Physical Product and PS4 Code Provided by Mattel
Branching out to a new player and fan base, developers Velan Studios, the creators of Mario Kart Live Circuit, and Mattel have teamed up to release Hot Wheels: Rift Rally. Creating a simple setup where interested players simply need to purchase the physical car itself to play, users only need to make sure they have a compatible software platform to play. The digital game itself is a free download on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and mobile iOS devices.
This brings mixed reality racing entertainment to more players thanks to being compatible with popular platforms. There is even a probability that they can bring the software to more platforms thanks to how the connection establishment works between the device and the vehicle. In the end, the details don’t matter if the game itself isn’t fun, so let’s dive into the details.
What’s In The Box
When you open the box, you will find the physical Hot Wheels vehicle, eight checkpoint stand feet, eight checkpoint stands in the package boxes underneath the vehicle, four checkpoint sleeves, and a charger cable to charge the vehicle. On top of all of this, when you first open the box, you are given a single banner-wide sheet that instructs you on how to charge it, how to connect it, and how to get started.
Everything you need is right here and easy to use as well. The checkpoints are easy to put together with a place-then-twist method to lock in place and even pegs that slide through the checkpoint sleeves once they are in place to make sure they don’t fall out. Then, when it is time to pack it up, the pegs are easy to put away as you simply need to pinch the tip and push it back through the hole. The rest of the set up comes apart just as easy as it comes together. I was able to pack up the entire vehicle and checkpoints back in the same box it came in every time I put it away with no struggle. This packaging is definitely really smartly done and user friendly to the point that I am confident even a kid could manage to put it back.
Gameplay
When you first load up, the game will have you head to training where the first step is to connect the vehicle to the device. This can be done by either connecting the vehicle to the same wifi the device is connected to or a direct connection from the vehicle to the device. As I played on PlayStation 4, which I have plugged in to the modem, I went with the direct connection. However, I did try the wifi connection option and you will need to manually type in both the connection name and password to set up. If a child is the one playing, then I suggest an adult be here for the connection process. This is not needed after the first play session though as the vehicle will default to that initial connection type if no connection options are changed.
The next step will be to set up your first track. You will need all four checkpoints set up however you want them to be. When you’re ready, the game will begin tracking and you simply drive the vehicle on the desired path with the current checkpoint setup. Once you reach the starting point again, it will show you the track path you made and you can either confirm or try again. This track will be used for all races moving forward until you change it up yourself again. You will be able to change the track literally anytime you want as every race you go into will have the option to set up a new track.
After training is done, you will have the option to learn how to do different tricks, which only the virtual vehicle on the screen will perform. The physical vehicle is affected by what is happening on screen, meaning when you boost it does go a little faster and when you hit virtual obstacles, such as a slow pad or speed pad, your speed will be affected. Other than tricks, you can head into any of the four leveled pathways that are available. Each of these pathways will have only a handful of races but a load full of challenge rounds, each with a different challenge. Once you complete these four sections, you can unlock the Mastery section of levels which is where the real challenge happens.
The challenges you will encounter will include options like Pace Racing and Path Clearing. Basically, you’ll have a time given for how long the lap took you initially on a track and then you need to beat it. The other one is clearing a path of virtual leaves or any other material blocking the road’s clarity. These challenges are usually full of virtual obstacles like speed and brake pads, actual trees or other blockades in the path, and so on. Again, what happens to your virtual car will be imitated by the physical car, so try to watch the screen and not the racing car.
As you complete races and challenges, you will be unlocking decrypter every so often, either by completing challenges or unlocking hidden treasures in the level paths. These are used to unlock one of the 140 vehicle variations that are available in the game. They are unlocked at random and your virtual car, called the Cameleon RC, will take on the appearance on screen. They also have their own stats when it comes to top speed, acceleration, boost, and other aspects. This was even for color options, so the full random style is a bit of a letdown. However, once you have a car you like, you can use those same decrypters to upgrade them instead of looking for a new one.
Audio and Visual
When it comes to the audio, this game features fitting sound effects for a racing game along with some very upbeat and energetic music that makes the racing exciting. It is a bit funny to see the actual speed of the car on the ground compared to how it looks on screen and even though you can see the actual scenery around your home on the screen past the track visuals, on screen it seems pretty fast paced. I suggest making larger tracks if you can, but if you are working in a limited space you want to make sure the car has enough time to see the gates before driving threw them to make sure they do count during the race.
Visually speaking, the game offers a very interesting scenery even with the limited use on it. No matter how the track is set up, they manage to fit obstacles on them to force issues on something you yourself designed. Sometimes they were a little too close together, but that was mostly on my smaller track designs. I like how they use the gates to signify the theme of the area the most and then fitting various things throughout the track to go with the theme. However, my favorite little detail I saw was the little virtual tire tracks that kept being left all over my house!
Replayability
It’s literally a design-your-own-track. If you don’t want the pressure of a race and just want to drive a track, that is an option. I did this by simply hanging out in the build-your-own-track training level. So, on that fact alone there is definitely replayability. They also have aspects like online play and local multiplayer. Unfortunately, I did not have the set up to test this out, but if you have more than one vehicle then let the races begin!
What It Could Have Done Better
The game doesn’t seem to be designed well to take in smaller tracks and was designed with the presumption that all track designs will be large. My first track design was a simple figure eight with the checkpoints touching as I wanted to have a small test track when I was setting up. The game was able to set it up during training, but once we involved other racers or obstacles it got a bit out of hand.
Also, having a completely randomized way to unlock other vehicles is never great. There should always be an unlock option where it cost a specific amount to unlock what the player really wants. Randomization as an option is cool, but as the only option is not great. Even if it was based on the same currency, that should be fixed.
Verdict
Hot Wheels: Rift Rally is a fun augmented reality racing game that is sure to fill hours of your time with entertainment! When I first started, I was worried that my house being mostly carpet would be an issue, but it was barely a negative aspect. The vehicle rarely had some issues moving with the carpet and when it did, the fix was easy. I definitely recommend playing on hardwood or other flat hard ground though.
As a side note, if you have pets they are likely to be very interested by this game. My cats enjoyed chasing the vehicle every time I set this up and they did, in fact, mess up my checkpoints multiple times! Even so, it’s an entertaining way to enjoy both RC cars once again while also feeling the rush of racing in a high-speed video game. If you have the space to play with something like this, I recommend picking this one up!
Hot Wheels: Rift Rally is available now on the Rift Rally website. It is compatible with both PlayStation and Mobile via iOS Apple devices.
