- Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
- Release Date: Jul 23, 2025
- Also On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Jul 24, 2025The separate districts feel distinct and while they’re not interesting to explore per se, they do provide a pleasant backdrop as you go from race to race. In the end, I was just hunting for more ridiculous bike upgrades, including a frame that replaced my sleek bike with a massive hotdog. Wheel World isn’t everything I’ve ever wanted in a cycling game, but I appreciate all its polish - the sort of chill game you stick on for a couple of hours in the evening, do some races, and call it a day.
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Jul 23, 2025As it is, Wheel World delivers what its premise suggests and that's a relaxing bike ride — nothing more, nothing less.
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Jul 23, 2025By merging Burnout Paradise and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with pedal power, Wheel World arrives somewhere unusual and worth visiting. For fans of the soothing sound of displaced gravel.
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Jul 23, 2025Wheel World is a fresh and surprisingly fun indie game that turns cycling into an engaging adventure. With smooth controls, a rich atmosphere, and a deeper-than-expected story, it pulls you in. Limited race variety and some technical hiccups hold it back from greatness, but it’s still a ride worth taking, especially for those who love exploration, style, and pedal power.
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Aug 17, 2025Wheel World is an enjoyable enough game that gets right to the point of riding a bike and saving the world. The cycling challenges and narrative require nothing but a desire to work away at customising your bike to best go up and down hills, slide around corners, and jump ramps. While its creativity and riding mechanics are minimal, its vibe-based world is perfect for a casual player who likes the premise of a bike-based society.
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Edge MagazineAug 8, 2025While it's initially exciting to explore Wheel World with just a pair of wheels and an agenda of your own making, that summer-afternoon aimlessness soon begins to go flat. [Issue#414, p.112]
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Jul 23, 2025Wheel World is an amalgamation of boring races and exploration, poor storytelling, and often clumsy gameplay that never felt great. Its unique art style and excellent soundtrack feel wasted on what’s here, and the premise of the game is more exciting than anything that actually happens. When I crossed Wheel World’s finish line, I felt nothing about what I had accomplished, instead feeling more excited to get off this bike for good.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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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.