Monster Trucks are dangerous beasts of destruction. They are often shown off in demolition derbies. The chaos these things can cause is immense because of their size. With huge wheels and powerful motors, a big part of their purpose is to destroy all the stands in their way. Though this game is less about destruction and more about winning races and performing stunts.
Monster Jam Steel Titans start the player off with quite the tutorial. They will have to complete several exercises and learn and win a race to get to the meat of the game. These tutorials are mandatory so players can get a feel for the game. There are a lot of things that the player must do to control this ride so its best to hunker down and get it done. Players will learn to do certain maneuvers to help get them out of tough spots. It takes practice to control the vehicle just right but its a good feeling once its mastered. Players will learn how to do all sorts of tricks too as they play the game. For big vehicles, these monsters can do quite a few different aerial maneuvers. Players will also take part in destruction derbies which is by far the most fun in my opinion. I enjoy taking these trucks out and crushing anything that dares stand in my way. While not omnipresent it’s better to crush things than to win races.
Races in these monster trucks are a key part of the game. I wasn’t expecting there to be much racing but players will be racing for most of the game. They will tear down the track trying not to crash and rising through the ranks. The steering could be better but the player will have to do with what the game gives. The stunt challenges provide players with the chance to prove they can perform tricks with the best of them. They will take turns flipping and jumping all over arenas. It’s good fun and takes time to figure out. But soon enough players will be doing all of the cool stunts and winning it all no problem!
Drivers will probably play through the career mode first. This mode is chock full of challenges, including races, stunt challenges, and derbies. Players will win gold to outfit their trucks by playing this mode. There is also a Career+ mode that turns this mode up another level. The challenges become harder but the rewards become sweeter. It’s only playable after clearing Career, so take notice of that. While playing players will collect gold. This gold can be used to strengthen trucks. Though players must realize that once the gold is spent its spent for good. So only upgrade the trucks the player likes or uses often. It can take a while to collect gold so it’s good to use it a little sparingly at first. Players can collect a good deal of different outfits for their drivers. They can even get the coolest monster trucks around. I’m not a big monster truck fan but as a kid, I was always fond of the Grave Digger. That truck is playable and that’s all I care about. It’s nice to be able to customize the game in any way, so this is a plus in my book.
There is a solo quick play mode where players can take on a variety of challenges. These events are perfect for the moments where players want to enjoy the game but don’t want to commit to the career mode. Quickplay includes Head to Head, Rhythm, Freestyle and Destruction modes including a few others. It’s nice to be able to get in a few rounds when time only allows for that. This game also has split-screen so two players can play simultaneously. I think its more fun playing with a second person to see how much mayhem we can cause. The game itself plays the same but having two people play is worth giving a shot. While the game can be played solo local co-op is always a good time. This game doesn’t have an online play so this will have to do!
The game uses vibration to the fullest and honestly, it’s probably the hardest my Switch has ever vibrated. Immediately after turning on the game I learned that every moment the Switch will vibrate. It’s to help simulate the power of the truck. Thankfully, it can be turned off because it is honestly a little overkill. Though I’m sure for some they will happily have their Switch vibrate as it could break at a moment’s notice. This game also has a ton of voice acting. It’s not simply just the commentators, but anything spoken is spoken. Even the tutorials are read to the player. It is good to have spoken word in-game in case kids are playing and can’t read well yet. I just wasn’t expecting there to be so much dialogue. Some of the tutorials are wordy so it’s great they went above and beyond to include this! The game has a variety of tracks that play throughout it. These tracks seem random and some aren’t too bad. Some of the songs are downright awful and there is no way to select which music plays. So, it’s kind of a crapshoot. I would have liked choosing the music that plays because bad music can kill a run.
Monster Jam Steel Titans is all it markets itself as a monster truck game. Players will win countless races and perform a myriad of tricks to become the best Monster Truck driver out there. With so many trucks to collect and high octane, fun abound fans of monster trucks are sure to have a good time. The truck is gassed up will the player take the wheel to victory?