Cards on table, the only cycling game on which I’ve ever spent anything close to a fair amount of time is Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX. The game, since you’re asking, was an unremarkable clone of the highly successful Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, and I had little interest in playing beyond the first 10-odd minutes or so. But, considering I’d borrowed it from a game rental library (remember those?), I decided to get my money’s worth. I can’t say it was the best use of my time, but a little under two decades-and-a-half later, that experience has served its purpose: Providing an intro for this piece.
In recent times, my only real brush with a cycling videogame came in the form of Riders Republic, a game that struggled to keep my attention. GTA: San Andreas has probably been my favourite experience of cycling in a videogame. Until now, and until Messhof’s Wheel World. As an aside, I didn’t mind the Atari game Paperboy, although that was less about cycling than hurling rolled up newspapers. But, I digress. And now on with the show.
Wheel World first caught my attention when it popped up ever so innocuously on Xbox Game Pass. Admittedly, subscription services come bundled with several issues and existential concerns about the current model of game development, however, every once in a while, they do help uncover a gem that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. I decided to instal it and give it a whirl. It looked easy on the eye, had an interesting premise, and after all, what’s the worst that could happen?
The game, for all intents and purposes, is an open-world cycling game with RPG elements. As protagonist Kat, you are tasked with finding a number of ‘legendary parts’ for the mystical but rusty old bike. And as I type out these words, I realise that the story isn’t great, but it doesn’t have to be because it only exists to unleash you upon the surprisingly vast world of Wheel World.
Starting you off in a small area, the game eases you into its gameplay mechanics over a course of different activities. This, to me, is a far more constructive exercise than laying all manner of controls and combos on the player right off the bat. It bears stating that Wheel World isn’t the most complex of games, and the leisurely pace at which (the admittedly few) instructions were handed out hinted at the overall cosy nature of the game.
The cel-shaded visuals, soothing soundtrack (courtesy composers Johnny Jewel, JOON and Orion) and chilled-out tone of the game further this impression of cosiness. All of this would’ve been for naught if gameplay had been a janky mess, but fortunately, there’s barely a whiff of jank to be found. It helps Wheel World‘s case a great deal that the controls are easy to pick up and the cycle handles surprisingly well. I’d go as far as to say that I did not expect the manoeuvring and physics in an indie title to be so refined.
It was 15 minutes or so into the game and with my first race victory under my belt that the map opened up, and I began to get a sense of the size of this ‘playground’. Spread across a variety of different terrains — hilly areas and vineyards to dusty countrysides and quaint city centres — Wheel World is packed with enough races, collectibles and quirky characters to keep you occupied for at least seven hours or so.
While it isn’t necessary to win every race or collect every part, there are a handful of key races plus the aforementioned legendary parts that you need to collect in order to complete the game. But that’s not where the heart and soul of Wheel World is to be found.
Don’t get me wrong: Winning is winning, never let it be said otherwise. And while it’s quite a thrill to pull off that last-second overtaking manoeuvre and in so doing, unlocking all manner of wealth and err… bicycle parts, edge-of-the-seat action and competition forms a very small (albeit significant) part of the game. Cruising along, discovering jumps, running into hidden bike parts, challenging random cyclists to impromptu two-person races and enjoying the sights and sounds is this game’s USP. Finding parts, incidentally, is the RPG element alluded to earlier, and it lets you customise the build of your two-wheeler depending on the challenges you face. It’s a cool little feature that adds great depth to what is fundamentally a simple game.
I spent most of my eight-ish hours in Wheel World simply exploring the world. It was an experience as soothing as a long drive on an empty and peaceful stretch of road (good luck to me finding that where I live). And I can’t speak highly enough of the manner in which the mellow and EDM/synth-heavy score complements the onscreen action. Each use of the boost goes perfectly in time with the beat, each gravel-loosening sharp turn supported by a sustained note, and so on. I should clarify that it’s not a rhythm game by any stretch, but after a long enough session, it almost feels like it is.
For a game that costs only Rs 899 on Xbox and (strangely) Rs 1,581 on PlayStation, it would be a bit unfair to spend too much time nitpicking, although I’d be remiss not to point out a few minor foibles. I mentioned that the game had some quirky characters, and I’d go as far as to call them colourful as well. Unfortunately, they are propped up by some truly lazy writing. Even their one-liners, that could’ve been snappier or more interesting, are frankly quite pedestrian. Additionally, the inability to skip lines of old dialogue when you are returning to meet someone for the second or third time kills the immersion.
On the cycling front, while the bike handles well and the controls are basic and functional, I ran into a truly annoying, albeit rare, issue with Kat turning 180° on some sharp turns. The problem would arise when I was attempting to hit the brakes and turn. Ninety-five percent of the time, Kat’s turning radius would be perfect and she’d be on the next stretch before I knew it. But for that pesky five percent of the time, she’d inexplicably turn so hard that the bike would be facing the wrong way and costing me precious seconds. I must be turning too hard, I reasoned after the first couple of instances. But then I started seeing it happen randomly and even when I was barely pushing down on the brakes.
In summation, Wheel World is a no-brainer. If you’re into open-world games that allow you space and time to explore at your leisure, you’ll find plenty of value for your money. If you’re a cycling aficionado, well, then it’s pretty much a must-play. And if you need a break from the current cycle of massive AAA games with equally hefty price tags, I can’t recommend this title highly enough. Is it perfect? No, but you should play it anyway.
Game Pass version of the game reviewed on Xbox Series X
