Back in 2014, developer Messhof delivered what I still consider the definitive indie fighting game in Nidhogg. I would never have predicted the devs' eventual pivot into open-world bicycle racing games with the upcoming Wheel World, but after playing through the game's Steam Next Fest demo I'm already in love.
Wheel World's setup involves ghosts and ancient cycling spirits, but all you really need to know is that it takes place in a gorgeous cel-shaded open-world with a delightful aesthetic and vibes that I can only describe as thoroughly chill - even the ancient cycling spirits haunting the land are pretty friendly. Within a couple of minutes you're on a dilapidated bike roaming the countryside.
The core of Wheel World is riding your bike - though you do have the option of hopping off to explore and talk to people on-foot - and it immediately feels sublime. You pull the trigger to accelerate, which sees your character aggressively pedaling to build up speed. Naturally, you carry the momentum you build up forward depending on the terrain, and there's an easy pleasure to building your speed up hills, careening back downhill, and bleeding off speed to make the winding corners with light taps of the brake.
The demo takes place in a small prologue region of a wider open-world - think Breath of the Wild's Great Plateau - teasing the sorts of activities you can find in the full game. There are, of course, races with other riders to take part in, introducing such satisfying mechanics as drafting, which not only gives you an immediate speed bonus but also helps fill a separate boost meter you can spend for a further burst of acceleration. That meter also fills up from things like grazing hits and near misses, Burnout-style, incentivizing you to ride in the most thrilling way possible.
Each race has a variety of objectives, from making a top three finish to beating a certain par time, and the rewards include customization parts you can use to enhance your bike. New wheels, bodies, and the like will offer trade-off improvements to your handling and speed. The first handful of upgrades I gathered in the demo instantly had a profound effect on the way my bike handled, and I'm already looking forward to the prospect of going back to re-challenge old races with a constantly improving loadout in the full game.
I had high hopes for Wheel World going in, and those were easily matched - it's admittedly the only Steam Next Fest demo I've played so far, but it's going to take a lot for anything else to topple this as my favorite demo of the event. Wheel World hits PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X this summer.
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