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Family Racing Car Fun with Anki Overdrive

*We received the Anki OVERDRIVE Family Bundle in exchange for this review. All opinion are honest and my own.

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Being outnumbered by boys in my household you can well imagine the type of toys we have. They evolve around “transport” a lot. Trains (SO many trains), Fire Engines, Aeroplanes and their current favourite Racing Cars!

I first heard about Anki OVERDRIVE when Mr H sent me a YouTube video telling me that we “had” to buy it when it was released in the UK. After watching the video I was in agreement because it looked awesome and so much fun! We both loved slot car racing when we were children, and Anki looked to have updated it for the modern day.

Fast forward to the Summer holidays and we were very lucky to not only be invited along to a pop-up event at Westfield London to check out this amazing racing game first-hand, but we were also sent the Anki OVERDRIVE Family bundle to review too.


What is it?

Anki OVERDRIVE is essentially a super cool racing game where you can race either against the “computer” or with each other on track pieces that are held together magnetically.

What’s in the box?

The family bundle comes with the following:

  • Starter Kit (4 straight pieces, 6 corner pieces, 2 cars, 3 accessories)
  • Corner kit (2 corner pieces)
  • Speed Kit (2 straight pieces)
  • Launch Kit (2 cars: Thermo and Nuke)

How does it work?

The interchangeable track has infrared technology that each car scans before the start of each race. This means you can create a racetrack in any shape or size to suit the size of room you are in. Cars are controlled via an app either on your smartphone or tablet (the app is available both for iOs and Android) where you tilt your screen to move the car from left to right on the track. After downloading the app you can customise the look of your “commander”. You can then match them to a car of your choice. Each car has their own personality and driving style and when matched with different commanders creates a unique style of driving.

Gameplay

There are currently four different modes of play – Race, Battle, King of the Hill and Time Trial. The beauty of it being an app is that it can be updated and added to at any point. The app allows you to earn bonuses through racing so you can earn powerups and weapons for your car too.

The boys were only interested in the Racing mode so this was our most popular option when playing. The cars need to be pre-charged before you use them, it takes around 5-10 minutes to fully charge them and they last around 20 minutes before needing to be charged before use again.

What did we think?

We absolutely LOVE Anki OVERDRIVE. As a family, we are all hooked on it. It’s one of those games where you can really get competitive about winning. We have spent many a Sunday afternoon setting up a track and racing against each other and have literally had hours of fun with it. E has really gotten into racing cars recently so this has just fuelled his passion for it even more.

Things we loved

  • Racing four cars in one go
  • Using sneaky tactics to “knock” other racers of the track
  • The freedom to create any combination off race course
  • The design and look of the cars

Check out the video we made and see the track in action

The Anki OVERDRIVE Family Bundle costs £299 and although it is expensive I think it is worth every penny. (The starter kit is priced at £149.99 and comes with two cars and 8 track layouts) Adults are set to enjoy it as much (if not more) than the children and I do think it would make a fantastic gift for a birthday or Christmas. This could be something a family could club together money for. If you love slot car racing I do not think you will be disappointed.

Anki OVERDRIVE is available to purchase on the Anki website.

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About The Author

Picture of Maria
Hello and welcome to Suburban Mum! I'm Maria and I'm mum to two boys - E who's 11 and M who's 8. This blog is about my family, the ups and downs of being a working mum and everything in between. If you want to find out more about me and my family head over to our About us page.

76 thoughts on “Family Racing Car Fun with Anki Overdrive”

  1. tammymum

    It looks fab for boys, well any child really not just boys I think my girl would love it, she loves cars! Its cool that it has an interactive element via the smartphone too. it does seem expensive but if its a present thats really loved and enjoyed by all then it could be worth it. #KCACOLS xx

    Reply
  4. Becky @ Educating Roversi

    It’s like a modern Skylectrix!y hubby would love this, let alone my son. Might have to look into it for xmas Thanks for co-hosting #KCACOLS

    Reply
  5. Pen

    Wow, this looks great. Cygnet is only two at the moment so he is a bit young for this but I am looking forward to when he is old enough. Pen x #KCACOLS

    Reply
  7. A Moment With Franca

    This looks amazing Maria! I think my girls would go absolutely crazy if we have this at home! lol, It is very big, though. I don’t think I have space. It looks super fun! Love it! Thanks so much for helping me co-hosting #KCACOLS this week! xx

    Reply
  12. Savannah

    This looks like the toy cars of the future-how rad!!! So expensive, but totally looks like so much fun. I remember the toy cars my brothers used to play with when we were kids, and they were nothing like this! It totally makes me look forward to the types of toys I can buy for my son when he gets a little older. Thanks for sharing! <3 #KCACOLS

    Reply
  25. Rebecca Taylor

    Oh my goodness! This looks amazing! My little boy is also obsessed with anything ‘transport’ but he’s only two (in a week and a half) so this might need to wait a year or so! Thank you for sharing. #KCACOLS

    Reply
  28. Andrea @ Topsy Turvy Tribe

    We are overrun with boys toys here too. This looks like a winner. We were only saying the other day there should be a modern version of Scaletrix available where the cars actually stay on the track! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  45. ERFmama

    Oh this is fab! I think all 3 of mine would LOVE this. 😀
    And did anyone say trains? My youngest is obsessed with trains!!! lol So we have quite a few of those yes…hehe
    #kcacols

    Reply
  46. Alana - Burnished Chaos

    Looks great. The perfect mix of scalextric and computer gaming. I can definitely see why the adults would have as much (if not more) fun than the kids!
    #KCACOLS

    Reply
  47. Katy - Hot Pink Wellingtons

    Wow, this looks expensive but amazing! As much as I try not to gender stereotype in our choice of toys, there’s no denying that my son is drawn to anything vehicle related! We’re also a family with a bit of a competitive streak, so this sounds ideal! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  49. Sonia

    We are the opposite in my house with a majority of women! My 5 year old boy is the youngest and he and his dad would love this! It is a bit pricy but maybe as a joint present? #KCACOLS

    Reply
  50. chocolateandwineandillbefine

    This looks fab! So hi-tech! I saw this in Harrods a few weeks ago. It looked amazing and I was so intrigued but I couldn’t work it out at all (I decided I just wasn’t cool enough to get these things anymore) – now I get it, so thank you for that! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  54. Sharon Parry

    Gosh this looks fantastic. We had a scalectrix when we were small and it was nothing like this. Looks like you had a fantastic time! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  55. Acorn Books

    This looks like so much fun! Mine are a bit young for it just yet but definitely something I’m sure we’d all live to play when they’re bigger. Will start saving up now! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  59. Rebecca

    Oh I saw this at Blog On in May and I must admit it’s so awesome! I would love to have this – for me not for the kids!! #KCACOLS

    Reply
  70. Poppy Reflects

    Love this! It reminds me of (excuse spelling) old school scalextrix.. I always loved a boys toy and so does Taormina x #KCACOLS

    Reply

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