Twelve years ago, a project called Next Car Game was released in early access, led by the studio BugBear, the fathers of a certain FlatOut. A spiritual sequel to the latter, itself a direct descendant of the cult Destruction Derby saga (any old folks in the room?), the game would swap its code name for the definitive one, Wreckfest. Despite a laborious start with no less than four years of early access and postponements, Wreckfest would become the critical and commercial success that we know. A racing game that lets off steam and attracts all types of players, it has taken advantage of its many qualities but also its position as the only representative of a genre to remain active until today.
After many years of good and loyal service, it was high time to make way for the new generation. We're relegating the old carcass to the scrapyard, and welcoming the new kid on the block, soberly titled Wreckfest 2. But you know what? This is yet another early access project exclusive to PC, for the moment closer to a big demo of intentions than a game in the strict sense...
An early access one year before the official release
I can reassure you right away, BugBear and THQ Nordic have learned from their lessons and have already told us that the final version of Wreckfest 2 will be released during this fiscal year 2025 (which will extend until March 2026). We are therefore a long way from the interminable delays of its predecessor. At a time when kit games are legion, this sequel is counting, as in the past, on the support of its community to participate in its development via purchase of course (around €30), but also through feedback. The studio has a strong argument that will certainly play in the balance: its experience. And let's be honest, Wreckfest 2 already looks extremely promising.
The first observation at the launch of this pre-version is that we shouldn't expect any major upheavals. Of course, this is only a rough draft, but we quickly find the game's identity with simple and uncluttered menus. The content, for the moment, is very limited with 4 circuits and their variants, 4 cars (2 "old" and 2 new, unofficial lookalikes of a Chevrolet and a Golf), 2 single-player game modes and multiplayer. No customization to be expected for the moment, a garage is present but only to modify the colors of your vehicles, and this in a relatively basic way. As for the tracks, regulars will have the pleasure of rediscovering a completely updated version of Savolax Sandpit, a winding track mixing asphalt and dirt. Still in the classic, Speedway and its essential oval will also be able to offer the famous 8 variant but also host in its central arena lawless death jousts. Another playground well known to veterans of the license, Testing Grounds is also part of this selection. Initially designed to test and demonstrate the physical capabilities of “Next Car Game”, it will host demolition derbies in addition to retaining its open-air laboratory aspect, which we will come back to later.
Scrapyard completes this provisional list with, in my opinion, the most beautiful proposal in this early access. Taking place in the middle of a car wreck (could there be a better place?), the track is extremely well designed, varied, and teeming with details and elements subject to physics: piles of tires, barriers, car wrecks and other objects to smash, littering the track over the laps completed by a gang of furious lunatics. Its “bonebreaker” variant, meanwhile, offers us a no less classic devastating head-to-head, where finishing a race can be a feat, especially with a particularly aggressive AI.
Arcade and the brute, but with a certain finesse of approach
Indeed, Wreckfest 2 is particularly demanding, and it's clear that hoping to finish a race in first place will be a real challenge. That's the goal of the game, but competitors won't hesitate for a moment to hit you to push you off the line and even off the track if they can. Finishing first isn't the only goal of a race; hitting and destroying is also rewarded. Of course, you're free to proceed in the same way, but be careful, the aggressor isn't always the one who comes out on top... Based on physics identical to its predecessor, Wreckfest 2 focuses the behavior of its vehicles around their mass and the work of the suspensions. The result is once again very successful and satisfying to handle and provides excellent sensations, whether with the controller or... with the joystick in our case. Steering wheel support is integrated into the game, unfortunately it is still far from being optimized. In the case of our hardware, we had a series of problems, making our driving experience completely unsuitable. This is a game in development, so we won't hold it against you for the moment, especially since we know that other peripheral models have been working perfectly since launch.
It's important to know what to expect if you take the plunge and buy Wreckfest 2: this is a title that is far from complete or finished, and therefore has many shortcomings (no vibrations in the controller for example), but also missing elements (no music and some sounds are non-existent) and even bugs. Yes, we've had our fair share of crashes, and I'm not talking about the races...
Wreckfest 2 will continue to expand and improve over the weeks and updates. While it's very quick to get around the preview, we can expect some major additions in the very near future. Fortunately, the developers had the excellent idea of integrating multiplayer races, which is the whole point of Wreckfest 2, also giving it a real taste of coming back despite its limited content. Pure fun where everyone will finally find their place in a single race, from the time trial racer to the party pooper looking for happiness with bumpers. Everyone is free to approach the game in the way that suits them. We know the community, and we know very well that some people wait for the buses to arrive to race the circuits in reverse... but all of this is part of the unique charm of this series.
A promising graphic design
Where we weren't expecting Wreckfest 2, given its status as a game in development, was in its technical aspect. Well, I can tell you that we were blown away by its overall rendering. The first Wreckfest was already very beautiful in its time, and its second iteration honors it in the most beautiful way. In addition to the quality of its textures, it is particularly through the management of lighting and the associated colorimetry that the game impresses. This is even more true during races taking place under cloudy weather, offering a very natural and realistic rendering. If we assume that we are facing unfinished business, then we are eager to see the evolution to come. It only takes one race to understand that indeed, the transition to the current generation was necessary.
Other elements pointed out in the first game have been the focus of attention. These include the presence of a real driver in each car, rather than a lifeless puppet resembling the Stig, unrealistically deformed depending on the state of the bodywork. The drivers are animated, react to impacts, and can even interact with each other using hand signals. Everything suggests that these will be customizable. The engine sounds have also benefited from a nice upgrade. Gone are the mills with their shrill, unpleasant lawnmower notes... All that remains is to see how the lawnmowers look to compare, because there's no doubt they'll arrive sooner or later! It's simple, but these simple additions make the cockpit view experience much more enjoyable and immersive than in the past.
Magnificently crumpled sheet metal
It's impossible to end this first look at Wreckfest 2 without discussing its main strength: the deformation of its vehicles. The game goes to the next level by offering absolutely stunning damage management and modeling. It's quite simple, only one video game surpasses it in this area: BeamNG. In reality, Wreckfest 2 doesn't do any worse, it simply chooses the gameplay by maintaining a more arcade approach involving a large margin of tolerance for the benefit of the gaming experience. The goal here is not to reproduce crashes with clinical attention to detail, but to have fun at the controls of our cars for several laps, without being out of the race at the first contact that is a little too violent. The bodywork deforms precisely at the points of impact, and with almost no limit. Just take a look at the Testing Grounds and its flattening rollers and other compactors to see for yourself.
Since the goal is to roll above all, the wheels will have this tendency to always stay at the four corners of the fuselage and will be generally less prone to breakage. It will still be possible to misalign them and even tear them off, which will often mean an imminent end of life. A multitude of other mechanical parts can also be damaged during your rides, such as the shock absorbers, the radiator (causing a coolant leak), the engine and more specifically the pistons, and so on. All of this won't necessarily have a real impact, but it could be felt in the vehicle's behavior or in the worrying noises of its suffering mechanics. Once again, I remind you, we are facing a draft that will be able to explore many things in depth before its official release.
A promising first impression
We could have wondered if a sequel to Wreckfest, still very popular and played by a loyal community, was necessary. It only took us a few races to understand that it was. Closer at this stage of development to a demo than a full-fledged game, Wreckfest 2 surprised us with the quality of its visuals and its ever more advanced and detailed physics engine, in the purest spirit of its predecessor. Obviously, many elements remain perfectible or are simply absent, but this first approach only suggests very good things in the coming months for the game which, let us remember, is announced in its full version for this fiscal year 2025. We are impatient to discover more, but a few one-off multiplayer races should satisfy our expectations.
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