Make Way Switch Review

2023 has been a great year for couch party games. We’ve had Manic Mechanics, Gigabash, and Jackbox Party to name a few. Sometimes, there’s nothing better than having a couple of friends over for plenty of laughs, and plenty of games! 2023 isn’t quite over (at the time of writing this article) so I figured it was ok to make way for… Make Way, a 4-player racing game in the vein of Micro Machines, but with a really unique and interesting twist. What’s it Like? Grab some friends, open up a can of Pringles, and let’s get ready to rumble as we review “Make Way.”

Make Way is a 4-player isometric racer from the dev team “IceBeam” and published by “Secret Mode.” The twist? The game has no pre-made courses and it’s up to each player to place a piece of the track at the start of each round for them to duke it out, add more, rinse, and repeat. This method of creating tracks makes every game unique and interesting, as well as adding plenty of challenges and frustrations in the later difficulty levels. The more you play, the more you unlock and rewards include even more over-the-top pieces like a loop de loop, fire rings to jump through, and half-pipe sections of track. That’s not all though, as your progression will also unlock new cars, many of which are cheeky pop culture references, or throwback tributes to classic supercars. In Make Way, it’s not the car but the driver that will determine the outcome of the race as there are no specific stats applicable to the cars, as they are cosmetic choices only.

Speaking of cosmetics, the graphics may have a low poly look to them, but you don’t notice it much as you chaotically try to navigate through the haphazardly assembled race tracks at a consistently smooth framerate. There’s a lot going on in later difficulty levels, which slowly introduce hazards, power-ups, and no edges to your tracks. You can race against 3 other players, or if you can’t organise your mates, there are adjustable AI bots you can race against instead which hold their own. I spent the majority of my playtime against bots, and found them to be enjoyable and challenging to play against. Another great feature of the game is how the winners are determined, awarding points for successful checkpoints by completing sections, and bonus points for finishing and winning the races. The winner is determined by hitting the score threshold, which means if you have a balanced group of players, the races last longer, and more often than not, end in a sudden death round. There are a few offensive items you can collect and use, and should you get knocked out, you spawn back in at the next checkpoint, forfeiting the points for that section of the track.

There’s a lot to unlock, and a lot to keep you going due to the replayable nature of the game. The progression system is generous, awarding new track items, obstacles, and sections with good pacing, and it’s always fun when you get a unique part you just unlocked to add to your course. The game features cross-platform, online matchmaking which I was unable to test during my playtime, unfortunately, but local play with friends was an absolute blast. I only really encountered one downside to the game which was when you are far ahead of the pack, the game doesn’t zoom out to show you what’s ahead. I’m not sure if this is a feature intended to slow you down for balance, or just something that happening in the game engine. Likewise, if you fall behind on a curve, sometimes the game just writes you off until the next checkpoint. It’s not a deal breaker, but I did feel cheated out of a few wins here and there.

For my vision-impaired Racers, there aren’t any accessibility options, and there isn’t a lot of contrast between courses and objects, so I encourage you to look further into whether this title may suit you.

Make Way may not have initially been high on my list of games to review, it was by chance I stumbled upon this title, and I’m glad I did as my time with the game has been full of hectic action, a lot of laughs, and really enjoyable. Sure, it may not be the best-looking title on the Switch, but it works well to provide hours of chaotic fun. At the price point of ~$23 AUD, it’s well worth the price of entry, especially if you have 4 joy-cons and a few mates to game with. It’s been a huge year for enjoyable games, and if you are happy to add one more to the collection, you won’t go wrong with Make Way.

So, What’s it Like?

Make Way is like Micro Machines, crossed with Mario Karts Battle Mode.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided a review copy of the game, but this in no way influences my opinion.