One of my favourite things about video games is how you traverse their worlds. These worlds are so lovingly crafted that I want to feel that I can exist in them, that there’s weight to my movement so I feel grounded despite the fact I’m standing in the middle of a medieval fantasy, a sci-fi battlefield, or in the case of Wheel World, a bizarre island town obsessed with bicycles.
Very few games explore the humble bicycle as a mode of transport. Even fewer seem to do it well. Between the weightiness of shifting your body to turn to the tactility of the gears and brakes, bikes do a fantastic job of grounding you in the world and making you feel a part of it. This sense of belonging is just one of the many things Wheel World does incredibly well.
As mentioned, the town of Tramonto is obsessed with bikes. Not only is everyone riding them, whether solo or in gangs, but there seems to be a whole ancient culture built around them, which is where the game starts. There’s no messing around, you get straight into the story and meet Skully, the demon bike who needs a legendary rider to “keep the chain of life moving” (yes, the game is absolutely full of bike puns like this). Unfortunately while he’s been asleep some bad eggs have come along and stripped him for parts, leaving him with rusty old wheels, handlebars, seat, etc. He’s in no condition to ride the celestial slipstream and bridge the gap between the Wheel World and the moon, and with no legendary riders around, you’re his only option.
Following a short opening segment where you learn the basics, you’re let loose in Tramonto with the goal of winning back Skully’s stolen parts from the local gang leaders. To do this you’ll need to visit each of the four regions, find a shrine to reveal the map and then take part in races to earn rep. Earn enough and you can tackle the gang boss before pedalling off to the next area. It’s a simple but fun loop, and with the emphasis on finding those four shrines plus the game’s gorgeous soft visuals, it reminded me of a two-wheeled Zelda game at times.
Earning rep is mostly done through races, which at first I thought were a bit too simple but as the game goes on the difficulty ramps up. They’re never overly difficult but some of the shorter, tighter races towards the end of the game had me concentrating hard to make sure I stayed on track. Each race is against one of the many bike gangs in Tramonto, which add a fun theme to the event, whether you’re racing around a velodrome with the Fixies gang or flying over a BMX track with the old school Pedal Pumpers. Some of the best races in the game were the “boss” races too, which are point-to-point sprints across their section of the map. When the music kicks in and you’re boosting past the pack it really is an incredible experience.
These races wouldn’t be as much fun if the game didn’t nail the fundamentals of movement so perfectly. Your bike feels incredible to control, even with rusty parts. There’s no overly complex controls, you simply pedal, boost, and brake, but additional nuance can be found through how you race. Staying behind opponents lets you draft, building up speed and boost power which can then slingshot you to the front of the pack, at which point you don’t have anyone to draft behind so the focus becomes speeding close to obstacles and cars to trigger Burnout-style “near misses” which also build boost. It’s a great set of mechanics that are further improved by bike customisation.
Your bike is governed by four stats that dictate how hard you pedal, how aerodynamic you are etc. You can mix and match bike parts as you find/earn them to create something that suits your style of riding, and for those that want additional challenge you can even move to a two or three speed bike which gives you more control over your speed at the cost of requiring extra concentration to make sure you’re always in the right gear.
While I loved the mechanics and structure of the game, there was a bit of a rug pull moment around the halfway point which I was less keen on. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s essentially a moment that extends the lifespan of the game. While it’s not a long game, the game sets up your objective at the start and when you achieve it you find out it’s not actually the end of the game. That said, it threads into a secondary narrative focusing on Cyclorps, an Amazon-esque bike-themed megacorp which is fun and sets up the next part of the game well.
Wheel World is a gorgeous game. There’s a lovely lo-fi style to it that makes it feel relaxing to pootle about in while still feeling intense when you’re taking corners at 50km/h. There’s some great visual flourishes, like when you ding your bell and a comic book-style “ding ding” appears on screen. While the environments are stunning, the character designs are a little less interesting, particularly Kat, the player character, who feels rather forgettable. She’s essentially just a blank slate for Skully to talk to, and he does a great job of bringing the personality.
The game needs recognition for its soundtrack too, provided by indie label Italians Do It Better. It’s an incredible selection of tracks that flit between ethereal synths that melts into your brain as you pedal about, to pumping pop that matches the tempo of the race. Again, the boss races are incredible for their use of these songs, and during one particular race I found myself bopping along to the track so much that I nearly crashed right at the finish line. It’s genuinely excellent and will 100% be making its way onto my big gaming music playlist.
Wheel World is an excellent game, bringing a realistic weightiness from the bike handling and merging it with a beautiful, Mediterranean-style fantasy world which is an absolute joy to explore. It’s a weird premise, with all the bike-obsessed citizens and culture, but it’s full of charm because of it. Wheel World is so good that it’s made me want to get my bike out of the shed and use it for more than trips to Asda to buy nappies, and if that isn’t the mark of a good game then I don’t know what is.
