Sometimes, as advertised, it is all you really need, and Wreckreation is an excellent example of what you see is what you get. From Three Fields Entertainment, Wreckreation heralds the return of Burnout-style vehicular mayhem in an over-the-top sandbox for you and your friends to get lost in.
When it comes to racing games, I prefer arcadey and outlandish experiences over simulation, and I can’t think of a better series that exemplifies that approach to game design than Burnout. Specifically, both Burnout 3: Takedown and Burnout: Paradise come to mind, two games that share their DNA with Wreckreation, something that becomes apparent from the moment you boot into the arcade racer for the first time.
For the uninitiated, Wreckreation is a spiritual successor to the legacy of the Burnout games, and also shares some similarities with THQ’s other vehicular-based destruction simulator, Wreckfest. Although it should be noted that Wreckreation is very much its own game, one that features a large, expansive biome to explore, cars to unlock, and activities to both do and create, alone or with friends.
“If you’re a fan of old-school Burnout, Wreckreation is a must-play.”
Wreckreation takes place in a fictional American setting featuring rolling hills and urban environments such as parking lots, landing strips, and government bases. The landscape includes varying weather and terrain, such as snow, dirt, and other conditions. One of the best parts of Wreckreation is its deep, robust level editor, which can be opened almost anywhere, giving players complete control over how they tailor their experience in the game.
Activities in Wreckreation include everything from standard, impromptu races and simple drives from point A to point B to more outlandish objectives, such as causing as much mayhem as possible by driving into designated targets. The destruction-based challenges, in particular, evoke the classic Burnout series and are a ton of fun, making them the highlight of the experience.
Like its clear inspirations, Wreckreation prominently features a fiery gauge at the bottom left of the screen that gradually fills, usually by performing risky tricks or by simply taking out opponents or hitting a checkpoint in a race. Learning when to boost to and slam into opponent racers, while making sure to avoid incoming traffic or other hazards, will be the crux of getting good, and a great way to spend your time familiarising yourself with the world of Wreckreation.
On the topic of destruction, Wreckreation faithfully recreates the wonderful chaos of slamming into vehicles, shifting the camera to slow-mo and offering a detailed breakdown of the car-based carnage inflicted on the competition. In other words, if you’re a fan of old-school Burnout, Wreckreation is a must-play.
Like the freedom afforded to the player with its Live Remix, editor-mode, Wreckreation’s gameworld feels entirely open to the player, in that it allows users to change cosmetics, time of the day, weather and more, simply by pressing right on the d-pad, something that feels refreshing in an age of highly curated and rigid experiences.
Although I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to test the multiplayer aspect of Wreckreation extensively, I can safely say that if the freedom to explore and edit that is given to the player when playing solo translates to an online environment with friends, Wreckreation has the potential to be one of the best sandbox racing experiences to come out since Burnout Paradise.
“Wreckreation has the potential to be one of the best sandbox racing experiences to come out since Burnout Paradise.”
Like its mid-2000s influences, Wreckreation features a good variety of radio stations that, despite not having any names I personally recognize, still evoke that punk rock edge that will get you into the mood for racing. Beyond that, the game also features some classical tunes, which creates truly fun dissonance between the destruction and the soothing music that accompanies your joyride.
Finally, as a nice bonus for PC players, Wreckreation utilizes Unreal Engine, an element that has already translated nicely when it comes to VR modding, which hooks into the popular game engine, with fans already creating a custom camera to give those inclined to do so a fun cockpit view in full VR. With the high-octane nature of the game, however, I can only recommend this to those who are accustomed to PC VR, as things can get rather hectic, quickly.
In closing, Wreckreation is an adrenaline rush of a racer, made better with a deep customization system that puts player agency and fun over everything else, delivering a title that’s equal parts a fun game and a powerful tool to create and sink hours into. Wreckreation is available now on PC, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series consoles.
