In the world of virtual reality (VR) racing, Micro Machines: Mini Challenge Mayhem attempts to recapture the nostalgic joy of miniature racing with a franchise that became really popular when it launched about thirty years ago. Developed by WIMO Games and out now for the Meta Quest platform, the game falls short of delivering the excitement and engagement we were hoping for. Having played Tiny Trax more than half a decade ago, we had hoped for more.
Micro Machines: Mini Challenge Mayhem features an intriguing premise that combines track building and racing into a neat little package. Players can construct their own courses using an intuitive system, placing pieces to create tracks that can even include loops. The campaign mode combines regular racing with course building as well, giving players different objectives that require the right car and track combination to succeed. Additionally, the ability to modify cars with various parts adds an element of customization, adjusting speed, acceleration, stunts, and grip.
However, Micro Machines: Mini Challenge Mayhem struggles to live up to its potential, as the gameplay feels a lot more limited than it seems on paper. The track building features ultimately feel limited as there aren’t a lot of different track pieces to choose from, and controlling your cars feels awkward to the point where you miss the 16-bit iterations of Micro Machines.
The racing experience itself falls a little short of expectations as well, with the game adopting a slot car-style approach similar to Tiny Trax. Players control only the acceleration and braking of their tiny cars, resulting in a relatively shallow and passive racing experience that doesn’t stay engaging for too long. The absence of competitive elements, such as racing against opponents, also contributes to a lack of excitement.
To a large degree, this also carries over to the graphics. The micro machines themselves look good and inviting, making you want to race them around the tracks, but it’s those tracks and their environments that are relatively underwhelming when you consider that VR games launched years ago had a richer feel to them.
As such, Micro Machines: Mini Challenge Mayhem feels like a game with unrealized potential when you compare them to the original Micro Machines games that became true classics. As a simple concept it works well enough, but the game isn’t helped by the benchmark that was set long ago. With both the track building and the actual racing feeling limited in scope, this one is a concept that makes effective use of VR and it is worth checking out for that reason, but it won’t hold your attention for too long.
Score: 6.2/10
Press Play Media 