Full ReleasePC

WheelMates

Firevolt · Puzzle, Action, Adventure

Overview

Dive into a 2-player co-op driving adventure with RC cars. Explore the professor’s home laboratory, solve puzzles, find hidden paths, and uncover what happened inside. With Friend’s Pass, your friend joins for free.

You and a friend answer a call for help from a professor who has mysteriously disappeared. Take control of two tiny RC cars, drive through his maze-like home laboratory, overcome oversized obstacles, and uncover the strange experiments he left behind.

Every room turns the house into a playground for two tiny RC cars. Race across shelves, drift through cluttered desks, explore every location and piece together what really happened inside.

In this co-op journey your progress depends on working together. Solve puzzles and overcome challenges that require communication, timing, and both players doing their part.

Upgrade your RC cars with rope-swings, magnetic wheels, magnet grabs and other power-ups. Each new gadget opens up fresh way to exploration of the professor’s home.

The house keeps opening up as you progress. Unlock hidden rooms and move through familiar places in new ways.

From the game's Steam store page.

THE GAMEQ VERDICT309 reviews analyzed

What players are actually saying

1. Summary

WheelMates is a two-player-only co-op puzzle platformer where you and a partner drive tiny remote-control cars through a missing professor's oversized house, lab and backyard. Along the way you unlock tools like a grappling cable, magnetic wheels and a paint gun, open up earlier areas metroidvania-style, and hunt for more than a thousand collectibles. Most players recommend it as a cheap, cozy evening game for a partner, child or friend, and 138 reviews mention a friend, partner or relative. Smaller groups compare it to It Takes Two ("it takes two but on wheels"), say driving around a giant room reminds them of their childhood RC cars, and thank the developers for the Friend's Pass, which means only one person has to buy the game. Several describe the laughs that come from sending a teammate flying off a shelf.

The handling is the most common complaint in negative reviews: some players call it authentically erratic and charming, while others call it slippery and over-sensitive, and a couple refunded over it within the first hour. Players who finished the game raise a thin story, an abrupt ending that feels cut short, puzzles that rarely go beyond pressing a button together (and can sometimes be done solo), and a short runtime for the $20 price. Launch-window bugs, especially progression blockers mid-campaign and one that rolled the credits early, soured several otherwise happy runs.

2. What keeps coming up

What players praise

A great game to share with a partner, kid or friendHigh

Playing together is the largest theme by a distance: 138 reviews mention a friend, partner or relative. Reviewers name who they played with: wives, girlfriends, fiancées, sons, daughters, brothers, a coworker, a father. "Great game with my 8yo son", "casual game for friday Night" and "one of our favorite father-son games" are typical. The fun is described as social chaos more than mastery: yelling "WAIT WAIT DON'T DRIVE" while a partner is already flying off a shelf, accidentally dragging a friend into a pit with the grappling cable, or arguing over who got stuck under the sofa. Twelve reviews call it chill or relaxing, and another calls it a break from "hardcore competitive titles". Both local split-screen and online play get credit, and one reviewer said the sync between online players was consistent. One detailed negative review credits the company instead of the game, calling it an "only fun because it was with a friend" situation.

The Friend's Pass: one copy, two playersHigh

The Friend's Pass (the second player joins free, and it replaced the old demo) is praised in 15 of the 16 reviews that mention it. Players call it "a genius move" and a "no brainer" that "every game made for 2 players should have". One reviewer works out that it comes to roughly $9 to $10 per person when split. It also softens some of the price complaints (see below), with reviewers who thought the game was short still saying the pass made it worth buying. The one exception found it "probably not worth it" even with the pass.

"It takes two but on wheels"High

Comparisons to Hazelight's It Takes Two and Split Fiction come up in 34 reviews, and most of them are warm: "It Takes Two but with RC cars", "If you enjoyed any of the Hazelight games (A Way Out, It Takes Two, Split Fiction), you will enjoy this!" Players frame it as the thing to play after finishing those games. Many add a caveat without holding it against the game: shallower story, easier puzzles, no dramatic set pieces, and not as good as a Hazelight title. The unfavourable version of the comparison ("failed rip-off of It Takes Two", "imagine Split Fiction, but instead of being very good it is very bad") is a minority view, and it comes mostly from players who expected Hazelight-level variety.

Childhood RC-car nostalgia and the shrunken-house settingMedium

Some players connect with the premise on a personal level: the RC cars they owned as kids, Re-Volt, Micro Machines, the Toy Story 2 car level, Home Alone 3, "Honey I Shrunk the Kids". One reviewer said it made them tear up. Driving across tables, climbing shelves and finding secret rooms in a giant kitchen, garage or lab is called "a childhood dream come true". One dissenting review found the shrunken world oddly wasted, a "boring labyrinth" that barely uses its scale.

Good-looking levels and an unlockable toolsetMedium

Visuals and level design get praise ("graphics are top", "fantastic level design", "delightful details"), and one reviewer calls the graphics great for an indie developer. The gradually unlocked abilities (tow cable, magnetic wall-riding wheels, grappling hook, paint gun, and a late phase-shifter tool) are a highlight for several players, as is the metroidvania-style loop of spotting something you can't reach yet and coming back later. Car customisation and cosmetics get a warm mention in several reviews ("reminds of Rocket League"). The criticism attached to this theme is about ability switching and navigation, covered under frustrations.

Where players are split

RC car handling: authentic charm or a dealbreakerHigh

One camp loves the handling: the cars "feel as funky and erratic as the real ones from good old 90's (in a good and fun way)", "they are meant to be kind of janky and hard to control, that's the whole point", and "the car handling feels fantastic". The other camp calls the same handling slippery ("like a slip n slide", "every level is an ice level"), over-sensitive even with the sensitivity turned right down, swimmy, and unpredictable in jumps. It is the most common complaint in the negative reviews: 17 of the 53 (32%) point at the controls, 9 of them from players with under two hours. A playtest participant said handling and hook feedback had been answered only with workarounds (sensitivity sliders, aim mode, a reset button).

The specific requests repeat: throttle that behaves as an on/off button even on analog triggers, no trigger deadzone setting, a handbrake that stops dead instead of drifting, an automatic 180-degree whip when reversing that can't be turned off, wheels that stick to walls automatically, and imprecise grapple aim. Keyboard and mouse is called noticeably worse than a controller. Even among positive reviews, 12 flag the jank, one of them saying "the controls are ABYSMAL". One launch-week review noted that a patch fixed performance and that turning on Reflex improved handling latency.

Length and priceHigh

Most players finished the story in about four to six hours, with 100% completion taking closer to ten to twelve. Whether that is fair for $20 depends on who you ask. Some say it's too short for the price ("$20 for only 4 hours gameplay??!!") or worth buying only at a discount ("Pick it up when its on sale"). Others call it "short and sweet", a "good co-op without needing a 40 hour commitment", and a steal once the Friend's Pass halves the cost. Four of the six reviews that call it too short still recommend the game; the price criticism turns into a thumbs-down mainly when it stacks with other problems.

Puzzles: clever teamwork or "press a button at the same time"High

Reviewers who like the puzzles call them creative, challenging and properly cooperative, singling out moments like one player towing the other across a gap. A critical group, including several detailed reviews from players who finished the game, says the puzzles rarely go past fetching a battery or fuse, or holding a button or lever at the same time; one counts "an inexcusable number" of these. Some also note that parts of the game can be done without your partner (one "opened a gate by myself"), which undercuts the forced two-player setup. A few found specific puzzles too hard or opaque instead (the 3x3 math grid, the battery puzzle, a house-sized pipe puzzle) and wanted hints; one player's tip is to read the in-game Neuro-Memory Cards for clues. Difficulty in general splits the same way: "way too easy" for experienced players, "requires brains" for others.

Story and voice actingMedium

Most reviewers who mention the story call it thin, and they split on whether that matters. Several shrug it off ("mostly gameplay and that's great", "the story was there but if you don't care about it it didnt matter"), and one points to extensive world-building in the journal for those who want it. Others call it bland, confusing or absent, and it comes up in 8 of the 53 negative reviews. The professor's radio voiceover irritates a few players, who want a separate volume or mute option.

What frustrates players

The abrupt, anticlimactic endingMedium

Every review that discusses the ending is disappointed by it, and most of those still recommend the game: "what a disappointment", "a huge cop-out", "exactly 13 seconds of gameplay left", "after the cliffhanger ending I'm not even sure which cliff I'm hanging". Several felt a final chapter had been cut, with a sequel tease in its place. A couple say the last tool you unlock barely matters for finishing the game and only pays off if you go back for completion.

Progression-blocking bugs and launch instabilityMedium

Players reported a string of launch-window problems: a stuck cart in the Hallway area, a stall in the "Far Beyond Driven" mission, a blocked workshop level, a soft-lock in the portal dimension, and one save that jumped straight to the end credits before the phase-shifter was unlocked, locking that pair out of 100%. Others reported a login failure on day one, crashes on launch (one reviewer traced it to Intel NPU drivers), crashes during online co-op, a loop back to the main menu after the first cutscene, controller disconnects, a save lost after an update, cosmetics resetting between areas, and broken split-screen on a docked Steam Deck. Some of these players left thumbs-down reviews despite otherwise liking the game, and two say they will update them once the bug is fixed. A couple of reviewers said they hit no bugs at all, and two credited quick patches, one of them for the login problem. One reviewer was also frustrated that the game requires an internet connection even for local play.

Getting lost, backtracking and collectible huntingMedium

This comes mostly from players with more hours, often those chasing 100%. Maps are praised as intricate but described as too big and confusing in places ("in the Neuro map we got catastrophically lost more than once"), objectives aren't always clear, and there is no fast travel or level select, so backtracking means driving through vents between areas. With over 1,500 collectibles and no hint system or map markers, the last few items turn into "driving around in circles". Achievement hunters called the cleanup the worst part of an otherwise pleasant game.

Clumsy ability switchingLow

Once you have more than two tools, only two can be equipped at once, and swapping means holding a radial menu (awkward with a mouse). One player describes cycling tools every 30 seconds, and interaction prompts don't appear unless the right tool is equipped. People ask for number-key hotbars or context-based tool selection.

Thin mini-games and missing car-game ideasLow

Players expected more from the side modes: there are only two mini-games (tag and coin collecting), and for a game about RC cars there are no races, time trials or battle modes. Several also wanted more chaos, like drifting, knocking things over or enemies to use the paint gun on.

No solo modeLow

The game requires two players at all times. Most reviewers accept that, but a few refunded because they had no one to play with. Others wanted a limited solo mode for collectible cleanup, or matchmaking with strangers (a community Discord was recommended for finding partners).

Performance on some PCsLow

A few players reported poor framerates, lag in the backyard area, input lag, motion sickness in the tutorial, or problems with Windows display scaling. Others praised the optimisation, and one launch-week review said a patch fixed performance, so this looks hardware-dependent and was partly resolved.

3. The player conversation

The tone is warm and personal. Many reviews are short, happy notes from couples, parents and friends who had a good evening, and a few ask the small studio (Firevolt) for a sequel or DLC or call the game "more of an indie starting point". The negative side splits into two groups. Early quitters, mostly under two hours, bounced off the handling, launch bugs or the feeling that the co-op was shallow. Players who finished and went back for completion mostly criticised structure: the ending, puzzle depth, navigation and collectible cleanup. Fans sometimes answer the critics directly: one says every negative comment is a "skill issue", and another tells readers to "Ignore a lot of the negative comments". The first two weeks after launch were consistently positive. In week three the positive share dropped to 65% on only 31 reviews, and four of that week's eleven negative reviews blame the controls. Bug reports moved from login failures and crashes in launch week to the portal soft-lock and a lost save in weeks three and four.

4. What the developers could do

Give players more control over the car's handling. Handling is the most common complaint in negative reviews and the reason two players refunded within the first hour, and players asked for specific fixes: analog throttle on triggers, a deadzone setting, a drift-capable handbrake, an option to disable the automatic reverse whip, and less slippery traction.
Fix the progression blockers and add recovery tools. Stuck carts and missions, the portal soft-lock, the early-credits bug that locks out the phase-shifter, and a lost save turned several happy players into negative reviewers, two of whom said they would update their reviews once it is fixed; cloud saves and a chapter-restart option would limit the damage.
Rework or extend the ending. Every review that discusses the abrupt, "cut" finale is disappointed by it, in positive reviews as well as negative ones.
Add fast travel, a level select and collectible hints. Late-game and 100% players described getting lost, driving through vents to backtrack, and circling for the last items with no guidance.
Streamline ability switching. Players found the two-slot limit and radial menu tedious, asking for number-key hotbars or context-aware tool selection, especially on mouse and keyboard.
Deepen the co-op puzzle design in future content. Critics said most puzzles are simultaneous button presses that one player could sometimes handle alone, and they want interactions that really need both cars.
Expand the RC-car side modes. Players were surprised there are no races, time trials or battle modes beyond tag and coin collecting, and fans asked for new levels and DLC.
Add audio and accessibility options. Separate voiceover volume or mute, better Windows display-scaling support, and offline local play came up in several reviews.