This cover was made using Canva and Bitmoji, all the screenshots in this post were taken directly from the game by me.
I suppose it's a bit pedantic of me to expect a genuinely enjoyable experience from a mobile game titled Hot Wheels Unlimited. However, not only did I not encounter a game that fails to meet the minimum quality standards we expect from any smartphone title (even the most mediocre), but I also discovered that it's one of the most absurd rip-offs I've seen in this entire market, which is surprising considering how low these types of games tend to go from time to time.
This is particularly offensive considering that this title's main target is obviously children, and despite being five years old, special events and updates continue to appear from time to time.
But what's the problem with Hot Wheels Unlimited? What is presented as a harmless mobile game where we can create tracks and test them with vehicles that we gradually unlock is actually nothing more than an excuse to make us pay $8 for an experience that lacks attractive graphics, a user-friendly interface, or, failing that, even moderately enjoyable gameplay.
In fact, I was only able to enjoy four events (two to create your own track and two to play on a preset track) before the game throttled my progress, requiring me to wait two hours to access more events. Otherwise, as I mentioned previously, I would have to pay for the premium version.
Hot Wheels Unlimited is a twisted version of those Flash games we all played as kids in the early 2000s. It's technically simple and has no pretensions of being hailed as a work of art within the medium, but at the same time, it expects us to make a relatively large payment, when we can find much better-produced alternatives in any app store.
It's unfortunate because on paper there are several solid ideas, and I find the possibility of creating tracks using those pieces that all of us who grew up collecting Hot Wheels are familiar with quite nostalgic. Perhaps these same ideas could work better under a higher budget and a business approach that guarantees the longevity of the project without having to drain the wallets of the parents of all those kids who decide to download the game out of mere curiosity.
It may seem absurd to be so critical when I've played so little, but these days it's normal for a game to take the trouble to win you over first before revealing its true nature.
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