Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem Q&A

Landing the jump from popular physical toy to a decent digital game is no easy feat, but Hot Wheels’ tiny cars have lined themselves up to hit the adaptation ramp numerous times already. This month, it’s the turn of the speedsters’ colossal-tired cousins courtesy of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem. Ditching racing in favor of point-scoring arena action, the game aims to deliver high-suspension showboating filled with digital incarnations of many of the most popular Hot Wheels Monster Trucks toys.

As Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem revved its engines for release, Restart was able to screech into the inbox of producer Francesco Mantovani. Waving away the tire smoke, we quizzed him on what it meant for the 3DClouds team to adapt such an iconic toy franchise, why they opted for score chasing instead of racing, and how they drew inspiration from real toy sets to design the enemies and environments for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem. Oh, and we secured a little teaser as to how to uncover one of the game's secrets...

A monster Truck styled like a shark prepares to head down a ramp into a stunt arena — ©3DClouds

Restart: What does the name Hot Wheels mean to you?

Francesco Mantovani: Hot Wheels means freedom of imagination centered within an unparalleled mark of iconic fun. It is a brand you can instantly associate with a precise moment in your life when, as a child, you took your toy cars with you wherever you went and invented a new adventure of speed and power.

Most would assume a Hot Wheels game would be about racing, but Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem looks perhaps closer to something like the score-chasing of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Why did you decide to focus on monster trucks and arena action?

We wanted to do something different from a classic racing game. The starting point was the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live global tour, but we then took the lid off its more traditional concept of freedom by integrating action to the extreme that gaming so wonderfully can afford. All along we were dedicated to finding that right balance between reality and fantasy, where the truck still obeys the laws of physics, but can also pull off crazy stunts like triple backflips in amazing and fulfilling fashion. And we’re excited to deliver on that and get this game into your hands.

The Hot Wheels franchise has plenty of video game releases already. What interested you in making a new game with the license?

Hot Wheels was a perfect fit for us here at 3DClouds, which for years has focused on creating arcade racing games. It is a brand that, thanks to its many facets, has allowed us to explore a game design that hasn’t yet been explored within the Hot Wheels universe and that can go beyond the racing nature of the vehicles by empowering fans to go a little more "crazy" while still fully delivering on the beloved Hot Wheels brand identity and experience.

How did you approach recreating real-life Hot Wheels cars in-game? Did you bring them to life with any effects beyond their visuals?

We started by not looking at them purely as vehicles, but as characters. Without a doubt, the designs of each of the Monster Trucks in the game are modeled after their real-life Hot Wheels trucks, but we’ve brought their personality more to the forefront and allowed it to burst through in an interactive way. That is why each truck has a unique sound plus a special, signature move that, when executed and activated precisely, unleashes the uniqueness of the truck’s character and personality that goes beyond the in-arena experience.

How many cars are there in Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem, which is your favorite, and why?

There are 20 different trucks available in the standard version of the game, which can be unlocked by the player in Career Mode. Each truck has its own personality, and each team member has their own favorite. The most popular here at 3DClouds are Tiger Shark, Rhinomite, Buns of Steel, and Battitude – they are a lot of fun to play.

How many arenas are there in Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem, which is your favorite, and why?

The game features seven arenas divided into six different locations. It is hard to pick just one favorite as each area has its own unique theme. For instance, Junkyard Valley’s appeal is it is the more technical arena, while Island Swamps is set at night and so it has a really great immersive atmosphere. And then there’s Volcano Mountain – well, there is a volcano that furiously erupts when you fly over it. How cool is that?!

A section of track loops around an active volcano with lava erupting and a large creature's skull clamped on the track — ©3DClouds

Can you customize cars in Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem? If so, do you have any examples?

Technically, in a way, yes, but not is the traditional sense. What we’ve empowered you with is the ability to unlock cool, new variants of each and every truck as you progress through Career Mode.

How did you approach designing boss fights for an arena and stunt-based monster truck game?

We took inspiration from real Hot Wheels playsets, such as the Gator Loop Attack, because we wanted them to be closely linked to the different themed arenas. Since there are a lot of destructible elements in our game, we put our creative minds to work on constructing in-game elements that, when destroyed, would make the boss vulnerable and allow players to execute his truck’s signature stunt that would reward them with a high score.

Can you give three quick tips for players trying to maximize their scores?

Try to keep the stunt chain active by performing more stunts in a series.
Perform different stunts to increase the chain multiplier.
And finally, once you have achieved a high multiplier, use the Truck special move to maximize your score.

Are there any secrets and easter eggs hidden in the arenas? If so, can you offer a hint as to where players should look?

The boss modules hide a secret that can be revealed using the right... key.

Our thanks to Francesco Mantovani for taking the time to answer our questions about Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem.