So, a winning formula despite a few flaws, right? Well, that’s where things get a bit tricky. While I did have a good time with Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, I’ll be honest: I don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as its less open predecessors. And I’m not simply talking about the aforementioned issue with its linear sequence of events, either. My biggest gripe with the game actually lies somewhere else entirely: its presentation, and more specifically, its setting.

The awesome track editor is back. It’s literally the same as before.

One of the coolest things about the previous Hot Wheels games was that the developers never shied away from the fact that you were controlling miniature cars racing on tracks scattered throughout the real world. Something as mundane as a living room suddenly felt immense, and the combination of oversized household objects, elaborate Hot Wheels tracks, and a powerful track creator resulted in an almost endless number of possibilities. Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, on the other hand, largely abandons that sense of scale. There is still a track editor available for side activities, which is basically the same one featured in the previous games, but the main setting is no longer grounded in the real world.

Instead, you race in these aforementioned imaginary islands. You can see they are made out of plastic, and every single car you meet is a Hot Wheels miniature, but there’s no sense of scale, no novelty. They are mere colorful open islands, which, granted, are adorned with Hot Wheels tracks and the occasional set piece, but never provide the same sensation of scale. They are just there, with no one else interacting on the streets, no sensation of said worlds being lived on. It feels incredibly empty, and honestly, quite boring.

I can say a lot of things about Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, but I can’t deny how immensely chock-full of collectibles it is.

I get that making an open-ended map in a real-world setting would be quite impossible for a Hot Wheels game, but that also means that, maybe, just maybe, the concept of an open world racer with said brand just isn’t the coolest idea? I’m not saying that there isn’t a LOT of fun to be had in Infinite Rush‘s maps, but I never felt in awe with the game’s presentation as I felt whilst playing the Unleashed games. There’s also the small fact that the game is also a bit less detailed than its predecessors, as rendering an open world takes a lot more processing power than closed environments. That being said, the framerate is absolutely rock-solid, never chugging or daring to drop below the 60fps threshold.

You have access to four different car categories, but the Speedster category is the one you’ll be using throughout 95% of your playtime.

Having an open world sounds like a stroke of genius for a Hot Wheels game, and while I admit that there’s loads to see and do in Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, I don’t think its progression system, car collection, or editor mode are quite as enjoyable as what the Hot Wheels Unleashed games had to offer. Those games worked well because they embraced the fact that you were controlling a tiny miniature in the real world, making otherwise mundane environments feel absolutely enormous. By comparison, the open islands in Infinite Rush are packed with content and certainly cute to look at, but they lack that sense of novelty and scale. Infinite Rush remains an enjoyably unserious racing game at heart, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it ultimately feels like a slight step backwards from its predecessors.