Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem review

Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem review

As a gamer who has spent countless hours navigating the virtual world and relishing the thrill of high-speed chases, I can confidently say that Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem is an exhilarating experience that harks back to my childhood days when toy cars ruled our garden paths. The sheer joy of watching these massive engines soaring through the air, defying gravity and physics, is a spectacle that never fails to put a grin on my face.


Currently, my knowledge about real monster trucks extends mainly from gaming experiences. It’s been quite some time since I played with toy cars outside on the lawn, using stacks of books and folders as ramps to send them flying into flower beds. However, just like many middle-aged guys who never grew up, the idea of massive engines attached to even larger wheels soaring through the air, performing flips in the process, like in Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem, instantly brings a smile to my face.

As a gaming enthusiast, diving into an electrifying world where my opponents are muscle-bound Hot Wheels monsters, I find myself in compact, clandestine arenas. These aren’t just ordinary playgrounds – they’re packed with ramps, barrels, and wreckable vehicles galore! And the cherry on top? A ludicrously extravagant “boss” battle that pushes the limits of insanity!

As a gamer, I’m all about buckling up and taking my truck for a wild spin! It’s not just about racing from point A to B; it’s about mastering the art of tricking – jumping from ramp to ramp, maintaining that combo multiplier, and snatching golden coins on my path to pile up the scores. I can rotate my truck on any axis, spinning through the air like a top before landing all four wheels back on solid ground. To make things more exciting, I can unleash special moves, each one unique to my ride. These moves help me pull off double-digit combo multipliers in no time. And here’s the best part – these specials are like a lifesaver, righting my vehicle mid-air, whatever crazy angle I might find myself at.

Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem review

Mastering the landing in Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem isn’t as simple as it appears, even without any special assistance. You might frequently find yourself teetering precariously on two wheels while racing towards the next challenge. If you happen to miscalculate any of this and end up with a view of the world flipped upside down, a swift button press will quickly right your vehicle and get you back in action, albeit with your accumulated points reduced.

In a race against time, you’ll need to accomplish several tasks within the given deadline. These include increasing your stunt score by executing tricks and maintaining combos, destroying specific targets like shacks, barrels, or certain items such as a hot dog stand or a golden balloon, mastering a particular trick type, and defeating the boss three times. To reach the boss, you’ll have to locate and destroy three standees, followed by a daring jump through a loop-the-loop or another extraordinary leap, thereby depleting the boss’s health bar.

Unfortunately, there’s a repetition in the animation sequence that might disrupt your immersion. Every time, the camera pulls back for a grander view of the action, showcasing your truck soaring through the air. This repeated movement tends to break the flow and slow down the tempo of the game significantly. Since you need to perform this action thrice to accomplish the task, it can become monotonous, especially since you’ll have to do it multiple times throughout the game.

Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem review

In the early phases of Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem, there’s only one trial per arena for you to conquer. As you progress, more challenges are added – three tasks in total – and the difficulty level increases across each region. However, the game is designed to be challenging yet manageable, so it won’t feel too tough for you.

The on-screen replicas of the tiny trucks look great, overhead spotlights bouncing off glistening chrome and windshields, each with a selection of skins to unlock as you progress through the campaign. Unfortunately, it’s the arenas themselves that lack in variety or a real sense of character, in stark contrast to the stars of the show. Although there are a number of unique biomes to unlock, there’s just not enough contrast in each to really differentiate one from another. There might be a touch of set dressing but each arena feels much the same as the last, with little to tell them apart bar the boss.

I managed to play through most of the single-player campaign for approximately four hours, leaving only minor tasks unfinished for a full completion. However, despite my efforts, the limited content didn’t captivate me enough to make me want to replay it. The same repetitive tasks are found in all game modes, including Stunt, Destruction, and Boss mode, which are essentially variations of the main objectives without adding significant new elements.

Hot Wheels: Monster Trucks Stunt Mayhem review

It seems to me that with a bit more effort and polish, there’s a truly great game waiting to emerge, hidden beneath the current surface. By introducing a wider range of tasks, more intricate skills to master, and a playlist of popular tunes, you could create a motorized spin-off of the Tony Hawk series, ready for its grand debut. All it needs is more content to really get things going. I believe there’s potential here, and I hope this serves as a strong foundation for 3DClouds to expand upon in future games within the series.

This game offers plenty of excitement, particularly for young gamers who will delight in its impressive special effects and animated boss battles. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to grasp, making it perfect for children to dive right in. What’s more, this title boasts the most lifelike plastic wheels I’ve ever seen in a game – they look so real you can almost catch a whiff of them!

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2024-10-18 11:16