Carmageddon: Rogue Shift

Carmageddon (Stainless Games, 1997) still lives fondly in the memories of many, thanks to its brutal action and twisted sense of humour. Over the years, several attempts have been made to resurrect its unique brand of vehicular mayhem, but none have managed to recapture the original's magic. Almost a decade has passed since the last reboot attempt, and now 34BigThings throws its own hat into the ring with Carmageddon: Rogue Shift.

The game's promotional blurbs talk about a zombie apocalypse and a deadly automotive bloodsport, but in practice, that "story" amounts to a handful of comic‑style panels showing cars tearing across a desert. The grand prize is a ticket onto a rocket ship escaping a dying Earth. In Rogue Shift, you're tossed behind the wheel with zero ceremony. The game is built around standalone races where you must place in the top three to progress. Mid‑tier events demand outright victory, and boss encounters give you a time limit to destroy the main target. Only a small handful of linear tracks, with a few shortcuts sprinkled in, are available, and they're recycled far too aggressively across races and challenges.

Racing unfolds from a loose third‑person perspective. You've got your throttle, brake, handbrake, and occasional nitro boost. Beyond simply winning, wrecking your opponents is a major part of the experience. To that end, you're equipped with firearms and a sideways "ram" attack for close‑quarters bullying. Ammunition and repair kits are scarce, so you'll be scooping them up from supply crates scattered around the track. The environment also lets you trigger hazards to sabotage rivals, though just as often, the world sabotages you with zombie hordes and oversized monsters lumbering into your path.

The driving physics sit squarely in bargain‑bin arcade territory. Cars slide around like they're on ice, and it's hard to judge when you've over‑steered until you're suddenly spinning out. The loose handling is made worse by an aggressively obvious rubber‑banding AI. Crash into a wall, and the pack is trivially easy to catch; try to pull ahead cleanly, and they cling to your bumper like glue. Even with perfect lines and constant nitro, opponents rocket past as if gravity doesn't apply. Occasionally, some even pop into existence ahead of you, which is strange at best, infuriating at worst.

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is deliberately punishing. True to the roguelite structure, the game expects you to fail so its progression loop can kick in. Miss an objective or get your car destroyed and it's back to the very beginning. The only consolation is that each run earns currency you can spend on new cars, weapons, and perks to improve your odds next time. The loop quickly becomes frustrating, especially when you've sunk an hour into a run only to lose everything. The branching route system lets you choose between a few event types, but with so few tracks in rotation, repetition sets in fast.

Visually, the game leans into a comic‑book‑style toon‑shaded aesthetic. The high‑contrast, punchy look fits the frantic pace, and the environments are detailed enough to feel lively. Lighting effects are used generously, which makes it a shame the game doesn't support HDR. This is exactly the kind of title that would benefit from it. Considering the original Carmageddon's identity was built around its destruction physics, it's almost embarrassing how flat Rogue Shift feels in comparison. Physics are minimal and weightless. The most glaring example is mowing down zombie crowds: they don't slow your car, don't bounce you around, and barely register as more than cardboard cut-outs splattering against the windshield. They even look like cardboard cut-outs... On the bright side, the vehicle models themselves are detailed, and the game runs smoothly on Xbox Series X with minimal loading.

The audio is serviceable but generic, engine growls, metal clanks, and a suitably chaotic soundscape for undead‑infested demolition racing. The soundtrack is mostly abrasive metal shredding, which fits the theme but doesn't make it any more pleasant, especially when the same tracks loop alongside the same recycled courses.

As I feared, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift ends up as a lightweight, forgettable racer that shares little with the original beyond the name. Human pedestrians, and yes, even the iconic cows, are gone, replaced by zombies that barely affect gameplay. The roguelite structure forces you to replay the same tiny pool of tracks over and over, draining what little joy the mindless chaos might have offered. Unlocking and upgrading new rides provides a brief spark of interest, but the overall package is exhausted far too quickly. At least the fans of the original Carmageddon should steer well clear.