Skip to main content

Onrush review - an eccentric and excellent spin on the arcade racer

Crash mode.

Eurogamer.net - Recommended badge
A racing game that mostly does away with the racing, Onrush is a chaotic and curious spin on a much-loved genre.

Bacon cornflakes. That's what Gareth Wilson said of Blur as he pondered the reasons where it all went wrong for one of the last great arcade racers; how Bizarre Creations mashed together Mario Kart with authentic cars and a downbeat aesthetic for a concoction that plain confused most people. Onrush, the new game from the studio formed from the remains of Evolution Studios, seems to have thought to itself that bacon cornflakes isn't quite unique enough a concoction. How about tossing some eggs in, too? And then how about smothering it all in a sweet layer of strawberry jam?

This is a seriously strange game, though it can be told in one clean and simple elevator pitch; what if the racing genre met with the first-person shooter, if Burnout paired up with Overwatch to create an all-new hybrid? The answer that Onrush developer Codemasters Evo can sometimes be a little patchy, and in some places doesn't quite convince, but despite that this emerges a remarkable achievement. Onrush, against all odds, works.

Watch on YouTube

The studio's pedigree helps. Onrush looks exquisite, as you'd expect from the team behind the outrageously gorgeous DriveClub, and its more outlandish premise allows the art team off the leash. Bleached white beaches stretch out beneath blue skies, events cascade through golf courses and through mountain ranges, particles and debris sparking across the screen, all while keeping to a sweet and steady 60fps, all told to a sweetly upbeat soundtrack. It's as sublime a technical achievement as any of Evolution Studios' output, and an even more remarkable one when you consider this is a multi-platform release, pulled together on an all-new engine in just over two years.

Even more remarkable - and something that, after the open beta, has already proven divisive - is how Onrush doesn't fall back on an existing formula. This is a very different racing game, to the point where I'd hesitate to call it a racing game at all. Is it a car combat game? A team sports game? Let's settle with vehicular action game, with an emphasis on the action - because in Onrush, there's an awful lot of it.

Onrush isn't a typical racing game, and its tracks aren't typical tracks either - it's best to think of them as freeways that pay host to the stampede, funnelling players together and through obstacles and providing plenty of alternate routes.

Indeed it's relentless, a constant churn of carnage that pulls you back in as quickly as it spits you out. The thundering heart of Onrush is its stampede, the mob of cars you're competing with and that you're constantly tethered to by an invisible rubber band. It's an oddly restrictive feeling, whether you're boosting your way ahead of the pack only to have it numbly consume you, or whether you're lagging behind only to find yourself snapped back into the midst of it all. It feels, at first, plain wrong.

And that's the first of several contradictions that's at the heart of Onrush, a game that takes a fair amount of recalibration on the player's behalf. This is a pick up and play action game that doesn't make that much sense until you've spent a couple of hours with it - and a multiplayer game that's arguably at its best when played alone, those dramatic slowed down killcams that greet each takedown understandably absent from online play. It's only when you start playing with the mindset you'd take into a multiplayer shooter, though, that Onrush really clicks into place.

Takedowns come in various flavours, none more satisfying than crushing your opponent from above.

That's because, across all of Onrush's game modes, it's never about finishing first. A lengthy single-player campaign, complete with various objectives for each event, ties together the four main modes which are available offline and on - in Overdrive you're boosting to score points for your team, stringing out combos of tricks and takedowns, while Lockdown is a variant of King of the Hill, teams working to gain possession of a small zone that races along with the stampede. Switch is a smart twist on Call of Duty's gun game, starting everyone off in a motorbike before switching them out to meatier machinery once they're taken out, and Countdown is the closest Onrush ever gets to a traditional racer, taking the checkpoint system of arcade classics and delivering its own spin as teams work together with a combined clock, and work to prevent the opposition from hitting gates.

For all the noise and clatter of Onrush's second-to-second play, with other players and the fodder that courses along your stampede barrel-rolling out of the way, it's hard at first to get a sense of what impact you're having on the outcome of any event. There's a rhythm to be found though, pulling off tricks to earn boost, using boost to fill your Rush meter - Onrush's analogue of Overwatch's Ultimates - and then unleashing it in one cathartic moment.

Be warned that there are loot boxes, rewarded upon levelling up. They're totally innocuous, though, offering mild cosmetic items that can be easily ignored.

And in that rhythm there's depth, even if it's blurred a little amidst all that chaos, with eight different vehicle classes complete with their own strengths and weaknesses as well as their own perks - little gates that spawn in a vehicle's wake when they're rushing that can help boost other teammates, say, or ones that can impede the opposition, or perhaps the ability to upend others with a little more ease. There's a lot going on in Onrush, and it's not necessarily coherent most of the time.

It is, however, fascinating and infectiously energetic. What an odd, odd game Onrush is - something that harks back to that peculiar purple patch for the arcade racer, when games like Pure, Blur, Fuel and Split/Second all came bounding along with their own take on the genre. They're hardly names you'd want to invoke in a boardroom, but they're rightly cherished by genre aficionados, and Onrush is proof once again of how thrilling a little leftfield thinking can be when it comes to the age-old racing game.

Handling is a little on the light side, and feels fleetingly similar to MotorStorm in some respects. The weight implied in vehicle combat is exemplary, though, and worthy of the great Burnout series itself.

Onrush, for all its eccentricities - indeed, because of its eccentricities - has the makings of a cult classic. I've no idea how it was greenlit, but good god am I thankful that it was. This is a driving game that's resolutely unlike anything you've played before, and in that way it feels reassuringly old - a throwback to the time when every big racing game had a bold new idea to justify its existence. Onrush is odd, upbeat and inventive - and once you've got your head into its peculiar rhythm, it's mostly excellent too.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com