GearGrinder Demo

Sports cars may be built to go as fast as possible and maneuver easily in corners, but they are also quite fragile and they wouldn't really survive any kind of impact at higher speeds. Trucks, on the other hand, are the exact opposite, since they are mainly manufactured to carry heavy things and not have to worry about huge top speeds.

GearGrinder is the type of game that redefines a few notions in the genre and calls itself a racing game, although that's a little far fetched from the truth. Instead of regular cars, you get to drive huge trucks and use a variety of mounted weapons to take out the other racers, in order to be the first one to pass the finish line and the last man still standing at the end of the race.

Because the trucks are significantly larger than normal vehicles, it basically means that a lot more oversized weapons can be mounted on them, which is always good news. However, in order to deal with the added weight and still be able to race properly, you can also include a few speed upgrades and basically turn the trucks into tanks with jet engines attached to them.

To take advantage of the doom machines, the game includes a variety of race modes, some of which are downright ridiculous ones that are only there to have some fun in multiplayer. Hence, whether you want to play slalom with the trucks, use them as bowling balls, or go head-to-head in the arena, there are plenty of hilarious options to choose from, as well as the possibility to play with up to 7 other players on the same server.

Technically, the game does not disappoint when it comes to graphics quality, since the trucks themselves and the special effects are very nicely modeled and rendered. The same can be said about the various weapons and upgrades you can equip, but the environments have been a bit neglected and it kind of shows, since many of the tracks feature repetitive landscapes.

Although it is not very polished and it could have used a lot more work when it comes to the gameplay mechanics, GearGrinder tried something new and almost pulled it off, which is quite the feat this day and age. However, beside a few hours of fun and laughs, the game quickly loses its appeal, mainly because it needs more content and the idea has to be developed further.