ONRUSH beta is AWESOME and you should try it immediately
The ONRUSH beta is still live through today, and I would strongly encourage anyone with an interest in the game to take some time today to check it out. The beta has a very simple leveling system, and the higher your level, the more cosmetics you unlock for the final game. I spent about three hours with the beta yesterday, and that was more than enough time to level up to beta level 25 and unlock all of the goodies for the full release. But rewards aside, I probably would have played the beta for quite a while anyhow, as it is ridiculously entertaining (and also family appropriate, which is a factor for me on the weekends).
What I hadn’t grasped about ONRUSH before playing the beta is that, while ONRUSH is a "racing" game, there is no finish line. When playing the game, it does not matter if you are in first place or in fourteenth. ONRUSH is about accumulating points for your team (instead of earning a finishing position), which changes the dynamic into something refreshing and fun. Contributing to a team also both ups the pressure to perform well and offers a bit of relief for when you do mess up and go flying off of a cliff; your team can keep piling on points while you respawn.
Points are acquired by “boosting” and “rushing”. Boost is refilled by pulling off jumps, tricks, and knocking out opponents. Your Rush meter is slowly filled by boosting, and triggering it offers a more powerful surge of energy, firing special moves and making it easier to defeat enemies. Boost comes fast and furious, where Rush is a more occasional power move.
The two modes offered in the beta are great. “Overdrive” is a team vs. team point accumulation game, which varies in the number of rounds and amount of points it takes to win. My favorite iteration of this mode is the one that requires teams to reach 15000 points and goes to the best of five rounds. It is a longer and more intense version of the game than the shorter, 10000 point/3 round offerings. With five rounds, fates can swing wildly, offering the opportunity for amazing comebacks and razor thin defeats.
“Countdown” mode is even better. Each team has a timer counting down from 30 seconds, and the only way to add time to your team’s timer is to drive through a series of narrow gates. This leads to a situation where all 16 cars are trying to pile through a gate wide enough for two, all traveling at full speed and aggressively trying to bump opponents to the side. It is hilarious carnage.
The four vehicles on display demonstrate the vehicles in ONRUSH are unique and wildly varied. I ended up settling on two favorites. “Blade”, the motorcycle has a lot of maneuverability, but is vulnerable to attack (particularly from the side). Rushing with Blade leaves a destructive trail of fire in your wake, and triggering it at the right moment can absolutely devastate the opposing team.
I also enjoyed “Titan”, a big and powerful Hummer-looking vehicle. While not as maneuverable, Titan is great for knocking chumps out of the way, making it a clinch player in Countdown mode. Firing Rush and knocking three or four fools out of the way while flying from gate to gate is immensely satisfying.
The usual beta matchmaking issues are present in the ONRUSH beta, but don’t let that deter you. This game is a blast, and is everything I was hoping it would be. My son and I sat on the sofa, passing the controller and hooting at each other, which to me is the best kind of fun. I can’t wait until the full release on June 5th. ONRUSH is going to eat up an amazing chunk of my summer.
