Carmageddon Rogue Shift Switch 2 Review

Carmageddon Rogue Shift Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

We are back in the driver’s seat and ready to take another lap with Carmageddon: Rogue Shift. My initial review only went live a few days ago, and since then, much to developer 34BigThings’ credit, they’ve been working away to address a lot of the issues with a Day 0 patch, tuning the game a bit more before release. Now, I don’t usually re-review a game until well after launch when there have been plenty of post-launch updates, but I removed my original review as it doesn’t represent the game that releases tomorrow, and it’s important to act with fairness and integrity, especially when the video games industry is hurting right now. Many fans were disappointed with the game’s performance, and since that was the main focus of the update, it’s only right to get behind the wheel and start fresh with Carmageddon: Rogue Shift. What’s it like? Aim for the zombies, grab some repair pickups, and head into the second lap as we review Carmageddon: Rogue Shift for Nintendo Switch 2… again.

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift takes a refreshing spin on the Carmageddon franchise, living up to its new moniker by shifting gameplay into a roguelike format. The core fundamentals have changed, and now, instead of a more open-world approach, the game is structured around racing courses littered with the undead instead of pedestrians. Some die-hard fans may be put off by this change, but zombies work thematically with the wasteland vibes here. The shift also allows zombie variants to play a larger role in races, charging at cars or launching biohazard projectiles as you dodge and drift around the course.

Progression is laid out in a choose-your-path style, letting you select races that branch into other events, repair shops, weapon upgrades, or vehicle perks. It works well, allowing players to pick or avoid certain modes, such as elite races where you have to finish first, or, as damage compounds over matches, prioritising repairs over firepower. Every now and then, you will face a boss round, either taking them down within a certain time frame or simply beating them in a race. These moments are challenging, and most of my runs ended here, especially after failing to beat a lightning-fast opponent. Failure does not mean the end, however, as you will earn special “BeatCoins” that unlock new items and abilities for your next run. These include new cars that are permanently unlocked, pickups and abilities that enter your shop rotation, or permanent upgrades such as health and damage boosts that carry over with every run. The roguelike progression works well, and if I am honest, this shift in gameplay style breathes fresh nitrous into the well-worn engine of the Carmageddon brand.

Racing itself works well, with each vehicle having a different weight and feel. There are tuner-style racers built for speed and harassing fire, or tank-like vehicles that are slower but high in defence and with a decent amount of offence. The more you play, the more BeatCoins you earn, unlocking more powerful cars, from classic Carmageddon-style vehicles to some that cheekily represent real-world counterparts such as the Subaru WRX. The main departure from previous entries is that vehicular weapons play a much larger role in races. Players can pick up ammunition during races and go on the offensive, gunning down racers, zombies, and police-like vehicles called Enforcers, which cause chaos when they enter the fray. These can sometimes be extremely frustrating, colliding and sticking to your vehicle, making you lose position at critical moments or grinding you to a halt. There is a reset button to help counter this, but some collisions and hit detection can still cause frustration.

Changing lanes into the zombie apocalypse setting works well for Carmageddon: Rogue Shift visually. Courses range from Mad Max-style wasteland environments to man-made arenas set in wrecking yards featuring demolition balls to dodge. Each course is varied and has its own visual style, managing to keep you engaged for the most part. The randomisation of levels means no two runs are the same, giving a good mix of courses and tracks to keep things interesting. While the environment design looks great, the game is not without issues. There is a lot of texture and level-of-detail pop-in, which can be jarringly noticeable on some levels. While lighting has improved with the Day 0 patch, vehicle shadows are either barely noticeable or completely absent in some levels, which would have given the visuals more depth. The game sometimes looks like a compromised version with flatter, slightly washed-out textures. Headlights and shadows work much better since the update, but I am surprised they did not include car shadows here.

So much like a racecar, the real question is how the Day 0 patch affected performance. For those who missed the first lap of this review, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift seemed locked at 22 frames per second, which was not great, and regularly dipped to 12–15 frames per second, sometimes even crashing to the home screen several times an hour. For the most part, performance now runs between 28 and 31 frames per second, with the occasional spike in frame-time response. It is still not perfect, but gone is the input lag that made racing almost unplayable, making manoeuvring your car much more responsive. The game still has a fair share of performance issues, particularly when hordes shamble across the racetrack. Framerate can dip to around 22 frames per second, which also increases input delay and can make recovery frustrating. I do have to say it is great to see the Day 0 patch improve things for the most part, even if a few issues remain.

For my racers looking into accessibility, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift includes some options to make your wasteland chaos more enjoyable. There is an easy mode that provides a gentler introduction to the game. You can reduce game speed, choose from a range of colorblind modes, and adjust field of view, camera shake, and motion blur settings for better visual clarity. Controls can also be remapped, which comes in handy for custom accessibility setups.

At $60 AUD, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift still does not feel competitively priced in terms of polish and content when compared to similar titles. We have recently seen GRID Legends launch at a cheaper price point with more content and a higher level of polish, making it hard to justify the spend here. The Day 0 patch has made a noticeable improvement to performance on Nintendo Switch 2, and the roguelike gameplay adds an interesting twist to the franchise, but compared to the other cars on the track, Rogue Shift still needs some work under the hood.

So, What’s it Like? Carmageddon Rogue Shift is like Wreckfest, crossed with Interstate 76.

In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the publisher, but this doesn’t influence my score.

Enjoyed our Carmageddon Rogue Shift Switch 2 Review?

✨ Support What’s It Like? Want to help keep this independent Nintendo outlet running? Here are a few ways you can support:
🌐 More Nintendo reviews and guides: https://www.whatsitlike.com.au/
☕ Buy me a Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/whatsitlike
🎥 Join the Patreon for behind-the-scenes content: https://patreon.com/u102681944