One of the most beloved indie games of the 2010’s returns. After some success with previous titles, I was surprised that it’s been almost a decade since the previous experience. What made the games a hit was the chaotic competitive multiplayer. The movement mechanics were satisfying to play around with but brutally hard to master. Speedrunners 2: King of Speed has recently landed on Xbox Series X/S with Xbox Play Anywhere functionality, allowing you to play anywhere you can access your Xbox library of games. For those on Xbox Game Pass, you can access the game under your subscription there too.
Gameplay
Speedrunners 2: King of Speed keeps the same formula that the game became famous for. The aim is pretty simple and that is to stay in the race and remain on the screen; if you drop off, then you are dropped from that particular round. Sounds easier than it is, practice never really means perfect in this game, but it can make you a better player for sure. You’ll be sprinting, wall-jumping, sliding and grappling your way along, attempting to keep momentum throughout. There are items such as traps and missiles that can disrupt player progress, so you’ll need to stay focused.
There is an option to play locally against AI players, but to be honest, that gets stale pretty quickly. Online multiplayer is where the competitive edge is, and up to 8 players can race against each other with full crossplay support. You can race casually or you can jump into ranked matches. This is where the serious players hang out, and after playing ten or so games in ranked, I realised that I wasn’t great at the game in comparison to some who had put the hours in.
Visuals & Audio
Visually, Speedrunners 2: King of Speed is pretty basic, but there are some nice, varied environments with interesting backdrops. Due to the high-speed intensity of the game, you don’t have much time to admire them fully. During my playtime on Xbox Series X, the game ran smoothly with no issues to report. Even when gameplay gets frantic on screen, stability stays on point. Customisation is pretty decent, and you can tinker around with cosmetics that you unlock through levelling up between runs. Everything here is purely cosmetic, so you can relax.
Audio blends well with the high intensity, with thrusts, groans, and everything being heard when bouncing off walls and flying through the air. Background music doesn’t overwhelm the experience, with casual beats ringing through.
Final Thoughts
Speedrunners 2: King of Speed retains all of the qualities that the previous game mastered, but it hasn’t really evolved much either. But for serious fans, that probably won’t matter much. Replayability is there, with online multiplayer staying pretty active and the game available on Xbox Game Pass, which should boost server numbers. With cross-platform multiplayer also a feature, it should have good longevity for a good while, yet let’s just hope the developers at tinyBuild Games don’t leave it too long before the next one. If you’d like to pick up a copy for Xbox Series X/S, then you can do so HERE. If you’re on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, however, you can download and play as part of your subscription at the time of writing.
Thank you to the ID@Xbox team & tinyBuild Games for access to the review code for Xbox Series X/S
Overall
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CX Score - 65%65%
Summary
Pros
- Keeps the same gameplay mechanics that Speedrunners is known for
- Crossplay online multiplayer extends longevity
- Xbox Play Anywhere functionality and currently available on Xbox Game Pass
- Good variety of levels and characters
Cons
- If you’re not playing online, it’ll get stale quickly
- Progression feels like it’s lacking
- Visuals come across a bit basic