This is a fun and good-looking game, and if you look at it and think it looks fun, you're likely to enjoy it at least somewhat. My first ever PC game was the 1998 title Hot Wheels Stunt Track Driver, so it's fun to play something like that again, but I will say I had more fun with the Forza Horizon Hot Wheels DLC. This game's got a few problems holding it back, which especially if you're a fan of more polished and larger-scope kart-style games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, might turn you off a bit.
Though it's a bare-bones mode, the single player "campaign" is full of fun and challenging events. To win these on Normal or higher, you'll need to get comfortable with the flow of constant drift/boosting out of each corner, which can be tricky but feels good to execute. There are some neat obstacle races that while a bit annoying at times, get the game closer to the kind of dynamic track you'd see in a Mario Kart, which this game could use more of. The most memorable example is a giant spider that shoots webs down at the track that hold you in place riiiight before the finish line.
Though the scale of being a small car in a big room is cool, the tracks can feel a bit uninspired visually and thematically. The game looks nice from a technical perspective, especially its lighting, but could use more imagination behind its designs. With the game's tendency toward more realistic, mundane environments like "the garage" and "a basement," at least if they're not going full fantasy fun, they could make those backdrops impact the track more. For instance, oil slicks in the garage track or something could make the setting matter more and be more memorable. As-is, sticking to realistic plastic Hot Wheels track segments with occasional small generic obstacles can get a bit samey and unexciting, particularly when there are so few tracks.
Outside the main race modes, there are some customization options which aren't really something I'm personally interested in, but can definitely add value for many players. Custom tracks are actually used in online play, which unfortunately for me resulted in a couple really annoying races, but is a good idea. Also on the online front, I found a third or more of the people in lobbies can be totally AFK through multiple races, and I found the voice comms toggle does not work. This experience could definitely be a bit better.
Something else I don't really love is that you get cars with different rarities and stats and appearances through a random lootbox system. There are much worse lootbox systems out there, but the rate at which you get new stuff of any kind of value feels really slow to me, and I mostly got useless or unappealing car options, as well as several duplicates. This system holds back the game from being as fun and varied as it should be for many hours. There at least needs to be more options up-front, and I'd like to see them drop the rarity/upgrade system entirely.
Besides my issues above, as well as some occasionally wonky collision that may be a bit more "realistic" for toy cars but doesn't always feel super great, this is a solid racing game that I can recommend picking up at a 40-60% off price on Black Friday in a few weeks. It captures a nice sense of speed and is enjoyable as a long-term casual pick-up-and-play title.
