Review: You Suck At Parking | Xbox

I am one of those crazy fools who love parallel parking. The challenge of getting a huge vehicle into a gap only a few days inches bigger than the car itself ignites the gamer in me and I must try it. So when I heard about the manic arcade parking game aptly titled ‘You Suck at Parking’ I had to give it a go. But is the game a fender bender or bumper fun? Here’s my review of You Suck at Parking on Xbox.

You Suck at Parking Review on Xbox Series X

You Suck at Parking is a cute but frantic parking game. You drive your car around the levels and park in the designated spots. The challenge, however, is that there is no reverse and if you stop, you park. As such, you buzz around the levels trying to stop in a single spot. At first, this is straightforward, but as the game progresses, the levels include superhot barriers that make you explode on impact, Wind machines that push you off target, and police cars that arrest you with one touch. The game is so much fun and incredibly addictive.

The joy of the game starts with the controls. Its twitch controls make it fantastic fun to drive and powerslide around the levels. Mistakes come thick and fast as you fly off the course or explode into a fireball. A tap of the D-pad instantly restarts the level which is useful as each level is timed. Then it’s the level design itself. Each level has two or three spots to park in and you need to park before the timer hits zero. The exhilaration of hitting that last spot is truly amazing and trying to complete all spots is massively addictive.

All the levels are accessed via an island overworld that you can drive around at your leisure. Car cannons fire you across to new areas and parking at different buildings access the main level. Each level has five stages and all can be completed either partially or completely. The more ‘hearts’ you earn, the more you can access.

The game’s difficulty fluctuates from being overly simple to incredibly hard, but with time and patience, it’s fun to master the different levels. When the game adds more cars and chasing police cars, the pressure ramps up even further. There are over 100 single-player levels in You Suck at Parking, some of them almost maze-like in their complexity. In an interview in Wireframe, designer and studio co-founder David Prinsmel discusses how they approach the level design more like a golf game than a racer.

Outside of the single-player game, the online multiplayer allows for 8 players to battle it out on a variety of multiplayer maps to become the ultimate parker. With only one parking spot and all eight players going for it, expect rushing, ramming, and explosions. It’s crazy fun and with it coming to Game Pass, you can expect lots of players from day one. 

For added personalisation, you can hit the garage to customise your vehicle. Players can change the vehicle type, the paint job, the exhaust effects and much more. A Fortnite-style store and battle pass system allows players to buy and unlock a huge amount of customisations but regular players still have a handful to unlock each season The simple polygon graphics and bright colour palette compliment the gameplay well and the UI enjoys lots of satisfying pops and bloops. The music can get a little weird sometimes but is easy to tune out in the heat of parking.

Overall, You Suck at Parking is pure unadulterated fun. Its precision controls, wacky level design and satisfying completion are hugely addictive. The game can be tough at times  (and sometimes feel impossible), but the gradual increase in the difficulty means that it is accessible for both younger gamers and those looking for a real challenge. The campaign is the most fun, but the online play and regularly added levels ensure that you can have new experiences long after completing the one-player adventure. With over 100 levels and a promise of many more being added post-launch, You Suck at Parking is a parking LOT of fun.

Check out the game on the box store or visit: https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/You-Suck-at-Parking/9NCF3MRQ8480