ONRUSH

ONRUSH wastes no time in telling you that it’s a throwback to the old days of madcap arcade racers. If you’ve ever played the likes of Cruis’n or San Fransicso Rush, you’ll remember the swift bursts of pure escapism those games provided, placing themselves in stark contrast to what was otherwise a genre dominated by simulators. ONRUSH is a love-letter to those kinds of games, where instead of marvelling over the latest cars as works of art or technological marvels, you treat them as toys and slam them into each other.

The easiest way I can think to describe ONRUSH is as some kind of cross between Burnout, Motorstorm, and Overwatch. Yes, Overwatch. Because you see ONRUSH isn’t really all that much about racing. The gist of the game is that two teams of racers go up against each other in a variety of game modes, all of which are some variation on “drive really fast and wreck some stuff.” Tracks are all lap based and you keep going in circles, completing objectives to earn points and taking down your opponents on the way there.

There is a mode called Countdown where both teams have a clock ticking downwards and the only way to get more time is to pass through checkpoints. The first team whose timer runs out loses. Other than both teams, tracks are also populated by “fodder” racers whom you can take down in a single hit to earn boost, and you’re encouraged to boost as much as possible, since boosting earns you Rush. Rush is your Overwatch-esque ultimate ability that always entails a large boost of speed with a few other perks that differ from car to car. One car may shield teammates while in Overdrive, another might drain boost from nearby opponents, etc. There are 12 tracks currently available and they keep things diverse so you won’t get bored easily.

The best mode by far has to be Lockdown. It’s the ONRUSH equivalent of a capture and hold mode where each team races to capture moving control points, slamming each other out of the way. Since the control point is a moving target and the level design is completely insane, this mode has a very high skill ceiling and room for a lot of tricky maneuvers on the player’s part. It’s great stuff. Overdrive is more or less a deathmatch mode and Switch is kinda like Call of Duty’s Gun Game where you have to change your vehicle every time you wipe out.

While all of the modes on offer are incredibly entertaining, and the tracks themselves have day-night cycles that keep things fresh, even when the repetition starts to creep in. With Overwatch-esque loot boxes (groan!) that unlock cosmetic items, ONRUSH still offers a hefty amount of content for those willing to dig in. And with no microtransactions (yet), you don’t have to worry about the game insidiously peddling gambling systems to you. Even so, I wonder how much longevity this game really has. Aside from the four modes and 12 tracks, there really isn’t much to ONRUSH. Whether or not that’s enough is up to you.

An even bigger concern is how long this kind of gameplay can remain exciting. After having played the game in short bursts for over a week, I’ve already started feeling less enthusiastic about it. It’s a supremely entertaining game and the noise and chaos can make for a great distraction on those days when you really need it, but the thing about distractions is that they can get off-putting after some time, and they’re the first thing to go by the wayside whenever something worthwhile comes along.

ONRUSH is a game of pure carnage and chaos that somehow manages to come together as a remarkably entertaining game, even if the longevity of that entertainment remains questionable. The game draws inspiration from some truly dissonant corners of the industry to create something unique and unusual. And while it’s definitely an interesting game and a very good time while you’re in it, I’m not sure it has enough meat on its bones to justify its current price tag.

Review code provided by the distributor.