Gamers looking for a change of pace after years of prepping meals and unpacking houses in co-op party games may want to keep their eyes on Speed Crew, which offers a cartoonish take on the time-sensitive tasks of working in a racing pit crew. Coming from Ukraine-based developer Wild Fields, Speed Crew looks to be an interesting spin on the co-op simulation genre popularized by titles like the chaotic cooking sim series Overcooked.
While many people make it a point to actively avoid stressful situations like working in a busy kitchen or unpacking an overstuffed moving van in real life, these otherwise tedious tasks have become perfect fodder for the popular co-op simulation genre of games. In an era where multiplayer games are increasingly an online-only affair, these sorts of quirky party games offer a great excuse to invite over friends and family for some hectic couch co-op. And although the goal is to complete the in-game tasks quickly and efficiently, whether that’s accurately assembling orders in the Overcooked games or fleetly fumbling with furniture in titles like SMG and Team17’s Moving Out 2, a large part of the appeal of the genre is laughing at the chaos that ensues when players get out of sync.
Offering up its own unique spin on the genre, developer Wild Fields has released an announcement trailer for its upcoming co-op party game, Speed Crew. Wearing the clear influence of titles like Overcooked proudly on its sleeves, Speed Crew will let up to 4 players team up in either local or online co-op as they dash around the pit working frantically to get racers back out on the road. Instead of the carefully choreographed precision players see when they pull into the pit in a NASCAR video game, the Speed Crew trailer revels in the hilarious chaos of trying to complete the automotive adjustments while contending with obstacles the game throws their way.
Based on the game’s website and the footage from the trailer, which shows scoreboards listing the race standings towering over the various stages, the goal of Speed Crew is to have your team’s racer finish first. To do this, players will need to work with their friends to get cars in and out of the pit as quickly as possible while completing gamified tasks like fixing flats or swapping out burning engines. Much like the often-outlandish levels in Overcooked, the stages on display in the Speed Crew trailer look to present challenges of their own in the form of environmental hazards and other hurdles.
With its cartoony style and chaotic gameplay, Speed Crew could be a great option for gamers looking for some new couch co-op fun. Just watch out for random slaps from the pit chief who pops up at the end of the trailer.
Speed Crew releases for Nintendo Switch on June 6.