Auto Age: Standoff

Gameplay — 3/5

The first thing we want you to know is that this game can be highly recommended to the fans of Twisted Metal, Destruction Derby or even Rocket League. The tutorial here is extremely impressive. The driving is great, the combat is ok, the theme is excellent. However, it’s all surrounded by a game that just feels lacking. It seems that designers produced a brilliant setting and designed great control mechanics, but the game is more like a shadow of what the intro and tutorial say it’s ought to be.

Graphics and Audio Effects — 5/5

The aesthetic of the game extends to the art design, with an authentic look. Vehicles look like they came from the old Transformers cartoons, and the bright colours and neon purple shots of the energy-based weapons or shields will recall all the nice memories of the halcyon days of Hasbro’s robots in masks. The sound too brings you closer to the decade of big hair along with a theme tune that actually draws in quickly. The music is top notch. The gunfire, flying bullets and weapons are impressive and realistic.

Immersion — 3.5/5

You are supposed to pick one vehicle from several cars, each with its own speed and armour strength, then complete your choice with the primary guns and secondary weapons/abilities. After that, you are going to complete your mission. This all sounds simple enough in theory, but you’re never really taught how to do any of this properly, and the whole process takes a bit of trial and error first. It might be fun for the first time, but without a solid single-player mode or a strong player base, there's simply not much to enjoy here, the chance of getting bored is increasing mission by mission.

Controls — 5/5

There is a great control mechanics in this game. Controls are responsive and it feels natural to make in-game moves. The only drawback is that the default configuration for a controller didn’t have the brake mapped to it. You can fix it of course, but it should probably be there somewhere, to begin with.

In-game purchases — 4/5

There are upcoming content updates, but you can play the game freely once you’ve purchased it for $20.

To sum up

Auto Age: Standoff doesn’t have the content to back up its excellent visual design. With a few more maps and another game mode, it would have been much more fun. As it stands, however, it’s a nice game held back by an entirely average overall package.

We highly recommend this game to anyone who has spent a lot of time playing Twisted Metal, Rocket League or even Destruction Derby, as we have.