WheelMates Review: Is the Co-op Puzzle Adventure Worth It?

Quick answer: WheelMates sits at Mostly Positive on Steam overall (75% of 267 reviews at time of writing), with English-language reviews specifically skewing even higher. It's genuinely good at what it's trying to be — a relaxed, approachable co-op puzzle game you can play with a partner who isn't a hardcore gamer — but it's short for the price, had a rough launch bug (since patched), and won't satisfy anyone expecting It Takes Two-level depth.

This isn't an original opinion piece scored from scratch — it's built from Steam's own review data and player-written reviews, since that's the most honest signal available for a game this new.

Where the numbers stand

Steam's overall rating for WheelMates is Mostly Positive, based on 267 reviews (75% positive) as of this check. A filtered sample of 153 English-language reviews skewed more favorably still — 130 positive to 23 negative — suggesting English-speaking players have responded especially well, even if the all-languages aggregate is a bit more mixed.

What people like

The recurring praise across positive reviews clusters around a few specific things:

• "Many different interesting puzzles and mechanics... easy to learn and perfect for relaxing" — reviewers consistently describe it as approachable rather than demanding
• The Friend's Pass gets called out repeatedly and specifically — "only need 1 license to play with a friend" is a genuinely appreciated value point, not just a footnote
• "A dazzling co-op RC adventure packed with stunts, clever puzzles"
• "Honestly one of the most refreshing co-op games I've played recently"

What people don't like

The negative reviews are consistent enough to take seriously, and cluster into three areas:

A launch bug. The "Far Beyond Driven" quest could get players stuck after activating a third object, blocked by a grille. This is real and was reported at launch — but it's also already fixed, per an official hotfix pushed the day after release. If you're buying now, this specific issue shouldn't affect you.

Length versus price. One review summed it up as "beat it in 5 hours, which makes $20 a little steep." It's worth noting this is one player's pace — Firevolt's own FAQ puts the main story at roughly 6 hours and full completion at around 8 (see the how-long-to-beat page for the full breakdown) — but even at the official numbers, some players will feel $19.99 is a lot for a single co-op weekend.

Depth, specifically compared to It Takes Two. This is the sharpest criticism in the negative reviews: "puzzles could be solved by my puppy," and "controls feel a bit swimmy." Both complaints track with what streamers who've played both games said directly — see the full comparison with It Takes Two for more detail on exactly where the gap is.

One claim worth a grain of salt

A small number of reviews mention frame rate issues and describe the visuals as having a dated, "PS3 era" look. This should be flagged as an outlier rather than a general finding: it wasn't echoed in the sampled positive reviews, and separately, a streamer running the game on Epic settings reported a solid 180–200 FPS. Treat the visual/performance complaint as an individual report, not evidence of a widespread problem.

Who should actually buy it

If you want a co-op game to play with a partner who doesn't play a lot of games, and you value approachable puzzles and a genuinely well-liked "one license covers two players" model, WheelMates is a comfortably good pick — that's exactly the audience the positive reviews describe. If you're specifically hunting for puzzle depth or a cinematic, story-driven co-op experience closer to It Takes Two, this isn't that game, and the negative reviews are honest about why.

FAQ