Wipeout Merge

Wipeout Merge
App Icon
Developer(s)	Amuzo Games
Publisher(s)	Rouge Games, Inc.
Platform(s)	iOS Android
Release Date(s)	(UK) 6 October 2021 (US) Early 2022
Mode(s)	Single-player
Media	App

Wipeout Merge (stylised as wipE'out mErgE and previously known as wipE'out rush) is a 2021 game in the Wipeout series of games for iOS and Android. The game was announced by publisher Rogue Games on September 16, 2021 and initially soft-launched in several regions throughout late 2021, and launched in the United States in early 2022.

Due to perceived lack of interest from the public and overwhelmingly negative reception amongst fans of the series, as seen in the game's low download count, the game's online services appear to have been discontinued.

Gameplay and Background

The game features over 60 ships from the series, as well as a full single-player campaign. Unlike previous entries in the series, the gameplay consists of being a racing "manager", and timing the deployment of weapons during races as well as collecting cards that provide information about the ships, teams and tracks of the Wipeout universe by completing various challenges. In addition to these features, the game also offers a "Quick Race" mode and presents daily challenges to keep players engaged on a daily basis. The game includes an intriguing third mode titled "Events" which is currently locked and was originally in the development plans. Unfortunately, this mode has never been fully realized due to the discontinuation of further development efforts.

The game also features a store where players can purchase various items and bundles using real-world currency. Additionally, there's a 3D Printer Room where players can collect "Memory Sticks" through various activities. These sticks are used to unlock crates of different rarity levels, granting access to weapons and Gems. These rarities span from white (common) to yellow (legendary). Furthermore, there's a Weapons Research Lab where players had the option to combine three weapons of the same rarity and type in order to obtain a weapon of the same type, but with the next highest rarity level.

Campaign

The game's championship campaign unfolds within the FX400 AG Racing League, while also showcasing ships from both the FX350 and A.G.R.C eras. The campaign consists of 60 different challenges and a combined total of 156 races, divided into twelve championships. Each championship is made up of five challenges, concluding with the Team Boss challenge, with different Team Bosses in each championship. Tracks hosting multiple championships are designated with the "Beta" suffix for the second reuse, and the "Gamma" suffix for the third reuse. Furthermore, the game's ambience and storyline are depicted in an art style reminiscent of that found in comic books and, to an extent, Auto Modellista, a racing game from 2002 with cel-shaded visuals.

Tracks

• Talon's Junction
• The Amphiseum
• Platinum Rush
• Tech De Ra
• Moa Therma

Teams

There are a total of twelve teams appearing in the game, with each having their own pilots, referred to as Team Bosses, and ship models.

FEISAR AG Systems EG-X Mirage Auricom Harimau

Qirex Goteki 45 Assegai Icaras Piranha Triakis

Championship Bosses

Below is the list of pilots appearing in the game, sorted in order of appearance in the Championship:

• Leandro Fernandes (Piranha; Talon's Junction Champion)
• Liam Shea (AG Systems; The Amphiseum Champion)
• Nyarai Khumala (Mirage; Platinum Rush Champion)
• Brian Turner (EG-X; Tech De Ra Champion)
• Kisa Kotov (Qirex; Moa Therma Champion)
• Riley Webb (FEISAR; Talon's Junction Beta Champion)
• Mirai Kaneko (Auricom; The Amphiseum Beta Champion)
• Renée Cadieux (Assegai; Platinum Rush Beta Champion)
• Jonathan Lidgren (Goteki 45; Tech De Ra Beta Champion)
• Hilde Brandt (Icaras; Moa Therma Beta Champion)
• Gavino Cavalcante (Triakis; Talon's Junction Gamma Champion)
• Guan Wei Chen (Harimau; The Amphiseum Gamma Champion)

Ships

Below is the list of ships appearing in the game, grouped into classes and sorted in order of value number:

D-Class (numbered 1-12) FEISAR FX350 Mk.1 AG Systems FX350 Mk.1 EG-X FX350 Mk.1 Mirage FX350 Mk.1 Auricom FX350 Mk.1 Harimau Fury Qirex LS07 Goteki 45 FX350 Mk.1 Assegai FX350 Mk.1 Icaras SunGod FX350 Mk.1 Triakis FX350 Mk.1 Piranha FX350 Mk.1 B-Class (numbered 25-36) FEISAR FX350 Mk.2 AG Systems Speed EG-X Fury Prototype Mirage FX350 Mk.3 Auricom FX350 Mk.2 Harimau FX350 Mk.2 Qirex Speed Goteki 45 Fury Prototype Assegai FX350 Mk.3 Icaras Fury Triakis FX350 Mk.2 Piranha Fury S-Class (numbered 49-60) FEISAR Prototype AG Systems Prototype EG-X Fury Mirage Fury Auricom Prototype Harimau FX400 Qirex Fighter Goteki 45 Fury Assegai Fury Icaras SunGod FX350 Mk.3 Triakis Fury Pir-hana Prototype

C-Class (numbered 13-24) FEISAR Fury AG Systems Fury EG-X FX400 Mirage FX350 Mk.2 Auricom Fury Harimau FX350 Mk.1 Qirex FX350 Mk.1 Goteki 45 FX400 Assegai FX350 Mk.2 Icaras SunGod FX350 Mk.2 Triakis FX400 Piranha FX350 Mk.2 A-Class (numbered 37-48) FEISAR Agility AG Systems Fighter EG-X FX350 Mk.2 Mirage Fury Prototype Auricom Speed Harimau Fury Prototype Qirex FX350 Mk.2 Goteki 45 FX350 Mk.2 Assegai Fury Prototype Icaras Fury Prototype Triakis Fury Prototype Pir-hana Fighter

Weapons

Missile Rockets Cannon Plasma

Quake Leech Beam Mines Bomb

Music

• Alastair Lindsay - "Gui Music" (Card/Ship Unlocked, Ship, Level Up, VS Sting)
• Alastair Lindsay - "Comic Music"
• Alastair Lindsay - "Race Complete"
• Alastair Lindsay - "Race Music"
• Spike Sharp - "GetOPunk (Switchshift Remix)"
• Switchshift - "Dream Catcher"
• Switchshift - "Good In Your Soul"
• Switchshift - "Gotta Let It Go"
• Switchshift - "I Can't Understand"
• Switchshift - "Is Anybody Out There"
• Switchshift - "Last Fight"
• Switchshift - "Protein"
• Switchshift - "Superduperfly"
• Switchshift - "Urban Rain Maker"
• Nil Force - "Hyperopia"
• Nil Force - "Imbalance"
• Nil Force - "Zedloop"

Gallery

Wipeout Merge Logo

Wipeout Merge Cover Art

Cover art when the game was still titled Wipeout Rush

Another cover art when the game was still titled Wipeout Rush

Videos

WipEout Rush - Announcement Trailer - iOS, Android

Announcement Trailer

WipEout Merge Gameplay Trailer - Mobile

Gameplay Trailer

Trivia

• This is the first Wipeout title made for a platform outside of PlayStation since Wipeout 64, and the first for mobile phones.
  • It is only the second Wipeout title developed by a studio outside of Sony Interactive Entertainment, the first being Wipeout Omega Collection.
  • This is also the first Wipeout title since Fusion that features ship upgrades, and the first in the series to feature weapon upgrades.
• This is the first and currently the only Wipeout game to feature microtransactions.
• Memory Sticks in the game bear a strong resemblance to the memory cards utilized for the original PlayStation console.
• As vintage ships from the AGRC era are featured in the game, it is likely that they have undergone restoration and that their weapons systems have been re-wired to accommodate the more modern tracks.
• When the missile is upgraded to Legendary, it undergoes a name change to "BFM", likely as a nod to the BFG (Big F***ing Gun) weapon from the Doom and Quake series.
• Running Gag: Icaras is frequently misspelled as "Icarus" in the game.
• The iOS version of the game has been preserved and is fully playable offline, it is now accessible from archive.org.