Cycling games are back as Wheel World ratchets up the intensity & weirdness

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As a gamer, I can’t remember the last time I played a truly outstanding cycling game. But now, Wheel World is stepping up to the plate with its unique approach. This game offers an open world teeming with hidden gems, eye-catching visuals that ooze style, and a catchy soundtrack that ties it all together. It’s sure to keep you spinning your wheels in excitement for hours!

Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX, Downhill Domination – These were popular action sports video games that used to be released alongside Tony Hawk’s best-selling series. Together, they provided an exciting rush for players who loved extreme sports games.

Although Wheel World doesn’t aim to duplicate the acrobatic, stunt-focused gameplay popular in the early 2000s, it recaptures the essence of that time when biking was not merely an additional aspect, but the central focus of the gaming experience.

In this game, the central theme revolves around our main character, Kat, and her bicycle. As you encounter various characters, discover hidden items, and follow the narrative, everything is connected to the experience of cycling.

What is Wheel World?

Wheel World tells the story of two distinct gaming experiences. One side offers an exhilarating journey filled with speedy races against time, passing multiple checkpoints on your way to the finish line. The opposite side presents a relaxing trip through a surreal yet peaceful environment, inviting you to appreciate the ambiance and immerse yourself in the delightful soundtrack.

Developing those two aspects was a significant test during the creation process, as Mark Essen and Kristy Norindr (business and life partners, also known as Messhof) shared with me. However, they emphasized that your level of expertise isn’t crucial for advancement in the game. Whether you’re an avid cyclist or not, you can still make substantial progress in uncovering the intriguing plot and even collecting some of the more eccentric items, which are abundant within the game.

Imagine if Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Burnout Paradise combined their elements, with the tranquil aspects being emphasized more like in Burnout Paradise.

Instead of their usual chaos in the Nidhogg series, Wheel World offers a tranquil experience with its 3D, single-player focused design that emphasizes atmosphere over multiplayer turmoil.

Immerse yourself directly into this enigmatic open environment; you decide the tempo of your journey. Do you prefer venturing off-road with a cyclist to uncover a secret artifact, or are you keen on challenging a local gang immediately to test your abilities?

If you’re like me and enjoy leisurely bike rides, you might want to ride along while grooving to the heavenly tunes produced by electronic legends from Italians Do It Better, led by Johnny Jewel. Chromatics is a band you’ve likely heard of if you’re a fan, but for those who aren’t, don’t miss out – give their music a listen.

What the devs say about it

The original idea

Essen began experimenting with prototypes by immersing himself in Golf Story. He found the game incredibly engaging throughout and was inspired to draw upon its unique qualities. His goal was to delve into a sport that isn’t often represented in games or given much thought to, wanting to create something meaningful from it.

As a passionate cyclist, I found myself pedaling through countless trails, my heart pulsating with the rhythm of my beloved bikes. The gaming landscape lacked a true representation of my passion, until one fateful day, Riders Republic emerged – a game that promised much more than just cycling. However, it was an all-encompassing title, offering a variety of activities beyond biking.

Desiring a game that could truly capture the essence of freeform, open-world bike exploration, my friends and I embarked on a journey to create such a title. The goal was simple: let players immerse themselves in a vast world designed specifically for them to perform all sorts of exciting bike maneuvers.

As I embarked on this gaming journey, I realized that what I initially thought was the game wasn’t quite it, and the next thing I knew, that wasn’t the game either. It was an iterative process of discovery, a dance between what I envisioned and the reality of creation. To my surprise, we didn’t have a detailed blueprint or game design document guiding us from the get-go. Instead, we learned as we went along, shaping our creation through trial and error, successes, and failures.

The game evolved similarly to a tree adapting to find light from various angles. We never transformed into a completely different plant, but instead, it has consistently changed. There were numerous paths we chose not to follow.

Getting weird with it

As a devoted fan, I’m absolutely thrilled about the open-world nature of this game! It offers a multitude of opportunities to advance without being confined to racing alone. The bike customization is simply mind-blowing, with no less than seven distinct categories of bike parts. Each category boasts numerous options, and if my memory serves me right, there are tens of variations for each one. This results in a staggering number of combinations, making it feel like I have millions of unique possibilities to explore!

Our games feature unique bicycles such as the Hot Dog Bike, Horse Bike, and Gamer Bike with an old CRT monitor. You’ll find hidden tracks to explore, and you can compete in short races against other cyclists who might guide you to unexplored territories. There’s plenty to discover.

Many individuals might not complete this game due to finding satisfaction with the open-world exploration itself.

The Johnny Jewel effect

During the pandemic, Norindr found himself immersed in music, creating playlists to keep his spirits high. He’s fond of exploring various musical genres, and during this period, his exploration led him towards electronic music. In a previous life in New York, he was a party promoter. His deep dive into music during the pandemic centered around retro electro tracks, which he grew increasingly enthusiastic about.

I’m quite fond of Italians; their work is exceptional. I reached out to them unexpectedly, and surprisingly, Megan and Johnny from the label responded positively. They expressed interest in collaborating with me!

We touched down on Joon and Orion, not only because they showed interest, but each of them previously had experience with creating game sounds, whether composing soundtracks or adding sound effects. Later, Johnny Jewel became intrigued about handling the overall sound design.

In response, Essen added, “I believe Kristy initially established the genre for us. As for me, I was offering guidance on specific scenes and settings. Later, we had concept art that they could use as a reference. Towards the end, we were making adjustments to the pace.

The competitions were extremely challenging, while the exploration was less so. We found ourselves puzzling over how to arrange things properly and which settings we could tweak.

As a dedicated fan, I found myself often grappling with the fact that many key players were away for significant stretches during matches. This meant that our collaborative efforts would be intense when we were all present, only to find ourselves separated for a spell before regrouping again to continue the battle on the field.

Eight years on from Nidhogg 2, and two years on from its reveal under the name Ghost Bike, Wheel World is finally set to launch on July 23, 2025. You can play the game across PC, Xbox Series X | S, and PS5.

For more New Game+ previews, check here to catch up on our latest features.

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2025-07-21 08:19