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Toybox Turbos

Toybox Turbos might not have the Micro Machines branding then, but when it nails everything else that those licensed games did so well in the first place, it feels churlish not to look past such superfluous things. Camera issues and a relative lack of ambition aside, this is the new Micro Machines title that you forgot you wanted and quite honestly, it’s just great to see this type of game again in 2014.
Toybox Turbos Game Cover
81%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
story, stability
82% User Score Based on 1,022 reviews
Critic Score 79%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Playstation 3Xbox 360PCXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
Toybox Turbos Game Cover

About

Toybox Turbos is a single player and multiplayer racing game. It was developed by Codemasters and was released on November 11, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Toybox Turbos is a tabletop racing game with high-speed, multi-player action. Zoom around 18 obstacle-filled circuits, battling opponents with weapon power-ups. Enjoy retro-style graphics and charming toy vehicle designs in this fun and frenetic game.

Genres & Tags
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82%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,022 reviews
graphics57 positive mentions
story6 negative mentions

  • Captures the nostalgic feel of classic Micro Machines games with fun and colorful graphics.
  • Great local multiplayer experience, perfect for playing with friends and family.
  • Variety of vehicles and creative track designs keep the gameplay engaging.
  • Single player campaign is short, taking only a few hours to complete.
  • Online multiplayer is nearly dead, limiting the competitive experience.
  • Camera angles can be frustrating, making it difficult to see upcoming obstacles.
  • graphics
    119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their colorful, charming, and cartoonish style, reminiscent of classic titles like Micro Machines. While some users noted limitations in graphical options and occasional pixelation, many found the visuals engaging and well-suited to the game's playful theme. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's fun and nostalgic atmosphere, despite some critiques regarding resolution settings and camera controls.

    • “The graphics and sound effects are colorful and engaging, and the controls are intuitive and easy to learn.”
    • “The graphics are cute, colorful, and neat.”
    • “The game is charming right from the start with its colorful and vivid graphics and the easy listening music.”
    • “The graphical setting menu is ridiculous; you can only set resolution, anti-aliasing (on or off), depth of field, and while the main game supports widescreen monitors/resolutions without issues, there are instances of menus, like the one that appears after you have finished a race, which are clearly 4:3 and not even resized to fill the screen.”
    • “Bland 'my first game engine' graphics.”
    • “Cheap 'plastic' graphics (crude geometry, shiny textures), artificial physics model (I know it's toy cars, so what?), non-interactive tracks futilely trying to impersonate table spaces, same old bonuses (as always), standard game modes for the genre.”
  • gameplay
    99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its fast-paced, easy-to-learn mechanics and a variety of colorful tracks and modes, making it enjoyable for casual play, especially with friends. However, many players noted issues such as repetitiveness, lack of depth, and mechanical flaws like poor camera controls and limited customization options. While the game offers nostalgic charm reminiscent of classic micro-machine titles, it falls short in providing a challenging and engaging experience over extended play sessions.

    • “The gameplay is fun and addictive and ticks all the boxes I'd want from an old school toy-car racing game.”
    • “Gameplay is smooth with no bugs or glitches, graphics have aged well and still look fresh.”
    • “Captures the micro machines gameplay better than any game in recent memory and is a blast on local co-op with three other people.”
    • “The graphics and animations are fun; however, this game is very lackluster when it comes to the camera controls (no behind the vehicle option) and the mechanics - no option to rebind the keys.”
    • “The few hours of play are enjoyable, but there is little challenge and absolutely no depth of gameplay.”
    • “Some levels feature insta-death mechanics, other than pits.”
  • music
    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its upbeat and quirky nature, while others find it repetitive and annoying due to a limited number of tracks. Many appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the game's colorful atmosphere, but the lack of volume control options and the overall repetitiveness detract from the experience for some. Overall, the music is seen as a fun addition, though it may not appeal to everyone.

    • “The game is bright, colorful fun with a jaunty soundtrack.”
    • “The audio effects and soundtrack are on point, with satisfying clunks navigating the menus and lively music playing during races.”
    • “The game features bright, cheery graphics and the music and sound effects are appropriate for this style of game.”
    • “And the music is atrocious.”
    • “Bland music gets very annoying very quickly.”
    • “You feel like you hear the same two songs over and over!”
  • humor
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying the chaotic and whimsical nature of the tracks and power-ups, which evoke a sense of nostalgia and fun. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to generate laughter during local multiplayer sessions, making it a great choice for casual gaming with friends. Overall, the game is described as funny, endearing, and filled with amusing elements that enhance the racing experience.

    • “This game feels like someone took your childhood toy box, dumped it on the floor, and said, "let's make this chaotic!" From kitchen counters to school desks, the tracks are hilariously fun, and the power-ups are as ridiculous as they are satisfying.”
    • “We spent a good couple of hours laughing away playing it on a rainy day.”
    • “Toybox Turbos is fun because you race small cars on funny sceneries against friends.”
  • story
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The consensus among users is that the game lacks a meaningful story, with many reviewers explicitly stating that there is "no story" to speak of. While some appreciate the gameplay and mechanics, the absence of a narrative or career mode leaves the experience feeling hollow and unengaging. Overall, the game's focus appears to be on gameplay rather than storytelling, resulting in a lack of emotional depth and motivation for players.

    • “I will keep on going on my quest for the true ignition heir!”
    • “The best way I can explain it is like living a scene from Andy's bedroom in Toy Story where the toys are having fun while Andy's away.”
    • “Though there is limited replayability, I can see myself messing around here with friends for a couple of hours.”
    • “This game has no story.”
    • “No story to speak of whatsoever.”
    • “No story or career mode, lacks heart and soul and therefore your only motivation is greed (collect all the cars or get all the achievements).”
  • stability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on platforms like Steam Deck and PC, many users report it as a "buggy mess" with occasional glitches and issues, particularly in online play. Despite these problems, some players find the gameplay enjoyable and humorous, especially in casual settings. Overall, while the game has its fun moments, it suffers from notable stability issues that may detract from the experience.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck and PC!”
    • “It's a modern Micro Machines, runs great and plays very well.”
    • “Codemasters know their stuff - car handling is spot on, tracks are varied and interesting, plenty of cars, balanced power-ups, and a nice bug-free release as far as single player and local multiplayer go.”
    • “This game is a buggy mess.”
    • “Quite buggy and the developers don't seem to care.”
    • “From the bad sides, the game is a bit buggy.”
  • optimization
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while single-player performance is stable and runs well even on older hardware, online multiplayer suffers from significant issues, including choppiness and instability. Many players report that the game is not well-optimized for keyboard and mouse controls, leading to a less enjoyable experience in that mode. Despite these drawbacks, the graphics are generally considered decent and well-optimized for various systems.

    • “Runs smoothly and is great fun in multiplayer!”
    • “Well optimized”
    • “The graphics are decent, well optimized (works on my old 8400m gs 128mb laptop + 2gb and core 2 duo).”
    • “However, this game isn’t optimized for keyboard and mouse.”
    • “The two big problems with Toybox Turbos are online multiplayer (which is, alas, dead) and performance (for some weird reason the game will get really choppy and juddery at times).”
    • “Nice Micro Machines clone... but on Windows 10, the performance seems to be stuttery.”
  • replayability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is mixed, with some players finding it infinitely replayable, especially in multiplayer settings, while others feel the single-player mode lacks depth and becomes repetitive after completing missions. Achievements and online leaderboards provide additional motivation for replay, but the overall experience may feel short and limited without friends to play with. Ultimately, the multiplayer aspect is highlighted as the primary source of replay value, overshadowing the single-player experience.

    • “It's also a little short (less than 8 hours playing time saw me beat all the levels), but there's plenty of replay value to try and get all achievements or 3 stars on each level.”
    • “[b]Toybox Turbos[/b] is a very fun game with lots of replayability if you have some friends that play the game online or come over to your couch.”
    • “The presence of online leaderboards also gives it some replayability, although I suspect some people of cheating (or at least exploiting unintended shortcuts) given the scores that are displayed, but it's still nice to replay a level to try to beat a friend.”
    • “Being able to attain 3 stars in every event in 4 hours makes this a little bit too easy, offers no replayability (without online or local play) and certainly puts it into the zone of not worth the money.”
    • “Though there is limited replayability (once you beat all the single player missions and unlock every vehicle, there isn't anymore progression), I can see myself messing around here with friends for a couple of hours.”
    • “The multiplayer is where this excels; the single player doesn't have too much replayability for me.”
  • grinding
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be a mixed experience; while some aspects are tedious and can feel annoying, the currency system is generally forgiving, allowing for progression without excessive grinding. Achievements and vehicle upgrades do require some effort, particularly in later stages where boss fights can be challenging due to AI difficulties. However, the unlock system is designed to minimize grinding, as players can earn currency easily during races.

    • “Not too grindy but not too short either.”
    • “The currency that you earn in the game is not very grindy (aside from the 1,000,000 achievement) because you get plenty from each race; however, you should keep in mind to save enough for the first vehicle in the next class of vehicles once you finish a boss, because you can't do the next race unless you have enough currency to purchase a car.”
    • “They're not 'hard'; they're just annoying and tedious, and if you value your time, you'll just go do something else.”
    • “Yes, my review says 5 hours or something, but that's from farming cards.”
    • “Some grinding and babysitting is required for all cars and achievements.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting its nostalgic appeal and ability to evoke childhood memories through its whimsical setting and toy car mechanics. However, frustrations arise from gameplay issues, such as camera control, which detract from the overall experience and lead to disappointment.

    • “317 MB of wholesome fun!”
    • “The game is perfectly inspired by childish fantasy coming true; you will explore the room, have the track filled with domestic objects, and have other animated toys here and there. It really made me feel like a child, playing with my toy cars.”
    • “I only ended up paying £2.99 for it, but it's heartbreaking to be this close to a great game and then for it to just... not work like this.”
  • monetization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of the game is favorable, as players earn in-game coins through gameplay without the presence of microtransactions. However, the lack of advertising and multiplayer options has led to some dissatisfaction among users, suggesting that the game could benefit from better promotion and community engagement.

    • “The sense of progression is good; you have to earn in-game coins (fortunately, there aren't microtransactions) to unlock new rides, and for every championship, you have a boss to defeat in a duel.”
    • “The game offers a fair monetization model that allows players to enjoy the experience without feeling pressured to spend real money.”
    • “I appreciate that the game rewards players with in-game currency for their achievements, making it feel rewarding without the need for additional purchases.”
    • “The sense of progression is good, you have to earn in-game coins (fortunately, there aren't microtransactions) to unlock new rides and for every championship you have a boss to defeat in a duel.”
    • “This is my first game I bought on Steam and I loved it at the beginning, but there is no multiplayer. I've only found one game with two people and that was it. To top it off, I was disconnected from the match. Toybox Turbos could have done better if it had more advertising or a more well-known demo.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a strong soundtrack that contributes positively to the overall experience; however, some players feel it lacks a captivating quality that would draw them back for more.

    • “This is further complemented by the soundtrack of the game, which always enhances the atmosphere.”
    • “There is no magical atmosphere that hooks you in or makes you want to come back.”
    • “The environment feels lifeless and fails to create any sense of immersion.”
    • “The overall ambiance is dull and uninspired, leaving little to engage the player.”
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4h Median play time
4h Average play time
2-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs
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Toybox Turbos is a racing game.

Toybox Turbos is available on PC, Steam Deck, Windows, PlayStation 3 and others.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Toybox Turbos.

Toybox Turbos was released on November 11, 2014.

Toybox Turbos was developed by Codemasters.

Toybox Turbos has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

Toybox Turbos is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Table Top Racing: World Tour, Horizon Chase Turbo, GRIP: Combat Racing, BlazeRush, Super Toy Cars and others.