The vehicles, as well as upgrades and customizable elements are all unlockable with coins and gears that are earned by completing events around the rather extensive world map of the game’s main mode.

'All of the cars and tracks are incredibly authentic and meticulously detailed.' A few more locations that looked a bit more different would have helped the tracks pop a bit more, but as it stands it’s certainly not bad – and you do have the option of two players locally and up to 12 online. Similarly, despite the game only having a few different areas to race in, it’s the variants of those tracks that keep things interesting most of the time. It’s fairly basic, but what Milestone does with these ideas through having interesting variations of them and creative track layouts keep the game lively. Strips that build up your cars boost or give you a jolt of acceleration, some magnetic sections, a couple different types of hazards and some cool jumps make up the majority of what you’ll see. There’s not a huge variety in terms of what you’ll come across in each race. Some textures for background and non-hot wheels-related environmental objects do take a backseat in terms of detail but you will basically never notice that with the more pertinent cars and tracks looking as great as they do. All of the cars and tracks are incredibly authentic and meticulously detailed. Seeing as Hot Wheels has been around for over half a century now, the brand is uniquely positioned to appeal to kids, their older siblings and their parents equally, so smartly, Milestone leans into this at every turn with a ton of unlockable cars that include real Hot Wheels models you might recognize, licensed cars like Mustangs and Mini Coopers, as well as iconic vehicles from other IPs. Hot Wheels Unleashed immediately lures you in with nostalgia overload, which is sure to be effective to just about anybody these days.

It’s much more on the arcade side of the racing spectrum than what we’ve seen from them recently, yet, despite being about toy cars, Milestone’s extensive experience with sophisticated racing games proves to be just the type of seasoning this game needed to not only stand out, but also, in many ways, blow the doors off its competition.

Regardless of how you feel about the more simulation-style racing games developer Milestone is known for, Hot Wheels Unleashed is worth your attention.

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