Onrush (Xbox One) Review

The offline portion of Onrush is headlined by the Superstar mode, which acts as the 'Story Mode,' with seven chapters that are bridged together by cut-scenes aiming to explain the creation of, and the eventual growth of, the sport - from grass or "dirt" roots to the prime-time spectacle it becomes. Each chapter has up to 10 racing events that consist of either one or more different matches that are further compounded by in-game objectives and goals to focus on.

Rather than just simply winning a race, the game modes in Onrush revolve more around either destroying opponents by crashing their vehicles or landing on them from above, or "rushing" through the stage to earn points to a goaled amount. In fact, there are no matches that consist of just a common race with a finish line to cross - and that is the fun factor of this arcade racer. Traditionalists won't find too much here that will hold their attention - and that is okay, as Onrush is more aimed towards those who prefer the high-octane action to those who prefer to dish out some under-handed tactics to get dirty wins.

Complete the objectives in each mission to earn stars, which opens more tracks and events that ultimately lead to the completion of the story mode. Trying to earn all the stars adds longevity to the mode as some events don't even require wins to move on to the next track, but rather would prefer to just put the emphasis on destroying opponent's cars or boosting team mates and aiding them with "kills."

Destroying enemies, performing tricks, and landing flips or barrel-rolls, will generate coins upon the completion of the matches. These coins are then used to purchase cosmetic items - whether they are costumes to change the in-game avatars attires, or "tombstone" graphics that are emoji-like and appear on the racetrack upon a driver's "death," or even just new skins and looks for the cars themselves. None of these things add any game boosts and are purely for looks and personalisation, and it really makes for some colourful characters when racing online against real-life opponents.

Every match is team-based between two sides, comprised of a combination of cars, bikes, and other off-road vehicles. There are four different types of matches, and they are each as fun as each other. 'Overdrive' consists of a best-of series of races, with the aim being the first side to reach a set amount of points. However, the only way to score points is to 'boost,' which can only be achieved by filling up the 'boost' bar by performing tricks and flips.

'Countdown' gives both sides a countdown clock, and only driving through green arches can add on a few seconds to the team's clock. The first team to hit zero loses, and this match usually has a best of three series. Of course, it is a lot easier to sink the opposition's score to zero quicker by ramming their drivers off the road to cost them a few seconds each "kill.'

'Switch' is by the most fun and equally the most infuriating, as each driver gets three vehicle switches, starting from the bikes. Wreck an opponent to destroy their vehicle to force them to switch, and the first team to lose all their switches lose the game. This mode is purely focused on just destroying the opposition, and even better is that does not lock a racer out once they lost all three switches. Arguably, running out of switches allows for driving the best wrecking-vehicle.

'Lockdown' is a capture-the-zone style of race: during intervals, there will be a green zone placed on the track ahead of the cars. Whichever side can get their vehicles into the zone for a short time will successfully capture it. While this sounds fun, it probably is the least enjoyable of the four matches - the action picks up when trying to fight for a position within the zone and trying to bump opponents out of it, but a wrong move and a respawn at the back of the pack can mean spending the whole race trying to keep up with the pack, and the inconsistent AI teammates can cost you many races. This is a mode that works better in online modes with real drivers, as the games aren't usually over as quickly, and there is ample time to get back into the race.

While Onrush only consists of these four match types, they have each been given a level of care to ensure that all four races will be highly utilised with fun and enjoyable racing. Having too many different match types that didn't have the same level of attention would have just been wasted, as many match types would just be left unused by the drivers, such as the issue sometimes seen in other arcade racers, like Mantis Burn Racing.

Weirdly enough, there is little reason to play online, apart from just trying to increase the avatar level and gain loot boxes to unlock new cosmetic items for the controlled-drivers. There is a 'ranking mode,' which for some will possibly be a great reason to continue playing to gain bragging rights amongst the other drivers in the world. Now, playing online just replaces the AI teammates with real-life drivers; however, the teams do stay together across the different matches, which is a benefit to the system.

The racing itself is quite fluid, and the vehicles feel great. Riding the bikes, Blade or Outlaw, does feel dangerous, and the slightest bump or touch leaves it susceptible to an easy "kill." However, they are fast and agile throughout the tracks, and performing tricks and landing flips allows for an easy rush of boost. Then the cars provide a little more security in terms of getting destroyed, yet the Enforcer is a personal favourite. The Charger and the Vortex are dynamic trick-based vehicles, while the Titan and the Interceptor are equally as good to use. The Dynamo rounds out the eight vehicle classes and seems to be one of the more useless ones to drive.