fire up in the blink of an eye, it’s embarrassing that Infinite Rush has to load as much as it does.
Ultimately, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush delivers a basic but enjoyable experience. It’s full of colorful cars, accessible racing, and a world that requires no thought to explore.The problem is that the move to an open world makes Infinite Rush’s shortcomings more obvious. There isn’t quite enough to do across those larger environments, and the drifting system lacks the precision that would make the racing itself more rewarding.
For younger players who want a bright collection of Hot Wheels cars and a big playground to drive around, there’s plenty here to enjoy. Players looking for the polished arcade-racing depth associated with something like Mario Kart, however, should probably keep their expectations in check.
***A PS5 code was provided for this review***