Arcade racer Onrush seems like a total riot

Class-based team racing

I’ve had Onrush filed away in my mind as a frenetic off-road arcade racer from Codemasters, and it is that, but there’s more going on than expected at first glance. The vehicles have classes, my friends.

As shown in today’s video, everyone has their own abilities and characteristics. Some cars can blind opponents, while others leave behind a trail of fire. Certain vehicles are able to drop boost pick-ups for teammates, and some can disable drivers’ boost by ramming into them. The classes also build their “Rush” meter in various ways; Blade gets it from doing flips, but Vortex earns it from barrel rolls.

I was pretty much on-board with Onrush back when I thought it was a standard arcade-style racer, but these extra layers should make for a longer-lasting experience. Here’s the full class lineup:

Blade

• Firewall: RUSHing leaves a destructive trail of fire behind
• Crashbang: Your Tombstones are blinding when collected by opponents
• Tumbler: Earn RUSH directly from front and back flips

Outlaw

• Drain: RUSHing drains boost from all opponents in range
• Slam: Heavy landings trigger a shockwave that makes nearby enemies vulnerable
• Show-Off: Earn RUSH directly from performing tricks

Vortex

• Turbulence: RUSHing leaves a disruptive wake of turbulent air behind
• Touchdown: Timed boost landings are more effective
• Spiral: Earn RUSH directly from performing barrel rolls

Charger

• Bulldoze: Plow through opponents with a physically larger RUSH effect
• Airstrike: Improved magnetism on in-air attacks
• Daredevil: Earn RUSH from driving near enemies

Interceptor

• Rampage: Refill your RUSH gauge with every successful takedown
• Surge: Initial boost usage is more powerful but more costly
• Pinpoint: Earn RUSH directly from performing near misses

Dynamo

• Energize: RUSHing supplies nearby teammates with boost
• Restock: Drop boost pick-ups for your team when you boost
• Unite: Earn RUSH directly from driving near teammates

Titan

• Blockade: RUSHing drops a trail of blockades that slow your opponents down
• Shield: Give nearby teammates a shield that offers protection from big hits
• Impact: Earn RUSH directly from taking down opponents

Enforcer

• Blackout: RUSHing blinds any opponent following behind
• Shutdown: Hit opponents to temporarily disable their boost
• Bully: Earn RUSH directly from taking down fodder