Synopsis:
A hilarious party game focused on chaotic cooperation. As a pit crew, inspect arriving cars and perform
rapid repairs across intricate levels. To beat your bitter rival, you’ll need teamwork and tactics for every race.
Publisher: Wild Fields
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
Also available for: PC [Q3 2023]
Cast (voices): Christopher Hernandez, Rich Daigle, Ravin Wong, Shantaya Fonseca, Kelsey Painter,
Devin Baird, Derek Daisey, Maggie Ross, Dahlia Vianne, Katie Harvey
Developer: Wild Fields
Executive Producer: Oleg Kozak
Game Vision: Andrii Panchenko
Designers: Sviatoslav Vasylyshyn, Ivan Kulikov, Dmytro Linnyk
The Overcooked-inspired co-op genre keeps growing, and with the rise of Drive to Survive and F1,
a pit-crew spin felt inevitable. Many pretenders chase that “it factor”; Speed Crew doesn’t quite capture the
same wholesome charm, but it’s one of the stronger contenders to cross the line.
Speed Crew is built for friends—local or online with up to three others. You can play solo, but it drains
much of the fun and magnifies the chaos.
Early levels are simple: a car pulls in; jack it up, socket-wrench the wheel, repair or swap the tyre, and get it back
on track. With a squad, the timing and hand-offs feel like a genuine pit stop. Alone… it’s a juggle.
Complexity ramps quickly. Engines, fuel, and more advanced fixes demand extra tools—and levels get hazardous.
Hauling a jerry can across an active track turns into Frogger as cars scream by. Other stages require communication to
open gates or maneuver while a car drifts through your workspace. Getting hit won’t fail you, but you’ll drop items and
respawn at the start.
Clutter is part of the challenge: engines, tyres, wrenches, jacks, fuel cans, extinguishers, and stations pile up.
Keeping a tidy tool flow becomes vital. One ergonomic tweak (like giving every player a built-in core tool) might have
reduced the item pile-ups, but smart teamwork still overcomes the chaos.
Like Overcooked, three-star perfection is the real victory. Late-game levels demand tight coordination and
tool sequencing to extract and replace multiple parts under pressure.
I mostly played online co-op and dabbled solo for comparison. Solo worked mechanically, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
In online groups we hit a couple of hiccups—an occasional player failing to load in or dropping out and being unable
to rejoin—which may be a Switch-specific quirk.
The art is clean if less cozy than its inspiration, but the campaign has personality—spanning the 1970s to 2010s with
a cheeky story, a character named “Dominion Torrento,” and playful Fast & Furious nods. Expect four
worlds with ten core levels each; it’s more narrative framing than deep storytelling, but it fits the vibe.
Once Speed Crew clicks, you’ll be barking orders—“Pass the three-quarter torque wrench!”—and celebrating
flawless runs. It’s at its best with three or four friends, headsets on, and a shared plan to tame the chaos.
(Speed Crew code provided for review)
