Extreme racing — extremely early access
Usually, a review implies talking about a game’s features and the author’s impressions, but in the case of Wreckfest 2, it is easiest to talk about what is missing compared to the original. And there is a lot missing.
Right now, for 1,232 rubles (discounted until April 3), instead of three dozen cars and plenty of customization, you are greeted by the good old Rocket, Roadslayer, as well as “American 1” and “European 1”, which you are only allowed to repaint. You can race them on just three maps with track variations — either with bots or in multiplayer.
Accordingly, there are only two game modes: classic racing and crazy derby — arguably the series’ calling card. In May, they promise to add two more tracks and two cars, but neither a career mode, nor new game modes, nor expanded customization or progression are in the immediate plans, alas.
Yet even with such meager content, there was room for problems and reasons for disappointment. Races with bots get boring very quickly, because the AI right now behaves like a “diligent student” whose only goal is to reach the finish line. Opponents don’t try to crush or cut you off. They stubbornly rush along the racing line, and if you stumble just once — there is almost no chance of recovering from the mistake.
In that case, the proven way to find fun should be multiplayer, where you meet aggressive and unpredictable live players ready to sacrifice their own result for a spectacular dirty trick — like causing a traffic jam or an oncoming head-on “kiss”.
However, my attempts to enjoy multiplayer in the evening often ended with a disconnect — either in the middle of a race or while still in the lobby. You can only get some proper driving in the morning, though server instability is definitely not just due to a large number of players — races are often filled out with bots.
Frolicking in the derby, wrecking both your own and enemy jalopies into scrap, is still fun, but to create the right atmosphere you will have to turn on your own playlist. If you appreciate the invigorating guitar riffs from the original game, I have bad news for you: the developers didn’t bother adding music not only during races, but even in the menus.
Special mention goes to the test track, which is littered with ramps, steep vertical tracks, and crazy contraptions allowing you to do the cruelest things to a car — even firing it out of a cannon or sending it into an improvised muscle car grinder!
Entering the test grounds for the first time feels like being in an amusement park — you want to try everything. However, after one session you realize that, by and large, you’ve had your fill and have no real desire to return here. This map is primarily needed to inspect the brand-new physics and destruction model in full detail.
After all, setting aside disappointment over the meager content for a moment, one has to admit: Bugbear did an awesome job upgrading the technical side.
A pretty skeleton
Visually, Wreckfest 2 looks noticeably better than the original, which is especially noticeable in a direct comparison. They worked on car models, lighting and shadows, background detail, and scenery — the tracks are simply swarming with small debris that flies apart spectacularly upon collision.
Yet, of course, the most important element in a destruction sim is the improved and expanded physics. Now watching your battered muscle car turn into a compact tin can is even more fun, even if the driver’s helmet occasionally peeks through the crumpled roof.
In addition to external deformation, the developers fleshed out damage to internal components in more detail. Now, for example, you can disable the transmission. However, so far this works a bit strangely: sometimes the impact of such damage is not felt at all, and other times the car stops responding even after a seemingly harmless side scrape. And the local jalopies, by the way, are not too cooperative to begin with!
The thing is that alongside the improved physics, grip on different types of road surfaces has been refined as well. Consequently, steering the iron horse has become harder — you now have to get used to driving on different tracks.
In this regard, they seem to have overcomplicated things, since Wreckfest has always been more about fun and arcade racing than deep simulation. Though it might get easier once tuning for suspension, brake balance, and other elements arrives — which currently are simply not there.
Because of this, jumping into the sequel and immediately showing good results doesn’t work out — at least not for me. For comparison, I launched the original on both PC and smartphone — and even on a touchscreen I managed to control the car better than in Wreckfest 2.
It’s too early to say anything about optimization. As expected, you have to pay for the graphics — which may not be the most cutting-edge, but are a noticeable step forward compared to the original. On my build with an RTX 4070 Super and Ryzen 7500F, the frame rate jumps from 90 to 144 FPS. At the same time, small environment elements like grass would sometimes pop in right before my eyes.
There is no DLSS in the game yet — only FSR3. Nor is there Russian language support: additional languages are promised to be added during development, but whether Russian will be among them is unknown.
Diagnosis
It remains a mystery to me why Bugbear decided to release the project in Early Access in a state that resembles a demo more than anything else. Yes, this is a sequel with a new physics model that will gradually be filled with content, just like the original was.
However, back in 2014, when Next Car Game (the future Wreckfest) launched in Early Access, it was a necessary move. Now the developers have an extremely successful project available on virtually every platform — even smartphones. These guys could surely have waited a bit and avoided releasing such a bare skeleton.
Buying Wreckfest 2 right now is an extremely questionable decision. Given the meager content offering and unstable servers, the game is unlikely to keep you engaged for more than an evening. Better graphics, improved detail, impressive destruction physics, and props make no sense as long as the game lacks sufficient advantages over the original — in either quality or quantity.
If you are an ardent fan of everything Bugbear Entertainment makes and played the original Wreckfest to death — you’ve most likely already bought the sequel, and I have nothing to argue against that: you know what you’re investing in.
But if you are not among the diehards and want a complete product with a well-developed career mode, stable multiplayer, powerful sound design, and a pleasing progression system — you’d better turn your attention to the first Wreckfest. On sale it costs next to nothing, is available with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, and, most importantly, is already time-tested. Whether you are a newcomer to the genre or a seasoned racer, the original Wreckfest will deliver noticeably more excitement right here and right now.
***
All image rights in this article belong to Bugbear Entertainment // THQ Nordic. IXBT Games uses them for informational and research purposes, and does not claim ownership over them.