OnRush – PS4 | Review

I have to admit to worrying about OnRush after playing the pre-release Beta as it did nothing to convince me this is a game I wanted. Thankfully the full game changed my perception for the better and made me realise what a fun and addictive game OnRush is. Sure there’s no finish line, but once it hooks its claws in you won’t want it to finish anyway.

Coming from the team behind the likes of Motorstorm and DriveClub, it’s not hard to see the influences here, although in many ways it is also completely different. OnRush is full-on carnage. Take the standard OverDrive mode for instance. Here, there’s no race to the finish line as in most traditional driving games, instead, your goal is to trick and jump, smash into opponents and watch as your boost bar fills up as a result. You can then burn the boost, gaining massive speed and an advantage when it comes to taking out any opponent in your path, in turn earning points for your team. Boost enough and you’ll enter Rush mode, allowing you to cut through anyone in your path.

What I love is that being first is often a disadvantage as having no-one to smash into means no boost, so it’s better that you hang back and stay with the pack, as this is the best way to ensure your team gains the points needed to win the match.

As you work your way through the game you’ll unlock different vehicle types, each of which add a new dimension to the gameplay which almost resembles how teams would play together in an online shooter, with a support class in Dynamo, allowing you to drop pickups such as Boosts for teammates and the heavy class Titan, which cuts though opponents while shielding your teammates. There are motorbikes too, and while these are often easily cut off the road, they make a great way to show off, pulling off all manner of tricks.

To mix things up further, as you win matches and unlock stars other modes will start to become available. I love the manic action of  Countdown when you have to drive through gates to keep your team’s clock from running down, while Switch gives you a more powerful vehicle each time you crash. Lockdown has you try to take control of a moving zone, which is quite challenging as you are trying to hang back, rather than use the natural instinct of going as fast as you can. All of the modes are interesting in their own way, although I have to admit that OverDrive and Countdown are my favourites so far.

One of my criticisms of the beta was that it looked a little dull, however, OnRush is full of fantastically designed maps which are both colourful and interesting. Since you need to jump to boost, all manner of ramps and obstacles have been thrown into the mix too, making each track unique and fun to drive on. The weather helps change things up too, with options to drive in snow or rain, day or night.

To be honest I’ve been having so much fun that I’ve barely put the game down. It looks great and is so much fun. It probably helps that the performance is incredible, with smooth as butter gameplay, despite the fact the screen is packed with highly detailed environments and 23 opponents including the 12 fodder cars which you’ll use as bait for boosts.

You can play OnRush either as a single-player or if you prefer Online. The former makes for easy XP and therefore access to loot boxes, which means new paint jobs, outfits and the like. I can’t really say I’m a fan of this type of system, as I hate loot boxes, but given that it is only cosmetic items it’s hardly a big deal really.

So what’s wrong with the game then? Well, when it comes to gameplay, not a lot. If anything the only major drawback is that it could possibly be criticised for a lack of content. There are a handful of game modes and vehicles, which some may feel is not enough, however, given the support DriveClub got after launch I’m sure OnRush will Evolve (Pun Intended) from what it is now.

Final Conclusion

Overall it’s important to note that if you played the OnRush Beta and even liked a little of what you saw, then chances are you’ll love this game. In my opinion, the beta was sadly lacking in what makes OnRush so great. It’s frantic, fast-paced and colourful. The action packs a punch and runs so smoothly you can’t fail to be impressed. I’m cursing my luck that I’m wasting my time reviewing the game to be honest because I would much rather be playing it.

*Code kindly provided by the publisher for review*

Developer: Codemasters  / Publisher: Koch Media
Release date: 05/06/2018
Platforms: PS4
Platform Reviewed on: PS4 Pro