What the Car?

About

What the Car? is a single player casual platformer game with a comedy theme. It was developed by Triband and was released on September 9, 2024. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

"WHAT THE CAR?" is a whimsical and unconventional racing game where you play as a car with legs, exploring vast islands and participating in unexpected challenges such as delivering packages, jetpack flying, and even burger flipping. The game encourages creativity with its level editor and leaderboards for player-created content. Despite its absurdity, the game reminds players that it is for entertainment only and not a tool to improve real-world driving skills.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 442 reviews

humor63 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game is filled with absurd humor and creative level designs that keep players engaged and entertained.
It features a variety of unique mechanics and transformations for the car, making each level feel fresh and fun.
The integration of community-created levels adds significant replayability and variety to the gameplay experience.

Some levels can feel repetitive and lack the creativity found in its predecessor, What the Golf.
The controls can be inconsistent and frustrating, particularly in certain levels that require precise movements.
The game sometimes forces players to engage with community levels for 100% completion, which can detract from the overall experience.

humor
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its absurdity, creativity, and unexpected twists, often eliciting genuine laughter from players. Many reviews highlight the quirky animations and clever references that contribute to a light-hearted and entertaining experience, although some players feel that the humor occasionally overshadows gameplay quality. Overall, while the game delivers a fun and goofy atmosphere, opinions vary on its consistency and effectiveness compared to its predecessor.
- “It's just as funny and weird, and the creativity is amazing.”
- “The animations are hilarious; I can't get over the little car with legs you play in the overworld when you navigate from level to level, especially the swimming animation.”
- “From dodging banana peels to navigating through a world where cars can literally dance, I found myself laughing so hard I almost rear-ended my own sense of reality.”
- “With every new level, I asked, 'Is that supposed to be funny?' while simultaneously questioning my existence.”
- “The jokes in this game make me feel like I've been gaslit my whole life about what jokes even are, since they all feel awkward, forced, and unfunny.”
gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
72%
13%
The gameplay in "What the Car?" is characterized by its variety of unique mechanics and whimsical level designs, which some players find engaging and fun, while others criticize it for becoming repetitive and tedious over time. While the game offers a playful and creative experience with charming visuals, many reviewers noted issues with control precision and a lack of depth in some levels, leading to feelings of boredom or frustration. Overall, the gameplay is a mixed bag, appealing to those who enjoy quirky humor and emergent mechanics, but potentially disappointing for players seeking a more cohesive and polished experience.
- “Pretty much every level has different controls and different mechanics, and it's all on you to adapt.”
- “A very fun game with tons of different, goofy mechanics that change on a nearly level-by-level basis.”
- “Game plays great, and a lot of the fun comes from speedrunning the levels and mastering the unique mechanics provided in each level.”
- “Controls are horrible, gameplay is boring or unnecessarily frustrating, and all the levels feel the same.”
- “Levels in a world don't build up the mechanics; they are more like a bunch of randomly organized levels with half-baked ideas that are neither fun as jokes nor fun to play.”
- “Despite the reviews and advertising both saying 'anything but a racing game'... it's basically just a racing game and the 15 or so levels I played were all basically the same gameplay with none of the surprises I was expecting based on what the golf.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The music in the game is described as whimsical and catchy, contributing to a cheerful atmosphere, but it suffers from repetitiveness and a limited soundtrack that often feels disconnected from the game's themes. While some players find it charming and memorable, others criticize it for being monotonous and lacking variety, leading to frustration during extended play sessions. Overall, the music elicits mixed reactions, with some enjoying its quirky nature while others find it grating over time.
- “It’s silly, whimsical, and full of charm, with bright visuals and upbeat music that make it impossible not to smile.”
- “(The music) gets stuck in your head for the rest of the week.”
- “✅ Catchy soundtrack.”
- “Ultimately, the music in this game is simply awful.”
- “The music feels the exact same for the entire game.”
- “The soundtrack is mostly made up of people making weird noises and sometimes going 'vrrrrrrrrrr!' like they're badly imitating cars.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The graphics are characterized by a whimsical and charming aesthetic, featuring bright visuals and quirky designs that enhance the overall fun of the game. While some reviewers noted that the graphics resemble those from the Unity asset store and may appeal more to a younger audience, the playful art style and humorous themes contribute positively to the experience. Overall, the visuals are engaging and enjoyable, though they may not compensate for gameplay limitations.
- “It’s silly, whimsical, and full of charm, with bright visuals and upbeat music that make it impossible not to smile.”
- “The quirky cute graphics make it so enjoyable to play and the silly and fun sound effects contribute to the experience as well.”
- “Graphically great, absurdly funny, constantly topping itself with each new level's oddball themes and charismatic puns, what the car?”
- “Same graphics as WTG, but the assets and textures look less stylized and more like something from the Unity Asset Store.”
- “The theme and visuals are charming and silly, but they alone don't make up for the fact that the first 30 minutes of gameplay were simply not fun for me.”
- “You want graphics?!”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant patience to achieve high scores and medals. While some appreciate the challenge of improving records, many criticize the repetitive nature of the mechanics, particularly in certain levels, which can lead to frustration reminiscent of grinding in less engaging mobile games. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the challenge while others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding for the highest scores and medals might take some time and patience (and might even lead to a bit of gamer rage), but overall they don’t matter unless you’re one of those weird achievement hunters.”
- “Even in its first hour, it comes off as fairly tedious, like it's lacking variety.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by numerous minor glitches and inconsistent physics, leading to a frustrating experience in certain segments, particularly the giraffe and racing levels. While the core gameplay is polished, the presence of bugs and luck-based mechanics can detract from overall enjoyment, potentially testing players' patience.
- “The giraffe segment of this needs some serious fixing; it's either too slow, too fast, or too buggy.”
- “The physics in this game feel broken and buggy.”
- “The game is also very buggy and inconsistent in a way that could wear on the patience of some players.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game lacks a traditional story, with players noting that it focuses more on gameplay and player-created content rather than narrative depth. Despite this absence of a storyline, it is still considered enjoyable and offers good value for its price, reminiscent of its predecessor, "What the Golf?"
- “Player-made content and a level creator are now integrated into the layout and the story from the start, and it seems like the developers are banking on this and content updates for the game much harder this time than they did with What the Golf?”
- “While what the car lacks any sort of story (if one could argue even what the golf had some), it's still a good game that definitely delivers on its asking price with simple controls, a good amount of content, and almost certainly you will crack a smile during your playtime.”
- “Player-made content and a level creator are now integrated into the layout and the 'story' from the start, and it seems like the developers are banking on this and content updates for the game far harder this time than they did with What the Golf?”
- “It's like What the Golf? but with a plot twist: it's a car.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The atmosphere of "What the Car" has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it uninspired and lacking excitement compared to its predecessor, "What the Golf." Critics describe the game as feeling empty and monotonous, with levels that seem lazy and unengaging, leading to a sense of it being a chore. Conversely, others appreciate the carefree and whimsical elements, noting that the game can be enjoyable and engaging, especially with community-made content and competitive features, though it may feel more competitive and less adventurous than expected.
- “Beyond the whimsical atmosphere, this is a game that can very well occupy a great many people for hours upon hours - six for the base game, and countless more for those who wish to partake in the community-made levels.”
- “The atmosphere is crafted perfectly, gameplay is satisfying and constantly changing, and there are even leaderboards to get competitive on!”
- “Carefree, fun-loving atmosphere.”
- “What the golf was a masterpiece, the campaign was something else and it was one of my favorite games, it was perfect... but this... is not. What the car seems boring and uninspired, a game that could've been something totally crazy, something else... instead it is very limited and boring. The atmosphere is empty and sad, the levels feel boring and lazy, and it feels like a chore. I hate when people say that games feel like a chore; I never understood it, but this is the only time where I find myself in this... it really feels like a chore. The game is totally different from What the Golf, in the philosophy I mean... this game always feels like a car game, and the levels that are different with different gameplay are very simple and boring... like the level where you make a hamburger... you make a hamburger and then the customer takes it, end level... why?”
- “Maybe it's just me, but the genre transition from golf-puzzle-solving-wacky-adventure to wacky-racing-adventure pigeonholes the experience into a more dry, competitive atmosphere than it assumes.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with players expressing disappointment in its lack of creativity and excitement compared to its predecessor, "What the Golf." Reviewers describe the experience as monotonous and uninspired, feeling more like a tedious obligation than an engaging or enjoyable activity. Overall, the game fails to evoke any strong emotions, leaving players feeling bored and unfulfilled.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for being poor, with reports of inconsistent performance and significant frame rate drops, particularly in chapter 5 where it can drop to as low as 6-12 fps, making it unplayable. Additionally, users have noted the presence of small bugs that further detract from the overall experience.
- “The game itself is okay (even if inferior to What the Golf in my opinion), but the problem is that it’s very poorly optimized. It doesn’t look fluid even at over 120fps, and in some levels in chapter 5, the fps drops to 6/12, making it unplayable.”
- “I've also noticed a few small bugs, and the performance can be weirdly inconsistent.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to its level editor and community-generated content, which significantly extends gameplay. The charming and humorous design, along with its fair pricing, further enhances the overall experience, making it a delightful choice for repeated playthroughs.
- “It's very well put together, cute, and funny (I love the NPC bears). The pricing is right for the amount of gameplay and replayability, and it's absurdly entertaining.”
- “The level editor and community levels provide extended replayability.”
- “It's very well put together, it's cute and funny (I love the NPC bears). The pricing is right for the amount of gameplay and replayability, and it's off-the-rails absurd.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game lacks significant character development, making it unsuitable for players seeking a deeper narrative experience.
- “Not a deep game; if you're looking for character development, this is not it.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack meaningful growth throughout the story.”
- “There is little to no evolution in the characters, making it hard to connect with them.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for misleading advertising, as players expected a diverse experience but found repetitive gameplay akin to a traditional racing game. Despite claims of innovation, the levels felt similar, leading to disappointment in the overall value proposition.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
- “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
- “The constant prompts to purchase in-game currency detract from the overall experience and make it feel more like a cash grab than a game.”