| BattleWheels | |
|---|---|
 Cover art in all regions by Curt Hatch | |
| Developer(s) | Beyond Games |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Corporation |
| Programmer(s) | Kris N. Johnson |
| Artist(s) | Lorin Nelson |
| Composer(s) | Curtis Coalson Tim Huntsman |
| Platform(s) | Atari Lynx |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, vehicular combat |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer (up to six players via ComLynx) |
BattleWheels is a 1993 first-person vehicular combat video game developed by Beyond Games and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe exclusively for the Atari Lynx.[1] The first project to be created by Beyond Games, the game takes place in a dystopian future where civilization has been reduced to a Mad Max-inspired landscape and players take the wheel of heavily armed and armored cars called Hi-Tech in order to compete against either computer-controlled opponents or other human players using the Lynx's ComLynx system in matches set across multiple post-apocalyptic locations.
BattleWheels was conceived by Beyond Games founder Kris N. Johnson, who had the idea of developing a vehicular combat game along with his colleagues after playing several multiplayer titles on the Lynx such as Warbirds, which would later become a source of inspiration for the project alongside Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars. After the release of the platform in 1989, Kris Johnson contacted Atari Corp. in order to pitch them titles that focused on the console's multiplayer aspect. They later agreed and signed Kris' company as a licensed developer for the Lynx.
BattleWheels was released to positive reception from critics, who praised the pseudo-3D visuals, sound design, gameplay and multiplayer for up to six people, although the lack of in-game music during matches was noted as a negative point. Updated conversions for both the Atari Jaguar and PC were in development but never released. Although it never received a direct sequel, Beyond Games would go on to develop Redline and Motor Mayhem for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2 respectively, which are considered spiritual successors to the game.