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Onrush is a 6v6 objective-based driving game which aims to define a whole new sub-genre of games. It merges parts of MotorStorm, Burnout and hero-focused games such as DOTA and Overwatch with retro-wave aesthetic. To accompany this bizarre mix, the game is divided into modes rather than race formats and these modes take heavy cues from shooters. The question is, does this wild mix work, and does this game, built in 2 years meet expectations?

The defining feature of Onrush is the stampede mechanic. This is effectively rubberbanding, a technique used in many racing games. Rubberbanding varies the speed of AI racers to keep them with the player, most easily seen with Mario Kart’s blue shell. Onrush uses respawns to keep a group of online players to keep them together at all times. People who fall behind are teleported forward and wrecks result in a respawning into the middle of the fray. The pack contains the 12 players and 12 vehicles which act like Titanfall’s grunts which put up little fight, and are named fodder. Fodder behave much like same-way traffic in burnout revenge, they exist to be checked and shredded into many pieces. The stampede continuously respawns these poor guys and they are an integral part of how the speed of the pack is controlled. Fodder donate a hefty amount of boost to your meter on their destruction and spawn in larger numbers in the middle of the pack, allowing those vehicles to catch those at the front. There are of course other ways to pick up boost such as near-misses with trees, big air, tricks and barrel rolls. While getting into a barrel roll is quite technical, the “cat physics” ensure vehicles trend towards landing on four wheels, creating a forgiving experience that’s fun for new players and encourages practiced players to get more and more risky.

Mechanically, Onrush is a style-racer at its core, the type of game we’ve seen little of this console generation. You’re rewarded for aggression and style. The single-player lays out challenging objectives to reach 100% completion which is an infectious journey and can take up to 20 hours. Each section of the game fixates on an environmental feature, as a group of racers takes part in events year-round from summer to winter. Snow builds up in real time as you race, tyre tracks are covered over with precipitate but leave clear trails. Rain builds up in puddles. Vehicles are modelled at every level with parts flying out from within the outside casing. Realistic materials are tastefully implemented and each track has full day-night cycles which can be set to transition in-race. Night-time events are particularly tense. Low-visibility and the looming warning of headlights behind you at all times make the night have a decisive impact on the match. This is something I hope other titles implement.

In spite of this, Onrush is more catered towards people who are not into racing games at all. The handling is crisp and the game runs at 60FPS on all platforms (excluding base Xbox One [tested]) a high responsiveness is achieved while maintaining 1080p. Framerate does not drop on Xbox One or PS4. This provides ease of play and consistency. The modes also facilitate this. Each vehicle has a different role and each is defined by their additional abilities as well as their class. In order from light to heavy, the classes are bikes, buggies, cars and trucks. Trucks  can inflict a lot of damage on opponents and as such are good for beginners. They are however slower which allows bikes and buggies to both out-manoeuvre them and take advantage of them being sitting ducks in the air. Onrush has a complex in-air combat system where timing is everything when trying to crush the opposition on landing. Any vehicle, no matter the weight difference will crush the vehicle beneath on landing. This allows players with knowledge of finding alternate routes from experience in other titles to tackle heavier vehicles immediately. Lighter vehicles also have more powerful rush abilities, a move which is charged by boosting and gives you more stopping power and also makes it harder for you to be taken out. Rushing into a wall is easily done, so learning timing is also important.

The modes are Overdrive, Countdown, Switch and Lockdown. Overdrive requires players to earn boost and use it. Points are rewarded for consistent boosting and rushing. In countdown, teams are pitted against a decreasing timer, players snake through gates to earn time. Players must choose between precision or preventing the opposition from replenishing their time. Switch starts all players out on bikes and switches them to a heavier vehicle each time they wreck. Once they wreck in a car, they have run out of lives and instead have to take them as a truck. Lockdown is a moving king of the hill, again making players choose between staying in the zone, or preventing the entrance of others. The most interesting modes are switch and lockdown. Both are greatly accessible to newcomers to the genre. Both are interesting because they stray from pure driving prowess and empower strategic team-play, fostering a high skill-ceiling for team-play while also allowing lone-wolves to make a huge impact when doing the right thing.

In general, Onrush is fun. Tight controls, fun vehicles, exciting modes and an adaptive soundtrack make for a surrealist experience. It is however limited by only having a quick play playlist online (there is full custom game support offline and online, however) and a loot-box (a randomized unlock system; a crate is given for every time your XP reaches the next rank, 3 items are dispensed which can be duplicates) driven customization system… with no way to purchase loot-boxes. While I’m happy this is not a cash-grab, it definitely isn’t an enjoyable loop. Levelling-up however is frequent and crashtags reward you for mastery and are the most distinct part of your personalisation, as they are displayed to both you and the opponent on every kill. Netcode is also rather poor and makes for some confusing collisions. Netcode is how you connect with other players, poor netcode introduces latency and lag which ruins the responsiveness of the game. Players expecting a Motorstorm sequel or a true driving game will be disappointed and the soundtrack while something I found great is not everyone’s taste. As a result, Onrush is recommended to open-minded driving game fans and newcomers to the genre in equal measure. It is great at most things it does, which is exciting given how new its concept is. The amazing performance also makes it a great way to show the capability of current-gen hardware.