What the Car? review

Have you ever driven a car in a video game? Great. What about a car with a nitrous boost? Excellent. So, what about a car with wobbly giraffe legs, with springs sticking out from the bodywork, bouncing you this way and that, all whilst manoeuvring through bears wearing beanies on a series of interconnected islands? No? Well, prepare yourself, as this is exactly the kind of experience you’ll need to be ready for in What the Car?.

For those who may be unfamiliar with developer Triband’s previous endeavours (What the Golf? and What the Bat?), the team has a history of taking what at first seems to be a very simple premise, in this case driving from point A to point B, and then twisting your expectations into something truly fresh and unique. Each and every level in this varied collection will push the boundaries of what can be achieved with a simple objective and more than a dash of creativity.

Playing the part of a anthropomorphic car which, in my head, bears at least a passing resemblance to a seventies Mini, you will drive, roll, bounce, spin, sneeze, and totter your way from the starting cannon to the finish line in the quickest time possible, being awarded a bronze, silver, or gold crown based on hitting the prerequisite times. Simple enough, yeah? That would be the case if it weren’t for a myriad of obstacles in your way, each seemingly intent on chipping milliseconds from your overall finishing time, let alone the fact that your car may not even be a “car” at all but instead might have extra wheels in awkward places, an accordion separating the drivers seat from the rear axle, or have a spin boost in the style of a certain spikey SEGA icon.

From the aforementioned bears to football cannons, wooden springboards, to speed boost pads, every level offers a new challenge to overcome in your quest for those elusive crowns. To be honest, getting the lowest tier of bronze crown will see you through to the next area and usually these aren’t all that hard to achieve. It’s getting the silver and gold that will see multiple attempts being undertaken, and that’s not to mention the leaderboards.

Each finishing line you cross will see you placed on a weekly and overall historic leaderboard and this is where the true addiction rears its ugly head. “I’ll just try this one more time and then move on” he said for the thirteenth time in six minutes, whilst knowing full well that he would never move on until he could at least crack the top 100. It sure does sink its teeth in and score chasers will love it.

Your journey will take place in a number of beautiful themed worlds such as packed sports arenas, placid lakes or noisy office blocks. It’s often from these that the car transformations take inspiration, the addition of a dorsal fin to your roof or maybe a football on the course that you’ll need to weave through hairy defenders. Expect the unexpected and even then Triband will pull the rug out from under you with new mechanics and wonderfully pretty settings to explore.

For those who really want to lose themselves, there are daily challenges to attempt, golden cards to find in each level, trophies to seek out and decorate your home with, and extra hard levels in each world to conquer. Be warned, these stages do not mess around, each often being a challenge in themselves to even get to from your world map, let alone beat. Behind hidden pathways and some tricky platforming action, these are some of the tasks that truly had me hooked, unable to move on until I’d gotten the gold and could hold my head high. If you fancy a challenge, you’re well catered for.

Beyond the nine initial worlds you’ll open up to explore, there’s more to be found within the WtC? Universe. Without spoiling too much, there are a few extras to be conquered once you’re done collecting all crowns and pickups and have battered your mate’s times on the weekly leaderboards. Oh and did I mention the user-made levels?

With the promise of virtually infinite replayability, players can create their own insane obstacle courses to then publish online for the world to wonder at, swear at or grimace at, whilst pondering just what kind of lunatic would stack hurdles that high in such a small crevice? This can be a little bit of a mixed bag as you might expect from a slightly less curated collection of challenges, but I’ve certainly enjoyed my time in some of these weird and wonderful creations.

With hints of more to come, What the Car? really is a great game, with something to offer in both small doses of zany fun, or truly marathon time-chasing sessions. It looks darn great, it sounds wacky as hell, and is about as much fun as I’ve had with a game this year so far.