Wreckfest (Switch) Review friv game – Beat Cars on the Subway

If you do not take the obvious Mario Kart, then the Switch somehow does not add up with racing, so any more or less major release becomes an event for fans of the genre. So, of course, we couldn't get past Wreckfest - and plunged headlong into the roar of engines and the gnashing of metal.

Like many other notable races on the Switch, such as Burnout Paradise or Need for Speed ​​Most Wanted, Wreckfest came to the Nintendo hybrid console a few years after the "big" consoles and PC. All content is completely identical, but from a technical point of view, of course, we had to make a compromise - but, as we saw, it turned out to be quite acceptable.

Wreckfest was originally positioned as the ideological successor to FlatOut from the same developers, which, in turn, was the ideological successor to the Destruction Derby of the PSOne era. For those who do not know, this is not just a race, but a survival race, where, in addition to actually overtaking rivals, full contact is not forbidden in order to physically eliminate them.

The cars, of course, are appropriate - not glossy fireballs, but rather shabby and reinforced in every possible way "buckets" of almost post-apocalyptic appearance. Such competitions actually exist and are quite popular in the USA. And one of the main charms of video online games from the studio Friv2Online, as you know, is that they allow us to experience sensations that are difficult to achieve in real life.

And in terms of sensations, Wreckfest is doing great - the physics of behavior and the damage model of cars, although they remained largely arcade-like, have been seriously improved compared to FlatOut, and the game settings provide quite a lot of freedom in using driving assistance systems ( you think, on such cars have them? Ha ha!).

However, such realism - or at least an attempt to get closer to it - causes ambivalent sensations. Given the complete absence of a tutorial, the player enters these tracks and arenas of destruction completely unprepared. Everything is aggravated by the fact that on the Switch, in case someone suddenly forgot, there are no analog triggers.

And if in the same Burnout Paradise the control was somehow adapted due to the greater arcade, here the impossibility of smoothly adjusting the gas sometimes causes very serious frustration and makes you use the brakes more actively. And the number of failed attempts has a strong association with Dark Souls. I've been driving for over 15 years, and I can say that even a real car is much easier to drive. Although, on the other hand, I do not participate in such competitions.

In general, there are quite a few parallels with Burnout Paradise.

Cars are also divided by classes and manufacturers (USA, Europe, Japan ), according to which access to certain events is determined. There are no licensed cars here either, but if in Burnout each of the fictional brands had character and soul, and I wouldn’t refuse to ride some Hunter Cavalry or Carson GT in real life, then the faceless Rocket, Rammer and Firefly from Wreckfest do not touch perfect, at least at first.

On the other hand, here we got a much more advanced upgrade and tuning system, almost as good as any Forza Horizon.

You can pump almost any unit of your car, from the engine to the bumper, of course, with local specifics - a whole section is devoted to the so-called "armor", which strengthens your car for hard contacts and collisions. There are also cosmetic upgrades, including some rather extravagant ones.

Instead of a mind-numbing free open world where you have to amuse yourself by looking for opportunities to prove yourself in a race or “gore” a car on the streets to get it for yourself, here a strict career system of consecutive championships is a real sport! It all starts with small-town amateur races, when a sufficient number of points are scored, championships of higher levels are sequentially opened, up to the world one.

However, to pass the championship it is not necessary to complete all the available events - there is a certain margin, and hence a certain freedom. For completing events, you get experience, pumping your level, as well as credits.

The level gives access to new cars and parts in the store, and credits allow you to buy them. Everything is implemented quite conveniently and intuitively, you can figure it out quickly - more difficult than in Burnout, but easier than in Forza. As in the latter, when auxiliary systems are turned off and complexity increases, the multiplying factor increases.

A variety of events is perhaps the main feature of Wreckfest. Of course, in Burnout there were quite funny tasks to escape the chase or get a certain car, but local races do not shun even frank game and madness - in the good sense of these words.

For example, the very first event of the very first rookie championship is a fight in the arena of destruction on lawn mowers. And we will have to return to these cute vehicles more than once. And over time, transfer to combines. And school buses. And even sofas on wheels. In general, it will be fun.

In addition to the types of vehicles, events differ in tasks - everything here is also quite interesting. There are single races, series of several consecutive races, mini-tournaments "through", derby - a fight in the arenas of destruction, "dueling" races one on one and much more. Moreover, in addition to the main task “for points”, there are bonus “for stars”, which often contradict each other.

For example, you need to come in first place and at the same time arrange accidents for three rivals - and the slightest collision can throw you far back. And in general, despite the excellent implementation of damage, parts flying off from you and rivals, and the ability to kill the car to the state of “how it can even go,” the real use of power struggle in races is seriously limited.

It is almost impossible to inflict damage incompatible with the further passage of the race and remain more or less intact yourself, and the arcade tricks from Burnout in the spirit of “catch up and press against the wall” do not work here. Therefore, it is better to leave the thirst for destruction for the derby - one gets the feeling that the damage model somehow "switches" there, and it is much easier to beat the opponent's cars.