For people looking to buy: I'll just cut right to the chase. The devs are very kind and attentive folks who are putting their all into making this game the best it can be. What is here right now is very fun. Racing is fun, the vibes are fun, and there's a fair amount of stuff to do to keep gameplay fresh. I recommend this game, and I also recommend joining the Discord so you can have easier access chatting with the devs.
The rest of this is more going to be towards the devs, as this game is currently in early access, and I can absolutely see a fantastic vision in the works. I have some critique to share, but it's all out of love for what I'm seeing.
So, going into this game, I could immediately tell I was about to start playing something special. The menus have a very laid back feel to them. Very stylish, yet relaxing, with some clever visual gags when choosing different options. The pixel art is also phenomenal, and it just all gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Menus are easy to navigate, everything is clear as day, and the section on how to play was straight to the point. I was initially a little disappointed when I saw there were only 9 tracks, but I had to remind myself "this is early access." That said, I'd still like to now take the time to talk about the first major positive point for me: [b]the tracks.[/b] Every single one managed to stand out in its own special way. Each track feels like a completely different experience in both atmosphere and layout, and I hope the devs keep up this level of diversity.
On top of this, I also really love the [b]car selection[/b]. There's 26 of them as of the time of this review, and half of them are basically knockoffs of various sports cars, while the other half are much crazier vehicles, with some being references to popular media like Batman and Twisted Metal. I love how different each car feels. Some are grippy, some are speed demons, some are more about spamming turbo, and some are absolute tanks that can withstand tons of punishment.
Upon starting my first race, I was impressed with how intuitive the gameplay is. It's easy to learn, but difficult to master. You have three meters. Health, boost, and fire. In order to boost, you have to hold down the boost button, then let go when the meter fills up all the way. However, this will also take away some health. You can hold the repair button to refill your health, but you also slow down while repairing. The real sauce comes from pulling off [i]perfect boosts.[/i] If you let go at just the right time, you'll get an even stronger boost without losing any health. The timing is strict, however, so there's a large degree of skill involved in pulling off chains of perfect boosts. This system alone is incredible to me, as it not only introduces a lot of strategy, but it rewards skilled players who are willing to be a bit more daring - especially during the... [i]spicier[/i] races where you only have 1 HP. However, an extra element is the fire meter. As you pull off perfect boosts, damage opponents, do stunts, etc. you'll build up a fire meter. Once full, you can enter a state where your car becomes faster and self-repairs. You can also save the fire meter to build up two more levels, with the second level allowing you to do more damage to opponents, and the third making you flat out invulnerable. Once the fire meter depletes, you still remain in the fire state, but colliding with any walls/cars or resetting your car will end the state. It's vital to maintain fire for as long as you can, as you're not only moving much faster, but you're also always healing, meaning less penalty for boosts.
The physics have a weighty feel to them. While the handling model is strictly arcade, don't expect to be pulling off sharp turns without proper braking, otherwise you may find yourself hurling hood-first into a wall. You can also use the right stick to do stunts in the air. However, once again, cars [i]are[/i] quite heavy, so you need to pay close attention to how much you can pull off before landing. I like the overall "feel" of this game. Simplistic, but the physics are challenging enough to be engaging.
There are [b]two things[/b], however, I think could use some improvement. The first is drifting. This game has a drifting mechanic where you can hold a button to slide around turns and get a potential boost out of it. I haven't really found myself using it much, as I feel it's just too awkward and doesn't provide enough reward. I'm willing to say I probably just "don't get it" yet, but I generally found it faster to just brake around corners and do perfect boosts. Drifting tends to slow me down too much and send me straight into walls. The other thing I feel could use improvement is general combat. This game kind of encourages you to be violent towards your opponents, and yet there's just not enough reward to it. Opponents can spin you out incredibly easily, and it feels like most of my hits don't really do much... especially towards cops. I end up doing more damage towards myself than anything, and so I find myself flat out avoiding combat. I will say, however, I do like the cop system. They can be relentless, but I appreciate how they'll go after opponents in races as well, so it never feels entirely rigged against you. Good stuff there!
Next up is the variety of stuff to do. I love the diversity. Races, cups, missions, stunt mode, and even a dungeon mode known as "The Gauntlet." The gauntlets were a particular standout for me, as you have to keep winning at events to earn perks and move higher up the ladder, with challenges getting increasingly difficult and failure meaning you go back to square one. Generally I detest these kinds of modes, but this was actually super fun! The missions are also quite fun and full of crazy stuff to do. You may have some ordinary races, but then you'll end up in something crazy like having to do stunts in a bus or doing a time trial while dealing with an onslaught of cops. There's a number of secret missions that can be unlocked by fulfilling certain objectives in other missions, and they're always hinted at via clues. A lot of these clues are clever such as "Sdrawkcab Hsinif" and "Catch 'Em All," but I feel other clues could use some rephrasing. While I certainly don't live under a rock, I'm not entirely privy towards the finer details of some pop culture, and so I don't really find myself understanding some clues such as "Tyson Cops Iverson" and "Miller From Downtown." Some of them are a bit too cryptic and leave me scratching my head as to what to do.
I also feel some missions are kind of unnecessary difficulty spikes. For instance, there's some stunt events where air controls are disabled. The physics don't really feel polished enough yet for that sort of thing, and so you kind of pray to RNGesus that your car will react the way you want it to. Compare this to something like, say, the old Rush games. You may not have had air control, but the physics were wild enough that you could absolutely count on your car bouncing/rolling all over the place. This game just does not currently have that, y'know? So I would either make some improvements in those areas, or I'd cut missions like that. Focus on your strengths and all that. :)
I think sound design could use some more oomph. Beefier car sounds, more tire squealing, more satisfying crunches when hitting other cars, all that stuff. What's here is serviceable, but often it feels a bit too quiet and tame. Music, however, is absolutely bangin'. I want a download of this game's OST, pronto. Lots of very 90s-arcade-racer vibes.
I think that's all that comes to mind for now. I hope some of this helps you guys out, and I wish you the best of luck. What you got here is already really good, and with the right work, I can see this going from "really good" to "an absolute classic." Take care, y'all. <3
