Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks Preview — Driving Through the Death & Destruction

Henry Cavill and fellow Warhammer enthusiasts will be eating well with the abundance of new Warhammer projects on the horizon, including Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 . Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks has graced my Steam library with a fresh take on the vehicular combat genre that seldom gets enough love.

Based on the 2018 boardgame , Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks , like other videogame adaptations of the storied franchise, successfully transforms the tabletop experience into a fun and familiar-feeling online experience that feels like a mashup of games, including the beloved Twisted Metal series and even cult classics such as Cel Damage , presented in an unmistakably Warhammer coat of paint, complete with the wear and tear of a well-loved set of miniatures.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the Warhammer franchise , or if you’re like me and mostly know it through its videogame releases, fear not, as Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks holds up entirely on its 4 wheels thanks to a solid gameplay loop and distinct and easy-to-control vehicles.

In its current iteration, Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks features two game modes, Deff Rally and Kill Konvoy, spread across six maps, including Krump Canyon, Rok Rush, Mob Mountain and Burna Valley. Frozen Dakka and the Ded’ard Desert make up the remaining final maps, exclusive to the Kill Konvoy game type.

“Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks holds up entirely on its 4 wheels thanks to a solid gameplay loop and distinct and easy-to-control vehicles.”

Starting with the latter, Kill Konvoy tasks players in protecting their Stompa, a behemoth of a tank-like payload given to both teams . The object of the game requires either side to find a bomb that spawns somewhere on the map, pick it up and then crash into the opponent’s Stompa, kamikaze style. In other words, Kill Konvoy feels like what would happen if Rocket League was set in a Mad Max -inspired post-apocalyptic setting.

Conversely, Deff Rally emphasizes racing more, with players scrambling towards various control points. When successfully taken, these points prompt the next leg of the race, slowly racking up points towards the end of the round. Naturally, this sets up some fun moments of tension between both sides as they collide and clash for control on the rather expansive and open-ended maps.

In terms of vehicle variety, Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks currently features four racers to choose from: the Boomdakka Snazzwagon, the Kustom Boosta Blasta, the Looted Wagon, and finally, the Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy.

“Overall, the vehicle variety in Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks is solid, particularly for a free-to-play title.”

Starting with the Boomdakka Snazzwagon, which can be considered your best all-arounder type of vehicle, this two-seater comes complete with a chaingun turret, making it perfect for DPS and fast manoeuvrability during races. Next up is the Kustom Boosta Blasta, similar to the former in terms of manoeuvrability; what sets this car apart is its arsenal, which features a live orc that can be thrown in an arc as a powerful mini-nuke, plus a powerful primary shot, making it feel like a shotgun on wheels.

The Looted Wagon is your big, hulky, tank class of vehicle. While significantly slower than the other cars, the Looted Wagon makes a great last line of defence when trying to claim control or protect your Stompa in a game of Kill Konvoy. Finally, to round things out, the Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy, the only real support-styled vehicle, can heal teammates in an AoE when nearby, making it worthwhile to have around when in the heat of battle or securing points on the map.

Overall, the vehicle variety in Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks is solid, particularly for a free-to-play title. Every racer feels fun to control, with weapons that pack a punch and are satisfying to use against the opposing team. If you’re familiar with the source material, you’ll definitely appreciate the attention to detail Caged Element has put into adapting the board game for the screen.

Additionally, like most free-to-play affairs, Speed Freeks features a healthy amount of premium cosmetics that can be purchased with real money to deck your racers of choice further. It should also be noted that completing races will grant you EXP, which can, in turn, be used to level up and earn some free goodies, making it a fair and fun balance for all.

If there was one point of concern or criticism I have towards Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks, it would be its map variety. Although the game features a good number of various sandboxes to play in, most, if not all, maps feel fairly similar as far as mechanics and stage hazards go, something I hope evolves as the game matures.

Ultimately, Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks is coming together nicely, making it a worthwhile vehicular combat experience worth checking out for fans of not only the source material but also for those who miss the niche and woefully underappreciated genre of car-based carnage.