When Bugbear first announced that a sequel to Wreckfest was coming, I was excited. Though it would start out in Early Access, much like the first game did, it would still represent the core of the game come the full release. Showing off the increase in visuals, audio, and damage models in place. Across the months, a lot more content will come for Wreckfest 2. But what is here for the beginning of its Early Access journey is a lot of fun.

For the tracks, there’s Speedway, featuring the standard oval track along with a figure-8 variation. These two are fun in different ways, with the figure-8 providing some chaos with its central crossover point. Speedway also features the only demolition derby arena of the current selection of locations. It’s a nice change of pace from the racing, though it’s never been something I focused on with the first game.

From that first game comes Savolax Sandpit, with its long configuration. An enjoyable track from the first Wreckfest, its return in this second game comes with a makeover. It looks ever so lovely now, with more detail showing it as the quarry it always was. A track with many elevation changes, this is a great one to have included to show how the physics handle such changes.

The highlight new track, one that’s featured in the trailers, is Scrapyard. This is a dirt track full of containers and scrapped vehicles, with many intersections where crashes are very likely to happen. It’s a very fun one, but it also has a second configuration. One of the best chaos tracks of the first game was Bonebreaker Valley, a track which had racers drive into oncoming traffic on its singular straight. It has been recreated in Scrapyard, and is just as fun as ever.

Along with those is a sandbox map to see the damage systems in play through various means. Such as plinko, or failing a loop. Or a cannon blast into a wall. There’s a lot of fun to be had with this sandbox map, with unique ways of damaging a vehicle not possible by the regular locations. What I love about the damage systems is just how ridiculous these vehicles can look after some smashing good fun. And they still drive too! Even missing a wheel and the front smashed right into the driver’s legs.

The vehicles used for driving around are two returning cars and two new ones. The Rocket and the Roadslayer are two great cars to be using. The new ones, simply labelled as American 1 and European 1, each offer something different from those older vehicles. The European car feels the weakest of the lot in terms of damage, but when used well is perhaps the best to drive. As long as you accept its refusal to drift.

Speaking of damage, that is one area that seems to have had some change from the first game. But, at the minute, it feels too destructive. It’s a lot more reactive, with debris scattered across the track chipping away at heath and the bodywork. Alongside crashes deforming the body. But when driving over a singular tyre can rip through around eight health, with a wheel being ripped off the framework by that same tyre, it is a bit overkill.

That can be a major issue, with some minor ones being that the B button of a controller cannot be used as a custom bind. Since it is used to close the bind prompt. Elsewhere in terms of control, photo mode needs a working on, since it doesn’t feel coded right. The move up bind moves the camera up, but so too does move down. Moving the camera forward also moves it up, with the same happening with backward also moving down. I’ve managed to work around these to get some great shots still.

This is Early Access, so these problems are to be expected. They can be worked on across the months until the full release. In fact, I suspect the smaller ones will likely be corrected before the first content update in May, which will add two new vehicles and two new tracks to Wreckfest 2. Whether the content updates will keep coming every two months hasn’t been revealed by the roadmap, but it does seem to allude to the players having a say in what comes next.

I’m pretty excited to see Wreckfest 2 grow across its Early Access journey. As someone who didn’t get on board with Wreckfest until the console release, I missed out on that first game’s journey to a full release. I suspect Wreckfest 2’s journey won’t be quite so long, or so dramatic. For now, what is here with Wreckfest 2 is a great time. I can see an excellent future for it across its journey to a full release.

Images Taken From:
Wreckfest 2 | PC