If you grew up playing classic top-down arcade racers, then Make Way will take you on a seriously fun nostalgia trip. This multiplayer party game comes from the creative minds at British indie studio Ice Beam, known for blending old-school gameplay with innovative new mechanics. At its core, Make Way is a pick-up-and-play racer where you and up to three friends battle to reach the finish line first. But there’s a devilishly clever twist that makes every race feel fresh and unpredictable.
Before each race, all players take turns selecting pieces to build the actual track in real-time. You can customize curves, jumps, boost pads and even devious traps like roadblocks and slippery slime puddles. The result? A wacky mashup course that keeps changing based on your selections and strategy. Make your rival racers’ lives difficult by blocking the best routes or leaving them vulnerable to drop-offs. Just be prepared for them to retaliate in kind! With wild power-ups like rockets and lightning attacks in the mix too, every race quickly descends into exhilarating chaos.
So should you go all-in on Make Way? If you enjoy social multiplayer titles and not taking yourself too seriously, absolutely. There’s a welcoming casual appeal here for both casual and more seasoned gamers. Matchmaking works smoothly and the intuitive mechanics make it easy to dive in. There are minor hiccups with progression and unlocking content, but the sheer fun factor outweighs any flaws. Overall, Make Way delivers irreverent, unpredictable action custom-built for kicking back with friends either online or in-person. So gather the crew, buckle up and get ready for some fast and furious fun. This racer takes customize-as-you-go chaos to addictively absurd new heights.
Pedal to the Metal Madness
Make Way keeps the core driving mechanics pleasantly simple. You steer with the left stick, gas with the right trigger and brake or reverse with the left. Vehicle handling leans more towards slippery and exaggerated rather than strict simulation, but that actually ups the wacky fun factor. Sending your little speedster bouncing off barriers or pinballing between obstacles becomes part of the amusement rather than a major frustration. There’s still plenty of precise steering and braking skill involved to master tracks, but the loose and lively physics means novice gamers can dive right in.
The real strategy emerges when you look at the different game modes and just how wild things can get. At first, only the basic Race mode is available. Here it’s all about clean driving as you focus solely on track pieces for building. No pesky power-ups or traps to worry about. But watch out for opponents trying to nudge you off course! Once you unlock Classic and Chaos modes though, that warm-up time is definitely over.
Classic mode introduces Mario Kart-style power-ups into the mix that you can blast rivals with or use to your own advantage. We’re talking quirky weapons like projectile pies, anvils that drop on cars ahead and even lucky horseshoes that grant a quick speed boost. Chaos mode then amps up the insanity even further by packing courses tight with environmental hazards like land mines, slippery slime patches and roadblocks. No guard rails either, so one false move means literally getting tossed back to the last checkpoint. Are you ready to handle the chaos?
Make Way really shines thanks to its sheer replayability. With courses constantly taking new shape based on the pieces everyone chooses, no two races ever feel quite the same. The pacing hits a perfect sweet spot too – just as you’re getting the hang of the latest madcap creation, it’s already time to throw more ideas into the mix. And hidden shortcuts that open up as you play more deviously reward veteran drivers’ course knowledge. There’s a rewarding risk-reward ratio ingrained at every turn.
That said, Chaos mode does occasionally trip over its own craziness. Courses sometimes become so layered with traps that all drivers end up eliminated repeatedly. The checkpoint respawn system helps here, but a few rounds had us stuck in frustrating loops. It’s a minor quibble though. Overall, Make Way constantly leaves you gleefully torn between focusing on the finish line or messing with friends first. Either way, quick reflexes, clever strategy and serious laughter get constantly blended together. So buckle up and dive in – but don’t say we didn’t warn you about the pleasurably perilous chaos!
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Design & Conquer Custom Courses
The real crown jewel of Make Way is its ingenious track building mechanic. Rather than race on pre-made courses, you and your opponents actively assemble new layouts piece-by-piece between competitions. It’s a wildly innovative idea that totally transforms each session into a creative battleground. Time to put on your architect hard hat and start scheming!
The building phase kicks off by presenting everyone a randomly generated batch of modular track chunks to choose from. These include straightforward road patches and sharp turns along with more devious additions like perilous hairpin bends or metal ramps primed for epic crashes. You quickly size up the tools available before grabbing the one piece that best suits your secret master plan.
The fun starts once all racers have locked in their selection. Now it becomes a race against the clock to integrate sections together into one (hopefully) cohesive course. You need to quickly orient your track segment onto existing roads logically while also blocking off key paths or creating potential pitfalls for unwary opponents. If someone beats you to implementing their chunk first, too bad – you’ll have to design on the fly based on leftovers.
This real-time, Tetris-like assembly system makes forethought key. Do you build cautiously to leave yourself an easier ride next lap? Or risk ramping up difficulty to better trip up competitors? New environment-themed backdrop unlocks like icy tundras or volcanic terrain let you tailor visuals too. But ultimately the layout itself decides each race’s twisted tone.
Once all pieces click into place comes the real test: actually navigating your creation at top speed while potentially sabotaging others. Then after hitting the finish line, take any lessons learned back into the creative garage for another round. It’s a fantastic loop that constantly has you reevaluating priorities. Will you race hard or build smart? The answer usually involves doing both – or neither! Either way, this innovative construction mechanic cements Make Way as a true next-gen reinvention of arcade racing classics.
So grab those building blocks and let imagination steer the wheel from here. No matter your background, Make Way makes channeling your inner speed demon tracksmith addictively fun. Just beware what devious designs your supposed “friends” cook up! When it comes to sculpting pure chaos, trust no one…
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Ease In or Dive Into The Deep End
Make Way smartly eases new drivers into the action with its progressive unlocking system. At first, only the basic Race mode is available as you get accustomed to maneuvering and integrating track chunks. With no zany power-ups or course traps to worry about, you can focus purely on clean competition and grabbing checkpoints. It makes for a friendly introduction where fundamentals get ingrained.
But soon enough, the training wheels jettison off once Classic mode revs up the intensity. Now iconic Mario Kart-esque power-ups litter the track, arming you with an arsenal of outlandish offensive and defensive weapons. We’re talking pies to obscure windshields, anvils to crush cars ahead and even unpredictable mystery boxes. Using these attacks and boosts wisely to undermine opponents while benefiting your own drive becomes key.
The aptly named Chaos mode then awaits seasoned hooligans eager to push pedal to the metal. This turns everything up to a delightful eleven by cramming courses to the brim with environmental hazards like landmines, slippery slime trails and roadblocks. No guardrails either, so one wrong turn equals freefalling out of bounds right back to the last checkpoint. Chaotic indeed!
The enjoyably gradual progression gives players of all skill levels incentive to keep returning. Beginners can practice fundamentals and simple track creation in Race mode before deciding when to toggle the zaniness up. Veterans meanwhile get their deception skills tested concocting increasingly absurd gauntlets. The difficulty spikes at a reasonable pace too – early Chaos tracks seem challenging but navigable until later pieces like looping corkscrews unlock.
If you ever feel totally overwhelmed, the Custom mode lets you handpick preferred parameters like having weapons on but hazards off. Or crank music up while the visual backdrops shift each round. Tweak to your heart’s content! No matter your speed or style, Make Way has a mode fit for you. Just expect even Race mode “warmups” to quickly throttle into manic laughter-filled contests. Once that competitive spirit ignites, no one’s hitting the brakes until they’ve crossed the checkered flag first!
Level Up For Greater Mayhem
As with most modern games, Make Way incentivizes replayability through a classic XP-based progression path. Each completed race earns you points towards an overall account level. Every new tier reached then unlocks fresh vehicle customizations, backdrop environments and most importantly, additional track pieces and diabolical traps. Before long, you’ll have access to corkscrews, drawbridges, landmines galore and other instruments of chaos.
This dopamine drip-feed of new rewards definitely works to keep you racing days, weeks and beyond. But in Make Way’s case, there’s a catch. All the wackiest track additions that kick the chaos into highest gear…take fairly long to obtain. So early hours tend to recycle simpler hairpin turns and boost pads. The core gameplay loop stays engaging regardless thanks to unpredictable race dynamics. But as a friend first introduced to the madness later confessed: “I wish I could have started flipping courses upside down with loops sooner!”
It’s a great point. Veteran players eventually accrue an awesome array of devious tools to torment new recruits with. Yet newbies are confined to more straightforward pieces that can’t quite crank anarchy to eleven. A quicker unlock progression for wild corkscrews, unpredictable portals and other key track parts would amplify the fun faster for all. Louder laughs at the starting line are worth the earlier learning curve spikes.
Despite that hiccup though, Make Way’s personality and replayability still shine through at every experience level. Rookie drivers quickly get hooked on the core competitive structure even before unleashing pure visual chaos. So keep sharp reflexes primed and level up your driver profile steadily to build up towards maximum multiplayer mayhem. The ultimate goal? Assembling a masterpiece track so diabolical, no rival stands a chance!
Bright, Bold And Utterly Bonkers
One glance at Make Way’s gloriously vibrant visual palette and you’ll have no doubts about its intentions. Developers Ice Beam have wisely adopted an inviting, almost toy-like aesthetic that signals irreverent fun from the get-go. Vehicles look like Hot Wheels playsets come to life, sporting bold colors and just enough detail to show some personality. You can take the wheel as everything from slick sports cars to rugged pickups and even a suspiciously familiar pizza delivery buggy.
Backdrops are cheerfully varied as well, with icy tundras, leafy forests and flashy cityscapes on offer. These don’t impact core gameplay but provide nice visual spice between heats. Perhaps most impressive are the modular track chunks themselves. Given how rapidly pieces need placement, it’s to the team’s credit that each module from corkscrews to ramps boasts clean, distinguishable silhouettes. This makes split-second identification and orientation easy even when the pace turns frenetic.
On the audio front, Make Way keeps things appropriately peppy too. The menu music sets an upbeat, almost game show-like tone for proceedings while race tracks bang out fast, intense electronic mixes. Engine sounds satisfyingly purr and crash about across different surfaces while power-ups unleash signature audio cues. Want to mute and just enjoy friends’ screams instead? Custom mode has you covered there too. Overall though, the sights and sounds fingernail the intended vibe: unwaveringly energetic, unabashedly silly pandemonium.
Crowd Pleasing Chaos With Friends
Make Way thrives foremost as a social experience courtesy of its raucous multiplayer focus. While playable alone against AI bots, the real laughs get unlocked jousting head-to-head with human challengers. Local couch competition is arguably the sweet spot here for maximum trash talk. Gather three buddies on the same couch and custom tracks soon become wrestling rings as you shove each other aside scrambling for the best build pieces.
Online multiplayer via smooth matchmaking works nicely too though when real life pals aren’t available. Cross-platform support means PC and console crowds can mingle, minimizing wait times jumping into quick matches. Just be aware that the experience loses a little luster if a stranger drops out mid-race. There are no AI drivers ready to sub in, so you’ll either play out the remainder alone or exit entirely.
This emphasizes why Make Way really soars when played amongst friends specifically. The zany chaos becomes that much more hysterical when you know your opponents. Outmaneuvering your loudest trash-talking pal with a well-timed rocket feels especially euphoric compared to outracing some random avatar. So if playing solo online, try organizing a gaming group in Discord to better banter.
No matter who you ultimately face-off against though, the addictive track-building contest structure ensures high replay value. Make Way distills mid-2000’s couch multiplayer magic into one intoxicatingly moreish package. Just be prepared for some ugly victories, cheap defeats and plenty of wicked wipeouts in between!
Custom Chaos For All
If Make Way makes one thing clear upfront, it’s that not taking yourself or gaming too seriously is healthy sometimes. By marrying an addictive pick-up-and-play racing framework with innovative build-as-you-go courses, developer Ice Beam has crafted an irresistibly fun multiplayer experience. The intuitive mechanics encourage both casual gamers and receiving speed demons to dive in fast and start strategizing against friends.
That ever-changing track format also gives Make Way near endless replay value that withstands both online and local couch competition. There’s ample motivation to keep perfecting courses whether for clean racing lines or maximum sabotage opportunities. Exploring the different modes and unlock progression path only expands possibilities too. Some sticking points like Chaos mode’s occasional overwhelming difficulty and desire for quicker unlocks do emerge. But Make Way’s sheer fun factor and fluid action ultimately outshine any rough edges.
If you enjoy social games with equal parts strategy, customization and boisterous chaos, add this to your playlist immediately. The charming audiovisual polish makes just spectating races entertaining too. So even players with less racing game experience can get onboard for dizzying last-to-first comeback tales. Make Way delivers an innovative new twist on beloved arcade classics focused squarely on boosting laughs with friends. It’s a blast, plain and simple. Now grab some buddies, pass the controllers around and prepare for the glorious insanity awaiting!
The Review
Make Way
Make Way dazzles with its vibrant visuals, energetic audio, and an ingenious track-building mechanic that reinvigorates the arcade racing genre. It shines brightest as a multiplayer experience, offering both intense local couch play and seamless online matches, with a special emphasis on social interaction and competition. While it has minor drawbacks, like the occasionally overwhelming Chaos mode and the desire for quicker unlock progression, these are easily overshadowed by its overall charm and addictive gameplay. The game brilliantly blends strategy, customization, and playful chaos, making it a must-play for those who relish spirited competition and creative track construction. It's a fresh, engaging experience that successfully captures the essence of communal gaming, perfect for both casual players and racing enthusiasts.
PROS
- Engaging and colorful graphics.
- Upbeat and fitting soundtracks.
- Innovative and strategic gameplay.
- Excellent for social play, both online and local.
- Endless track variations and competitive nature.
CONS
- Less engaging when played alone.
- Chaos mode can be overwhelming.
- Slow unlock of features and modes.
- Best enjoyed with friends, less so with strangers.
