SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed Preview

The art of speedrunning is something I respect, but cannot get to grips with, despite numerous (failed) attempts. The time investment, precision, and general stress are just too much for my tiny brain to comprehend! As such, I was a bit apprehensive when the GrinCast crew lined up at the starting line of SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed.

The core idea of the game is to race against up to eight other players in a breakneck foot race through various levels and obstacles. Instead of racing for a set number of laps, the game uses an elimination system, where any character that is left so far behind that they are no longer visible on-screen is knocked out of the running.

Additionally, because skilled players would probably race forever given the chance, once a set amount of time has elapsed, or the first player drops, the edges of the screen will slowly begin to fill with fire, which is a great system. Not only does the shrinking play area make for intense racing, but it also pushes the player’s reaction speed to the utmost limit, with the slightest mistake leading to an immediate loss.

Much like in the hobby it is named after, learning the mechanics of the game and the intricacies of the courses is key to shaving off as much time as possible. To help in this, each player has a hookshot they can use to gain momentum and reach higher paths. They can also slide and use a limited power bar to gain a burst of speed, all of which can (and must) be used strategically to gain an advantage.

Racers can collect special tools to even the odds, like using a freezer ray to ice over runners in a straight line, leaving behind a mine, or even hookshotting a fellow competitor and switching places. The combination of movement abilities and powerups make for a wonderful bouquet of chaos and speedy fun.

The courses in SpeedRunners 2 are detailed, with lots of variation. Some levels may feature a lot of vertical movement, whereas others may have multiple pathways that are toggled with levers, all having unique mechanics to keep the players on their toes. While we didn’t run into levels we openly disliked, we did find that some courses, especially ones with steep vertical drops or rises, often ended quite abruptly, with one racer dropping down or climbing up fast enough to knock everyone else out.

The character design was also impressive: each racer has their own style of movement and animation, giving them a surprising bit of personality despite being a blur on screen most of the time. Their outlines and designs are also distinct enough to make it easy to pick out your character on screen, despite everything going past a mile a minute, which is not an easy feat to manage.

SpeedRunners 2 was a fun title to play with friends for a while, and it can result in some intense and memorable races. Each competition is over pretty quickly, making it an easy game to play for a quick match or two, and it has a definite charm that makes it hard to put down, even on a loss.

SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed is set to release in 2026, is being developed by Fair Play Labs and published by tinyBuild.