Joyride
- Steve Berger
- May 1
- 3 min read
Joyride: Survival Of The Fastest is a 2024 release, designed by Duncan Molloy and Pete Ward, and published by Rebellion Unplugged. The name, paired with the vibrant artwork of the box cover by Pye Parr, conjures images of Mad Max post-apocalyptic vehicle-based destruction. With this in mind, the obvious comparison is Thunder Road: Vendetta, released in 2023 by Restoration Games (and based on the original Milton Bradley game from 1986) but theme is where the comparison ends, with Joyride having far more in common (almost everything) with Powerboats, the 2008 Cwali release.
So how does Joyride play? First thing to do is to pick a track from those in the race guide, or for players to create something themselves, setting up various gate checkpoints that can be driven through from any direction. Players begin their turn with the dice from the previous round and they can then lock up to four of these dice before moving according to the locked total. Before movement, the car can be steered once by shifting the nose one hex, but after this they move in their facing direction. Players can then change gear, and if they haven’t already moved or if they are in a low enough gear, they get to steer again. Although this is a little clunky to teach, in practice it makes sense and cleverly imitates the balance between speed and control, and introduces a level of risk management with the rewards or the punishment being significant.
Each vehicle has unique abilities and there are a multitude of Mario Kart-like pickups available to mess with your opponents. Everything is boldly coloured and the game looks vibrant and appealing on the table and will draw attention in a good way. The vehicles are represented by chunky wooden pieces which give them a solid feel and table presence without being overly fancy. There is unlimited variability in track creation, and the unique vehicles and multitude of weapons further increase playability.
One issue that does need to be mentioned is the runaway leader problem which we’ve experienced in about half of our games: there is a catchup mechanic but once a player is sufficiently ahead they can be very hard to catch as gains are minimal. How do they get ahead in the first place? The nudging and knocking mechanic is fun and easy to implement but can leave you facing the wrong way entirely, and this can take a couple of turns to correct by which time you are out of the running. It's frustrating when it happens. A fun solution to this is team racing where, if you do fall behind, with the open nature of the track you can easily go off course in order to take down the opposition leader. The game comes with rules and tracks specifically designed for this mode, so credit to the designers.
The design, although familiar from Powerboats, is well put together, and sessions are a good balance of luck and skill. Joyride sits in a congested market with racing games like Heat (Days of Wonder) and combat games like Thunder Road: Vendetta (Restoration Games), but does provide a little of both. If that’s your thing, there’s also a lot of additional content, with four expansions currently available...
(Review by Steve Berger)
