Matchbox Driving Adventures Review (PlayStation 5)

Matchbox Driving Adventures offers a visually appealing experience with its bright and colorful graphics and a manageable download size of 2.79GB. The game features a Platinum trophy, adding an extra incentive for completionists. The racing gameplay is officially licensed, providing an authentic feel, and players can choose between two modes: adventure and competition. The game includes helpful controller options like auto-accelerate and lane assist, which can be toggled on and off using button combinations. Navigating through the game is straightforward with a world map level selection and tutorial pop-ups that guide players as they progress. Unlocking new locations requires driving to them initially, but this can be skipped once completed. The game is fully voiced, with Chief acting as the narrator and quest-giver, enhancing the immersive experience.

Despite these positives, “Matchbox Driving Adventures” has several drawbacks. The handling is notably poor, affecting general steering, braking, and acceleration, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. Missions are often bland and repetitive, and driving between locations feels purposeless and unenjoyable. The music is monotonous, adding to the sense of repetitiveness. Additionally, the inability to remap controls and the lack of online modes or multiplayer options limit the game’s flexibility and replayability. In competition mode, players are restricted to using cars and sprays unlocked in single-player, which can feel limiting. The game world, despite being fully 3D, often feels lifeless and flat.

The game does offer some variety in missions, ranging from collecting items to delivering products, and players can track their progress with a progress bar that fills as they play. Each level displays the best completion time and overall percentage, encouraging replayability. The single-driving view is functional, and players can look behind while driving. Drifting, getting air time, and sliding alongside cars build boost fuel, adding some excitement to the gameplay. Each location features a handful of events with a consistent theme, and players can tackle missions in any order as they unlock multiple missions at a time. The garage allows for vehicle customization, including changing colors, and navigation aids like arrows on the floor and corners help guide players during missions. The game includes diverse location types such as beaches and snowy areas, and competition mode offers single-location events or championships with three AI difficulty levels: easy, normal, and hard. There are twelve vehicles to unlock, each with unique stats, and players can spend points on new paint jobs. The game boasts fourteen different locations, providing a variety of environments to explore.

In summary, Matchbox Driving Adventures has a lot to offer with its vibrant graphics, variety of missions, and customization options. However, the poor handling, repetitive missions, and lack of multiplayer modes may detract from the overall experience. While it has potential, the game could benefit from improvements in these areas to enhance its appeal and replayability. Its aimed at kids or younger gamers but honestly, even they will struggle with the bad controls and frustrating level design.