Hello, Linux gamers! Today, I’ll be covering a car racing game called MayHemCars. The game is unique and hilarious too. Instead of trying to win, the other racers bump and crash on each other.
You better watch out, or they’ll try to ram you off the tracks too. If you are looking for a hilarious car racing game instead of “winning” as the sole objective, then this game is a must-try.
Install MayHemCars
MayHemCars is available on itch, and below is the link for the game’s itch page:
You can either click the link or copy and paste the URL on a new tab to load the game’s website. Click the download button and select cars.0.2.1_linux.zip download button.
Alternatively, itch users can directly install the game from within the app itself. If you haven’t registered for an itch account or don’t know what itch is, I recommend reading itch A Gaming Platform For Indie Games Lovers article. The platform hosts all new and latest indie games and is constantly updated with new titles regularly.
Launching MayHemCars
After installation, launch the game either by double-clicking the executable file or the itch app “Launch” button for itch users. A window will be displayed for you to choose the game resolution and configure input settings. If you have fairly decent gaming hardware, “Ultra” graphics quality is recommended. Otherwise, choose a lower quality option.
However, there is an issue with the graphics quality options. They don’t work at all. Even if you have selected “Very low” the graphics settings with the game is always set to Ultra. I guess this is a bug related to the game or might be a specific issue with the Linux build version.
Graphics control
The game graphics control (after you successfully launch to the game home screen) gives you flexibility in getting the best racing experience. There are tons of graphics settings that can be tweaked. For instance, changing the field of view distance from the car, customizing brightness, modifying fog quality, etc. Be sure to check them out if you didn’t like the default graphic settings.
Single gameplay
In single gameplay mode, you race against the AI; with 8 racers. Expect to experience some hilarious racing as you try to steer clear away from the other racers bumping and smashing each other off the track. You either race to win or have fun smashing others too. The game UI is somewhat realistic, but the event sounds don’t feel right. Even when you have slowed the car down, the engine sound seems to roar louder. Handling is a tad bit difficult too, but you’ll soon get the hang of it as you keep racing.
By the way, MayHemCars control is similar to all other racing games. You use:
W – to move forward
A and D – to turn left and right, respectively
S – to reverse
However, for braking, space key is used. It might take some muscle memory if you are new to this brake input.
Tracks
There are a total of 12 tracks. And before you choose one, you can set the number of laps to run. By default, the race laps to 6, which is quite lengthy and starts to get boring if you don’t have the patience. I enjoy at the most 3 laps. I haven’t tried all the tracks yet, however, some of the tracks are disabled, but the button UI doesn’t indicate anything about the current track being unplayable.
Each track is unique and features different environment settings. Some represent a real-life race track while others are just imaginative; for instance, a mind-bending road track in outer space!
Car collection
After you complete each track, you are rewarded one or more cars. There is a big wheeler too. But if you crave for speed, I recommend choosing a smaller-wheelie for racing, plus they have much stronger feedback during impact too. The big ones seem to fly in the air when ramming onto other racers.
Conclusion
MayHemCars is an interesting racing game. Whether you play to win or smash is up to you. I want to do both but often aim to win if I find myself racing ahead of others ;P Hope you enjoyed reading this article. Go check out the game and let me know what you think about it in the comment section below.