Speed Crew [Review]
Do you like games like Overcooked? Or maybe you liked Moving Out? Well if you did you’ll definitely like Speed Crew, a game developed and published by Wild Fields Limited. It’s similar to the games I previously mentioned because it’s a fast-paced “do this and do it now” type game. Except in this game, you’re a pit crew member and you have to fix and detail as many cars as you can before sending them off for their race. Just like the other games in its genre, it gets chaotic and stressful. If you don’t do something fast enough, or if you leave your wrench in the wrong place, you’ll be scrambling for it later. One way to help with the chaos (or add to it depending on your friend group) is to play co-op as the game supports up to four players. It’s definitely a great party game that’s for sure.
In a game about racing, there are bound to be some Fast ‘n the Furious references. This game actually starts with a short and sweet story about adding two new members to the pit crew “family” and at that special word a Vin Diesel type comes out and talks to the protagonists. This is clearly a reference but also the game’s way of introducing a rival team “Furious Family Concerns”. This game doesn’t have a star rating system the same as Overcooked. In this game, you have to get the most amount of points for your team. You can even choose your own team name! It’s done this way so you can compete online with other players and their own teams.
The gameplay itself can be comparable to others like it. But if you haven’t played those games allow me to help describe it. Players have to scan the car for problems using a computer located on the job site. You have to get your wrench to unscrew tires, get new tires (don’t forget to throw the old ones away, otherwise it’ll get very cluttered quickly), get your hammer to fix the car doors and/or bumpers, and oh wait did I forget to mention you need to use a jack before taking the tires off? And don’t forget where you put your tools because losing them will lose you precious time. You have to fill the car with gas, and if you don’t have any tires you’re going to have to build them yourself… and that’s not even half of it…
As you can see this game is a lot. It can get overwhelming extremely quickly even if you have a team of four with each person focusing on one task! There’s still so much to do and make sure you don’t forget about it. Add on top of all that, make sure you don’t get hit by a car! Every level has a different layout, some levels having two cars or two places where the cars can park. Some levels focus on different tasks like how some don’t even have a place to get or build tires. So, each level does feel different because of this which is good because you have to finish the first grand prix in order to unlock the second mode.
The second mode is called Sabotage and in this mode, you play as an enemy team trying to disrupt your teammates' good and honest work. The point of this mode is to add to the chaos of what’s going on by destroying as many cars as you can by hammering in the doors and bumpers and giving the cars bad tires. In this mode, the more fires the better, you do not want these cars to be fixed up and sent out so do whatever you can to make sure that happens. What makes this game great is the co-op. You see, only one of the players is the saboteur and the other players are playing the game as normal. The other players can give the saboteur a little slap on the wrist to get them to briefly stop but then it’s right back to them causing mayhem.
Speed Crew is a great game for all ages, something that could even be easily played with your kids! It’s available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S and X, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.