- Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
- Release Date: Jul 23, 2025
- Also On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
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- By date
- Unscored
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Jul 28, 2025Wheel World just doesn't deliver on the promises it presents in its opening hour. You'll quickly find the charm starts to wear off as you complete monotonous race after monotonous race. That boredom only turns to frustration as the later races in the game become increasingly hostile, with no way for the player to push back. Add on a story that goes nowhere, and you have a game that just feels like it never got past the initial brainstorming session.
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Jul 23, 2025It's a far cry from Messhof's previous works - the incomparable Nidhogg remains one of the best fighting games of all time. And I'll admit it feels a bit weird to set Wheel World's sweet and ultimately harmless roamaround racing next to the snarling energy and electro fury of the fencing worm and its serpentine sequel. But that redefining of studio style feels inevitable when it expands beyond its origins - Messhof used to be a moniker for solo developer Mark Essen, but is now the name of his broader indie studio made up of many Messhoffers. If you're going in expecting something similar to Nidhogg in tone, vibe, and surreality, you'll only find trace amounts. But if you go in with a heart open to easygoing races and good music, Wheel World will quickly coast you through.
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Jul 23, 2025What mileage there is in simply ebbing and flowing across the gorgeous sun-kissed land, carried along by both cool breeze and smooth tarmac. Freewheeling, it is practically impossible not to break out in a smile. With every descent, those smiles only widen.