Growing up as a child of the 70’s Mattel Hot Wheels were a huge part of my days. I would lay down tons of the interconnecting orange tracks around the house, build tunnels over portions of the track and spend countless hours sending Hot Wheel after Hot Wheel after Hot Wheel down the track doing loops, crashing and just having fun. Now, 40 years later, Mattel has come up with a new way to take over kid’s afternoons but they have kicked it up a notch.
Hot Wheels: Rift Rally utilizes Velan Studio’s patented RC mixed reality technology to give players an immersive racing experience with the Chameleon RC car. The Chameleon can digitally morph into 140… yes…140 vehicle variations and players can race in two modes: Campaign Mode and Stunt Mode. Here is the official press release from Velan Studio’s that will paint a better picture for you:
“Velan Studios is a leader in mixed reality gaming, and with Hot Wheels: Rift Rally they’ve created a Hot Wheels experience that blends digital and physical play in an incredibly imaginative new way,” said Mike DeLaet, Global Head of Digital Gaming, Mattel. “Over the past 55 years, families around the world have created cherished memories with Hot Wheels, and we’re thrilled to further that tradition in the digital space to keep the brand ahead of the curve as it continues to resonate with fans.
Hot Wheels: Rift Rally puts players behind the wheel of their favorite Hot Wheels vehicles using the Chameleon RC car, which can digitally transform into more than 140 vehicle variations. This includes iconic Hot Wheels such as Twin Mill™, Bone Shaker™, Mach Speeder™, Gotta Go™, and more fan-favorites; as well as several Rift Rally original vehicles.
“At Velan Studios, we pride ourselves on our ability to create ground-breaking game experiences through new forms of play,” said Karthik Bala, CEO, Velan Studios. “With Hot Wheels: Rift Rally, we leveled up our RC car technology to really bring the fantasy of being in the drivers’ seat of a Hot Wheels car to life. We can’t wait for players to experience it for themselves, and turn their living rooms into the ultimate Hot Wheels race tracks.”
In Hot Wheels: Rift Rally, players begin by selecting from two unique modes of play: Campaign Mode, where players create the ultimate mixed reality track and explore different challenge maps where there are multiple challenges to complete and races to race; and Stunt Mode, where they’ll stunt the Chameleon without gates as they chain together drifts, wheelies, and burnouts to hit high scores and earn rewards. Hot Wheels: Rift Rally provides endless options to players to customize the look and performance of their cars that impact the RC car’s performance in the real world. Through a variety of mini-games, puzzles and challenges – as well as solo or multiplayer sessions – the opportunities for fun in Hot Wheels: Rift Rally are limitless.
The Hot Wheels: Rift Rally Standard Edition is available now in the U.S. for $129.99 USD, and the Deluxe Edition is available for $149.99 USD at www.riftrally.com, Amazon and GameStop. Included with purchase is the Chameleon RC car, four Rift Gates for track building, and a charging cable. Game software is free to download from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and PlayStation Store. The Collector’s Edition includes a special edition Chameleon with black deco and gold accents and a limited edition McLaren Senna Hot Wheels die-cast supercar in a display case.”
Watch this video that gives you some perspective on just how cool this is. Kids nowadays have some pretty darn cool options to occupy their time and this new offering from Mattel and Velan Studios is yet another highly desirable thing that we want… no… NEED in our office!
Hot Wheels: Rift Rally, is now available on the Apple App Store, Sony PlayStation 4 and Sony PlayStation 5. Wanna race?