Drive Buy is a new car combat game from British developers Glitchers, pitting players against one another and the ever-looming threat of courier deadlines.
It’s like a glimpse into the near dystopian futures. Drivers battle it out to deliver the most packages in the shortest amount of time, as energetic electronic music blasts through splashes of neon light. The Rocket League influences are worn proudly on its sleeve, along with a healthy dose of Twisted Metal/Mario Kart power-up chaos. Drive Buy has a ton of energy, a vibrant mash-up of colours and elements shaped into a simple but initially engaging experience.
There are three available game modes at the moment, taking place across three maps – Delivery Battle, Payday, and Piggy Bank. Delivery Battle is a mad dash to collect and deliver the most parcels to locations dotted around the map, Payday sees players scooping up as many credits as possible at the start before duking it out as the timer runs down, and Piggy Bank is a Shine Thief variant. Delivery Battle is probably the most entertaining out of the lot, a fun mix of Crazy Taxi and Mario Kart – pelting rival drivers with guided rockets, freeze rays and giant magnets is really satisfying and effective.
The first couple of games are great. It’s quickfire, easy to get the hang of, and thanks to Drive Buy launching with crossplay straight off the bat, really easy to jump into a session. The more you play, the more cosmetic rewards you unlock, with a steady stream of new drivers and vehicles unlocked as you progress. Where Drive Buy unfortunately falls short is in the variety on offer at present. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof – all three game modes basically have the same objective, make the most money, and it just doesn’t stay fun for as long as it needs to.
Once you’ve done a game of each mode you begin to realise how samey they all feel, even with the wild variables of different human players and last-minute powerup clutches. Drive Buy‘s energy is great, but it’s just not spiced up enough to be fun for longer than half an hour.
Glitchers’ plan to support Drive Buy long after release with a seasonal format that will surely introduce new maps and modes as it progresses. There’s not much in the way of details about what those seasons will involve, but there’s a fair bit of potential for expansion, especially considering you’ve basically seen everything there is as far as powerups go within twenty minutes of playtime. This is the kind of experience that would come alive playing with friends in voice chat rather than random strangers – as an online competitive game it’s not engaging enough on a long term basis.
Drive Buy: Sorry we missed you. We’ll attempt to redeliver your parcel tomorrow. As soon as I get out of this block of ice.
Drive Buy is a great concept that falls a little short – in longevity, not execution. It’s flashy and energetic, but the variety of modes on offer at the moment simply aren’t diverse enough to elevate it beyond something nice to look at. It’s going to be a hard sell at £19.99 in my opinion, especially when the giant that is Rocket League is free to play and offers a much wider array of modes and maps. Still, even Rocket League had incredibly humble beginnings, and Drive Buy has all the potential to evolve into something much greater. Future updates could make all the difference here – fingers crossed Glitchers can keep this one going.
Drive Buy is developed by Glitchers and is available now on Steam and Nintendo Switch. Check out more of our reviews here!