Wipeout Merge

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

Wipeout Merge (stylised as wipE'out mErgE and previously known as wipE'out rush) was a 2021 game in the Wipeout series of games for iOS and Android. The game was announced by publisher Rogue Games on 16 September 2021 and initially soft-launched in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2021.

Due to perceived lack of interest from the public and an overwhelmingly negative reception amongst fans of the series, as seen in the game's low download count, the game's online services appeared to have been discontinued long before the game itself was delisted from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play on an unspecified date.

Gameplay and Background

The game featured over 60 ships from the series, as well as a full single-player campaign. Unlike previous entries in the series, the gameplay consisted of being a racing "manager", timing the deployment of weapons during races, and 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 included a "Quick Race" mode and presented daily challenges to keep players engaged on a daily basis. The game included an intriguing third mode titled "Events", which remains unreleased due to the suspension of further development efforts.

The game also featured a store where players would be able to purchase various items and bundles using real-world currency. Additionally, there was a 3D Printer Room where players could collect "Memory Sticks" through various activities. These sticks were used to unlock crates of different rarity levels, granting access to weapons and Gems. These rarities ranged from Common (white) to Legendary (yellow). Furthermore, there was a Weapons Research Lab where players had the option to combine three weapons of the same rarity and type in order to obtain a better weapon of the same type.

Campaign

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

Cards

Main article: Wipeout Merge/Cards

The game also featured additional content in the form of collectible cards. There were a total of 90 cards, most of which were acquired by completing specific in-game achievements.

Tracks

There were a total of five racetracks appearing in the game, all of which were imported from Wipeout Pulse. Each track consisted of exclusively ships from one particular class. At the start of the game, only one track was available. All four others had to be unlocked by purchasing them.

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

Teams

There were a total of twelve teams appearing in the game, each with 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

Further information: Wipeout Merge/Weapons

There were a total of ten weapons appearing in the game. Unlike in previous game, these weapons were equipped to the ship before the start of each race and could be upgraded. Every time a weapon was upgraded, its effects became more powerful and its name was also changed. There were five levels for each weapon.

Missile Rockets Cannon Plasma Quake

Leech Beam Mines Bomb Shockwave Cloak

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.
  • This is only the second Wipeout title developed by a studio outside of Sony Interactive Entertainment, after the Wipeout Omega Collection.
  • This is also the first Wipeout title since Fusion to feature 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 used for the original PlayStation console.
• As vintage ships from the AGRC era are featured in the game, it is likely that they had undergone restoration and that their weapons systems had been re-wired or modified to accommodate the more modern tracks.
• The name of the Legendary Missile weapon, "BFM", is likely an homage to the BFG (Big F***ing Gun) weapon from the Doom and Quake series.
  • Furthermore, if this homage is any indication, the name "BFM" could also allude to FEISAR's Super Missiles Super Weapon from the F9000 League.
• The iOS version of the game has been preserved and is fully playable offline. It can now be downloaded from archive.org.