Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed

I went in expecting something forgettable, the kind of licensed tie-in that treats kids like they'll accept anything with a recognizable logo on the box. What I got was a mixed bag that's genuinely better than it has any right to be in some areas, and noticeably rough in others. The pitch is simple: a kart-ish arcade racer built around the Netflix animated series, where six kids (Coop, Spark, Mac, Brights, Axle, and Cruise) attend a racing camp and compete across 12 over-the-top tracks for the grand prize of the Ultimate Garage. There is no pretense of simulation here. No tire temps, no racing lines, just boost pads, corkscrew loops, and the occasional giant cobra trying to derail your lap. The five modes give it decent legs for its target audience. Racing Camp is the main story push, structured around 12 events with boss showdowns mixed in. Cup Champ runs tournament-style cups at Slow, Medium, Fast, and Ultra speeds, though the unlock logic there is a bit obtuse at first. Speed Trials and Free Race round things out, and all of it supports four-player local split-screen, which is increasingly rare and genuinely welcome. The real standout, though, is Track Builder. It is more accessible than most track editors in the genre, auto-adjusting the circuit as you slot in pieces like corkscrews, loops, and ramps, and it earns its keep as a replayability driver. Cars like the GT-Scorcher, Super Twin Mill, Roger Dodger, and Duck N' Roll each carry unique abilities and handling profiles, and the decals you equip add actual stat buffs (longer drift boost, faster car power recovery), so there is a layer of pre-race setup that feels more considered than the packaging implies. But the handling is where reviewers consistently pushed back, and I think that criticism is fair. Bumping walls can send you into a cascading series of corrections, and the sensitivity feels inconsistent depending on which character-plus-car combo you run. On the flip side, the AI is nowhere near punishing enough, even on higher difficulty settings. The boss sequences, where you dodge hazards, collect weapons, and fling them at creatures like giant bats, sharks, and a fire-breathing dragon, are fun spectacle without much mechanical depth. They will not challenge anyone over ten, but they do break up the pace in a way the genre often skips. Accessibility options (auto-accelerate, driving aid) help younger players get a foothold, though some reviewers found the game almost too easy even without them. The CGI cutscenes have also been called out for rough edges that feel unpolished compared to the in-race presentation. Bottom line on audience: if you are an adult racing fan who enjoyed Hot Wheels Unleashed, this is a different product aimed at a different shelf. That series is sharper, deeper, and harder. Ultimate Speed is for the household with a kid who recognizes Coop from the Netflix show and wants to race as that character while a parent sits on the same couch. The 4-player split-screen, the low barrier to entry, and the Track Builder are all doing the heavy lifting for that specific scenario, and they mostly deliver.

Alex · Scout Team

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