Wreckreation Review – Burnout Lite

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Arcade racing games are reliably enjoyable, and Wreckreation delivers on that promise. The game features a massive map – over 400 square kilometers – full of things to find as you speed along roads and highways. With a good variety of activities and challenging races, it keeps things interesting. Plus, you can unleash your creativity by building and sharing custom tracks with other players.

While this game from Three Fields Entertainment tries to recapture the fun of Burnout Paradise, it has some drawbacks. It lacks a story, leaving all the chaotic action feeling pointless. The controls and gameplay can be confusing at first, especially when exploring the large open world. Plus, occasional performance problems can disrupt exciting races, which is frustrating.

“The lack of assists like ABS or traction controls could put you off if you’re a casual racer.”

Wreckreation is simply a fun game. I found myself spending hours unlocking new cars and exploring different race types to get ahead. Its straightforward, no-nonsense approach is so enjoyable that it almost makes up for the fact that there isn’t a story to guide you.

I was hooked on the game within the first hour. I spent most of a rainy weekend focused on winning races to earn points for a higher rank and unlock new cars. Each car had its own strengths and weaknesses, making some better suited for certain situations than others.

As a racing fan, I love how different cars handle! Race cars are all about speed and beating other drivers – sometimes a little bump or push is necessary to stay in the lead. Then you’ve got the bruisers, which are built for total demolition in races where you actually want to wreck your opponents before time runs out. And it’s not just those two – they throw in off-roaders and super-fast hypercars too. Plus, sometimes there are special events where you have to use a certain type of car, which keeps things really interesting!

“Wreckreation is just fun, plain and simple.”

You can get new cars in a couple of ways: by improving your rank through race wins – earning Licence Points with each victory – or by finding and claiming cars hidden around the game world. All the cars drive well, offering a good balance between challenge and accessibility, so both experienced racers and casual players will enjoy the experience.

If you’re used to driving assists like ABS or traction control, their absence might be a drawback. However, the game generally handles well and keeps you on track if you’re a skilled driver. Bumping into other racers is fine, but hitting pedestrians will cost you time. Luckily, if you crash while exploring the open world, you can quickly fix your car at any gas station.

You can also personalize your car’s appearance using the MixWorld system to make it unique, and the game lets you build your own tracks and events. However, creating those tracks isn’t always easy – the design tools can feel complicated and messy. While the customization options are a little limited – it would be nice to have more body kits and spoilers – it’s not a major issue. Still, I expect creative and determined players will come up with impressive designs as the game gains popularity.

Some players might find creating their own tracks confusing and disorganized.

The biggest frustration was earning very few license points, even when winning races. This made the game feel repetitive and like a chore, especially since the core idea is to quickly unlock faster cars. It was particularly annoying because races often started with you behind the competition, forcing you to fight your way to the front.

Let me break it down. The game starts with a frustrating catch: you need to earn ‘Wreckage Points’ just to use your speed boost. You get these by bumping into other racers or breaking traffic laws, but it’s too slow to keep up. Even with the boost, you need a flawless run to catch the leaders, because any mistake costs precious time. While you can replay races to improve your score, it doesn’t excuse the game’s overall imbalance.

It takes some time to learn the ropes, and you’ll likely fall behind often, even though the game generally makes you feel powerful. I don’t mind working to win, but it felt like Wreckreation didn’t start me off on equal footing with other players. That said, the feeling of catching up and skillfully eliminating opponents was incredibly fun, and successfully performing or watching a Takedown was really satisfying.

I want to earn a win, but it felt like the game, Wreckreation, didn’t start me off with a fair chance.

I was really loving the fast-paced action, but it was frustrating when the game would stutter or lag, sending me crashing off the track. There were even a couple of times where I launched off a ramp and it felt like the ground disappeared completely – I’d just fall forever until the game finally reset me, usually way behind everyone else. It was especially annoying when this happened after I’d fought hard to get into first place!

While it would have been nice to have more graphics options, the game performs well on a standard PS5, aside from a few minor problems. Fast travel is quick, getting you back into gameplay almost immediately.

I also didn’t enjoy the game’s collectibles. You collect them by crashing through red gates or billboards, and the game says you’ll get a reward if you find them all. But there were so many, and hitting the billboards required a lot of frustrating trial and error. I ended up just ignoring them and focusing on enjoying the fast-paced street racing instead.

Wreckreation is a great game for when you just want to drive around and have some fun, causing a little mayhem along the way.

I only played the game by myself, so I didn’t get to test out the multiplayer features. However, it seems like being able to play with friends or explore other players’ worlds would be a really great addition. My main concern is that performance issues might hinder the experience. It’s also disappointing that the game doesn’t allow players on different platforms to play together.

The game really shines when it comes to its graphics and sound, and the music is upbeat and enjoyable. I was particularly impressed with how authentic the engine noises and crashes sound. Ultimately, Wreckreation is a great game for anyone who wants to hop in a car and enjoy some carefree, chaotic driving. As an arcade racer in an open world, it has a lot going for it, and you might not even notice its flaws if you’re just focused on having fun behind the wheel.

Would I suggest this game to others? Yes, but with a caveat. It has some performance and balancing problems that the developers likely need to fix. It might be best to wait a bit and see if they release updates, and you could potentially get it at a discount later on.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

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2025-10-28 18:16