- Strong core gameplay with high potential
- Deep car customization and building
- Realistic and fun driving physics
- Numerous bugs and optimization issues
- Insufficient content and variety
- Perceived abandonment by developers
Emotions
Players feel satisfied due to the game's deep customization, particularly car building and tuning, and engaging physics. The overall quality, fun factor, and value for money, especially for an early access title, also contribute to this emotion.
Disappointment stems primarily from the game's unfinished state, numerous bugs (especially those introduced by updates), and perceived lack of content and updates. Players also express frustration over unfulfilled developer promises and optimization issues.
Hope is driven by the game's significant potential for future development, including anticipated fixes, engine updates, and ongoing improvements. Players are optimistic about the addition of new content and the overall growth of the game.
Frustration is caused by game-breaking bugs, lost progress due to save issues, and frequent crashes. Players are also frustrated by optimization problems, uncomfortable controls, and the perceived lack of promised updates and bug fixes.
Excitement is generated by the game's massive potential, active development, and anticipation for future content and full release. The unique customization options, improved playability, and resemblance to beloved titles like Street Legal Racing also contribute to this feeling.
Verdict
Mixed
Summary
Positive 71% Ā· Negative 29%. Score: 29 / 100
Positives:
- Players overwhelmingly praise the game's core concept, engaging mechanics, and overall fun factor, especially considering its early access status. Many highlight its strong potential to become a leading title in the genre.
- The driving physics are well-received, striking a good balance between simulation and accessibility. Players find the driving responsive, grounded, and enjoyable, contributing to a realistic yet fun experience.
- The deep and detailed car customization, building, and tuning systems are a major highlight. Players enjoy the hands-on process of disassembling, upgrading, and fine-tuning vehicles, finding it addictive and unique.
- The development team is highly praised for their active communication, responsiveness to feedback, and consistent updates. Players appreciate the clear passion project nature of the game and the developers' commitment to improvement.
- The game's graphics, visual detail, and car models are generally considered very good, contributing to an immersive experience. The sound design, particularly engine sounds, also receives positive mentions.
Negatives:
- Players report a significant number of bugs, glitches, and optimization issues, including game-breaking bugs, crashes, and specific problems like incorrect wheel rotation. This makes the game difficult to enjoy and, in some cases, unplayable.
- There is a consistent complaint about the lack of content, including a limited number of cars, racing options, and general activities. Players feel the game quickly becomes boring due to this scarcity, especially given its price point.
- Many players believe the game has been abandoned by its developers, citing a lack of updates for a long period and unfulfilled promises. This leads to a perception that the game is 'dead' or will not receive further improvements.
- Players feel the current price is too high for a game that is still in an early, unfinished state, often described as a 'paid alpha' or 'tech demo.' They believe it needs significant development time to justify its cost.
- Players find the controls uncomfortable, confusing, and lacking customization options. Issues include poor force feedback, clunky camera controls, and no hotkey support, hindering the gameplay experience.
Gameplay:
- The game offers a variety of racing activities like drag, drift, and time attack, alongside delivery jobs for earning money. Players can acquire and customize a limited selection of Japanese cars, including Kei trucks, with detailed tuning options. However, the content is currently limited, with some race types and locations being removed or having few opponents, leading to a short overall playtime.
- A core strength of the game is its in-depth car building and tuning system, allowing players to strip, rebuild, and customize vehicles with a wide array of parts. This includes detailed engine building, suspension adjustments, and ECU tuning. The modification process is intuitive, making the mechanic aspect engaging and easy to grasp, though some wish for more advanced tuning options like launch control or custom pipe welding.
- The game features a 'simcade' physics system, balancing realism with fun, which is generally well-received. Vehicle handling is highly dependent on tuning and installed parts, allowing for in-depth adjustments. Controls are reported to be good across keyboard, controller, and steering wheel, though some wish for smoother wheel integration.
- There are several known exploits and money glitches, particularly involving drag races and specific car setups, allowing players to earn large sums of in-game currency very quickly. This significantly shortens the progression curve and can lead to acquiring the fastest cars within hours, bypassing the intended grind.
- The game features an open world environment with a gas station and good data tracking for personal bests. While missions and races are fun for self-competition, there's a need for better in-game hints regarding store purchases.
Performance:
- Players report inconsistent frame rates, with some experiencing low FPS even on high-end systems, while others note a drop from previously fluid performance. This suggests optimization issues across various hardware configurations.
- A specific audio bug causes choppy sound during certain driving maneuvers, such as turning or braking while off the throttle. This indicates a potential issue with sound engine synchronization or resource management.
Recommendations:
- A significant number of players recommend the game, especially for car enthusiasts, those who enjoy tinkering with vehicles, or fans of specific racing/mechanic simulator genres. They see strong potential and enjoyment in its current state for this niche.
- Many players recommend waiting to purchase the game until it is more complete, bug-free, or the Unreal Engine 5 version is released. They acknowledge its potential but advise patience for a polished experience.
- Some players recommend buying the game to support the indie developers and their project's growth, viewing it as an investment in its future. They are willing to overlook current limitations to contribute to its development.
- Some reviewers provided specific numerical ratings for the game, ranging from 7.5/10 to 10/10, with one specifically noting it's a 10/10 for an early access title.
- Players compare this game to Car Mechanic Simulator, noting similarities in gameplay but suggesting that Car Mechanic Simulator is currently a more polished experience. They see this game as a blend of mechanic simulation and racing.
Miscellaneous:
- Players acknowledge the game is in Early Access and has significant potential, despite its current unfinished state. They are eagerly awaiting future updates and the full release, showing patience and support for the developers' ongoing efforts.
- A major point of discussion is the developers' decision to rebuild the game from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, moving away from Unity due to technical limitations and issues. This move is seen as a necessary step for the game's future, though it has temporarily impacted content updates.
- The game is praised for its unique concept, blending elements of car mechanic simulators with racing games. Players appreciate its fresh approach within the car game genre, highlighting its distinctiveness.
- There is a clear demand for more language options, specifically Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and French, to make the game accessible to a wider international audience.
- Some players shared minor gameplay tips or observations, such as figuring out camber settings or resolving turning issues by rebuilding cars. This indicates a level of engagement with the game's mechanics.
