Motordoom

Whereas video games are ever-changing, surely not many titles really make a breakthrough. Among them stands out Motördoom by Hobo Cat Games—the freakish blend of free-styled sports gameplay, roguelite elements, and horde-shooting actions. An unholy union like this gives birth to an experience as exhilarating as it is terribly addictive.

Ride or Die

From the moment the chainsaw-pit bikes are revving, it becomes quite clear: this is no ordinary game. There isn't any lack of balancing acts within the base gameplay pattern: between pulling off sick tricks and mosying, versus decimating waves of demonic enemies. Grind, flip, manual across hellish arenas, constantly juggling the desire to rack up combo points with the need to thin out the monsterafied horde.

The trick system is almost a love letter to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series—only with a rather demonic twist. The stringing together of flips, grabs, and grinds feels intuitive and rewarding—something akin to those late-night blasts of memory-laden sessions trying to tussle with that perfect line. Unlike THPS, though, here your combos serve more than just your high score—they're the key to survival and progression.

Demonic Upgrades

You slaughter monsters and land trick combos to earn experience points that can be spent on buying Demonic Offerings. These upgradable cards are really the bedrock of Motördoom's roguelite elements, letting you construct fearsome decks of cards that augment your in-play abilities. There's an impressive range of cards to choose from, so you have the potential to adapt different playstyle variations and experiment with them.

This system for progress makes each run pretty unique, and the small changes are what keep the game fresh. Will you be beefing up firepower or working on mobility? Or are you able to find synergy that turns you into an unstoppable trick-shooting machine? The difference between glorious victory and fiery doom may be in these very decisions.

Review 8/10

Motördoom is a shot in the arm to an industry often accused of playing things too safe. It takes big swings, and for the most part manages to knock them right outta the park. A free-form extreme sports game that adds horde shooting? That's absolute madness on paper. But in action, it forms a truly singular—and really rather addictive—gameplay loop.

What it lacks in polish, compared to AAA titles, Motördoom more than makes up for with creativity and a lot of fun. It's somewhat reminiscent of cult classics like Sunset Overdrive, simply due to its willingness to throw convention out the window in the name of absurdity.

Pros:

• Unique blend of freestyle sports and horde shooting
• Satisfying trick system reminiscent of classic extreme sport games
• Engaging roguelite progression with Demonic Offerings
• Variety of characters and bikes to unlock
• High-octane, metal-infused atmosphere

Cons:

• Steep learning curve may turn some players off
• Some characters/bikes drastically underpowered compared to others
• Roguelite elements might not appeal to fans of traditional progression