Coming on June 5 is ONRUSH, the latest title from seasoned British game developer Codemasters. Creators of classics like Micromachines, Brian Lara Cricket, TOCA Rally, the Colin McRae series, Dirt and the recent F1 racing titles, Codemasters are trying their hand at some genre-bending with their latest title, ONRUSH.
High-octane vehicular destruction never looked so good. Source: Codemasters
A multiplayer-only racing game on the surface, ONRUSH blends elements from games such as Team Fortress 2 and Rainbow Six Siege with Burnout, MotorStorm and Road Rash to create a car-based team game where there is no start or finish line, only constant and relentless action and destruction. Rounds are won by scoring the most points, achieved by performing takedowns, stunts or other objective-based scoring.
Six classes of vehicle are available, based on the classic class-system in games: a lightweight and agile but vulnerable smaller vehicle, a middle-of-the-range allrounder, a heavy “tank”, and even a motorbike. Each class has three unique abilities, an “ultimate” ability, as well as a passive and active trait.
As mentioned before, there is no start or finish line: the round begins with what’s called a “stampede’ of vehicles, all moving together in the same general vicinity, and ends when the objective has been met (usually a points total). There’s even a respawn menu after being taken out, where you can change class and respond to what is needed in the stampede, after which you respawn right back in the middle of the action. There are very few breaks in the action here.
Maps are breathtakingly beautiful, with vastly different terrain affecting handling, although there won’t be much time to appreciate the level design as you’re trying to survive the stampede. There will also be 4K support for those lucky enough to own an Xbox One X and the correct TV, so expect incredible visuals with the upgraded textures and colours.
Beautifully rendered scenery provides a brief distraction from the destruction. Source: Codemasters
To keep action constant and relentless, there are AI-controlled vehicles called “fodder” also in the stampede with you; crucial to keep boost and combo meters topped up when human opponents are playing hard to get. Boost is crucial in this game, as your ability to shove other vehicles off the road and perform bigger stunts increases with speed, so keeping the boost flowing is vital to scoring big. The music also sounds like it will greatly accentuate the high-adrenaline action in the game, with the usual blend of intense electro-dance and alternative-rock music seeming to dominate the soundtrack.
Games of this nature are always a risk, as it will not instantly have a fan base. It is a new franchise, using entirely new mechanics never before seen in a “racing” game, as well as being a multiplayer online game. And while a game like Evolve struggled to ever achieve any popularity with its unique gameplay and was swiftly forgotten, Rainbow Six Siege also struggled for over a year to achieve any kind of success yet received constant updates from Ubisoft Montreal, keeping fans interested while allowing the game to develop into the success story we see today.
Various classes of vehicles must team up to take down the opponents and outscore them. Source: VG24/7
I hope that ONRUSH receives a similar amount of support from Codemasters, keeping the various classes balanced while introducing new ones, adding new maps and game modes and generally keeping the game fresh.
One good thing we already know, but something that could easily have ruined this game before launch, is that the only lootboxes present are purely cosmetic, and all are achievable through merely playing the game. Disaster avoided!
The game launches on June 5th and will retail for around R800, but the beta is about to start. For those who have pre-ordered the game, the closed beta begins on the 15th of May, but for everyone else the open beta begins on the 17th May and ends for everyone on the 20th of May. It will showcase one of the game modes available in the game, as well as allowing multiplayer, so get downloading and try it!
I know I’ll be giving this a try, see you in the stampede this weekend.
