I’m not the biggest fan of JRPG’s, I barely play them or have interest in them whatsoever, or have time to play them properly. HOWEVER the moment someone told me about a game where i could put a Testarrosa engine on a AWD, Group C 240z, and race it against a bus and steal their entire frame, i was fully in.
Racing Lagoon was a game released all way back in ‘99 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 on Japan (So… we had to wait a LONG time for someone to translate it, thanks to Hilltop for that)
So, what’s Racing Lagoon, to keep it clear, it’s a JRPG with Racing Games elements (A very janky and weird racing game) i won't go on FULL IN DEPTH on what’s the history is about (Trust me, i don’t want to ruin it) but, i’ll keep it simple
- You’re 𝗦𝗵𝗼 𝗔𝗸𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶 (or however you want to call the protagonist, it’s up to you), a Street Racing driver, part of the Team Bay Lagoon crew, and on the entire plot, you’ll see some shenanigans through the whole 12 nights the plot is divided, you’ll meet other crews and characters to race and chat with (All narrated with the most janky and weirdly chapped 3D models you could see…), and beat other drivers to level up your car, parts and more.
I want to make emphasis on the “UPGRADING your car” part, cuz that was the key selling point for me, so… Here's the thing, the way you tune your car it’s similar to how you level up your party on a RPG, each night you can go around through all the city (from an aerial and simplified view) to scout around on point of interest to advance the plot, OR to beam your lights to ANY car you see, to challenge it on a one-to-one race (that doesn’t take more than 1 minute sometimes) beat it you win RP and 1 experience point for each MAIN part of your car (Engine, Chassis and Body) and the chance to pick one part of the opponent you have beaten (If you have enough RP - Really, it’s important to farm some RP for the really good and spicy parts) but if you lose, pray if the other driver doesn’t take one of yours
Each time you level up on of you MAIN parts, you can put more parts of your cars, for example, on your Engine you can put Turbos, ECU’s system and all the car nerd stuff that makes the car have more Horsepower, then the Chassis is mostly on how the car handles, the engine position, and the traction of it (If is Front Wheel Drive, All Wheel Drive, if it has the engine on the middle, you get the drill) and you can put Weight Reductions or Ballasts, Tieres, etc. And lastly the Body, basically how the car looks and the downforce of it and some simple cosmetics, and all parts (well… most of them) will have a significant part of how the car weights, fells, drives and all that (This is the impressive part, we’re talking about a 1999 game, and the only racing game from that time that has a decent tuning system it’s Gran Turismo 2, but Racing Lagoon REALLY takes the spot for it) and you can go through the game with some crazy builds, and you don’t even have to know too much about cars to make something decent (Well, i lied a bit here, you might need a 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 of basic knowledge of cars if you want something extremely OP and don’t ruin the build in the process)
Now with the physics (And well… it hit or miss) if you played Ridge Racer Type 4 or Rage Racer, you might feel at home, but it’s janky, the game it’s heavily “drift focused” so, sometimes you can take a corner easily OR, you could slam the handbrake and go for a drift and gain a speed light speed boost (idk why, but, it’s cool). if you crash into another car the game pushes you, and if you hit a wall, say goodbye to all your momentum, so now you know why i said it was more of a JRPG with Racing Game elements, rather than a Racing Game with JRPG elements, but i don’t deny it’s quite fun and pretty much friendly to everyone.
And just on a light note, the soundtrack it’s really good, few songs but they’re pretty good
To summarize, you should play it? YES, please, don’t care if you don’t know about cars, it’s a really unique experience (that, let’s be honest, it’s not gonna be for everyone) but for some people who are looking for something different (From the fans of RPG’s or the ones who loves racing games) it’s not a NFS High Stakes, Gran Turismo 2 or Ridge Racer Type 4, but damn it was a good run. Give it a shot if you have a spare 20 hours (People who plays RPG’s tell me this is a short one… so, go ahead)
Racing Lagoon was a game released all way back in ‘99 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 on Japan (So… we had to wait a LONG time for someone to translate it, thanks to Hilltop for that)
So, what’s Racing Lagoon, to keep it clear, it’s a JRPG with Racing Games elements (A very janky and weird racing game) i won't go on FULL IN DEPTH on what’s the history is about (Trust me, i don’t want to ruin it) but, i’ll keep it simple
- You’re 𝗦𝗵𝗼 𝗔𝗸𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶 (or however you want to call the protagonist, it’s up to you), a Street Racing driver, part of the Team Bay Lagoon crew, and on the entire plot, you’ll see some shenanigans through the whole 12 nights the plot is divided, you’ll meet other crews and characters to race and chat with (All narrated with the most janky and weirdly chapped 3D models you could see…), and beat other drivers to level up your car, parts and more.
I want to make emphasis on the “UPGRADING your car” part, cuz that was the key selling point for me, so… Here's the thing, the way you tune your car it’s similar to how you level up your party on a RPG, each night you can go around through all the city (from an aerial and simplified view) to scout around on point of interest to advance the plot, OR to beam your lights to ANY car you see, to challenge it on a one-to-one race (that doesn’t take more than 1 minute sometimes) beat it you win RP and 1 experience point for each MAIN part of your car (Engine, Chassis and Body) and the chance to pick one part of the opponent you have beaten (If you have enough RP - Really, it’s important to farm some RP for the really good and spicy parts) but if you lose, pray if the other driver doesn’t take one of yours
Each time you level up on of you MAIN parts, you can put more parts of your cars, for example, on your Engine you can put Turbos, ECU’s system and all the car nerd stuff that makes the car have more Horsepower, then the Chassis is mostly on how the car handles, the engine position, and the traction of it (If is Front Wheel Drive, All Wheel Drive, if it has the engine on the middle, you get the drill) and you can put Weight Reductions or Ballasts, Tieres, etc. And lastly the Body, basically how the car looks and the downforce of it and some simple cosmetics, and all parts (well… most of them) will have a significant part of how the car weights, fells, drives and all that (This is the impressive part, we’re talking about a 1999 game, and the only racing game from that time that has a decent tuning system it’s Gran Turismo 2, but Racing Lagoon REALLY takes the spot for it) and you can go through the game with some crazy builds, and you don’t even have to know too much about cars to make something decent (Well, i lied a bit here, you might need a 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 of basic knowledge of cars if you want something extremely OP and don’t ruin the build in the process)
Now with the physics (And well… it hit or miss) if you played Ridge Racer Type 4 or Rage Racer, you might feel at home, but it’s janky, the game it’s heavily “drift focused” so, sometimes you can take a corner easily OR, you could slam the handbrake and go for a drift and gain a speed light speed boost (idk why, but, it’s cool). if you crash into another car the game pushes you, and if you hit a wall, say goodbye to all your momentum, so now you know why i said it was more of a JRPG with Racing Game elements, rather than a Racing Game with JRPG elements, but i don’t deny it’s quite fun and pretty much friendly to everyone.
And just on a light note, the soundtrack it’s really good, few songs but they’re pretty good
To summarize, you should play it? YES, please, don’t care if you don’t know about cars, it’s a really unique experience (that, let’s be honest, it’s not gonna be for everyone) but for some people who are looking for something different (From the fans of RPG’s or the ones who loves racing games) it’s not a NFS High Stakes, Gran Turismo 2 or Ridge Racer Type 4, but damn it was a good run. Give it a shot if you have a spare 20 hours (People who plays RPG’s tell me this is a short one… so, go ahead)
Truly a unique game with a good story.
The game offers a lot of builds and variety of events, some with restrictions.
The collisions sucks, but it's a crime no attempted to improve and refine the formula.
The game offers a lot of builds and variety of events, some with restrictions.
The collisions sucks, but it's a crime no attempted to improve and refine the formula.
--A WORLD BEYOND SPEED--
"Hidden Gem" is a term I believe to be thrown around way too frequently in the gaming community, rarely ever being used in a way I would say its "properly" applicable.
Racing Lagoon is a Hidden Gem, and also straight up one of the coolest video games ever made.
Finally being playable in English thanks to the hard work from the people over at Hilltop, Racing Lagoon is a stylish, raw, and just phenomenal racing based RPG made by prime Square during their insane PS1 days. Presentation is off the charts visually and sonically. The stealing parts mechanic keeps the gameplay engaging throughout the games whole runtime and the world kept opening and expanding to a point where I was just like "why did I only hear about this a month ago?"
The world of Racing Lagoon might be its most notable aspect. Yokohama just feels like home and all of its inhabitants are just so charming. The writing and story, while they go some out there places by the end, is consistently engaging and overall is just a very fun ride, with all your shenanigans you would expect from a Square RPG from this era.
if at any point you read me rambling about my love for this game and found it interesting, then please, do yourself and the game a favor and give it a shot, we need more Lagooners in the world.
"Hidden Gem" is a term I believe to be thrown around way too frequently in the gaming community, rarely ever being used in a way I would say its "properly" applicable.
Racing Lagoon is a Hidden Gem, and also straight up one of the coolest video games ever made.
Finally being playable in English thanks to the hard work from the people over at Hilltop, Racing Lagoon is a stylish, raw, and just phenomenal racing based RPG made by prime Square during their insane PS1 days. Presentation is off the charts visually and sonically. The stealing parts mechanic keeps the gameplay engaging throughout the games whole runtime and the world kept opening and expanding to a point where I was just like "why did I only hear about this a month ago?"
The world of Racing Lagoon might be its most notable aspect. Yokohama just feels like home and all of its inhabitants are just so charming. The writing and story, while they go some out there places by the end, is consistently engaging and overall is just a very fun ride, with all your shenanigans you would expect from a Square RPG from this era.
if at any point you read me rambling about my love for this game and found it interesting, then please, do yourself and the game a favor and give it a shot, we need more Lagooners in the world.
Would love a remaster or a straight-up remake of this.
Never knew why this never left Japan...
Never knew why this never left Japan...
I beat this before any final fantasy
Cool game but I thought the driving controls were actually pretty meh. It would be a really hard game if not for being able to save state numerous times throughout the race. Story is wild though.
NEM DEUS EXPLICA.
I think about this constantly. Something about its earnest, yet goofy and uncanny vibe just resonates with me so hard. Some real hard hitting drama as well and the music is legit some of the best jazz fusion of all time. I just want to hang out with these flamboyant racing himbos (and all the really great female characters too) and wear giant jackets and live in a world where everyone is constantly talking about racing and randomly challenging everyone they meet to street race as well. Chicken race is a freaking awesome racing mini game and all racing games need to have it imo.
I played this is Japanese with a friend like months before the fan translation was announced and translated for him as we played and man it was an experience. From what I've sesen of the translation it looks like they did a pretty good job transferring over the vibe from the original which is really respectable NGL considering how much of the original Japanese is sprinkled with unnatural sounding English phrases.
It'd be a 5/5 for sure if it wasn't for all of the clunkiness, loading screens, and wildly complex stats, but playing through an emulator helped to mitigate a lot of these issues.
I played this is Japanese with a friend like months before the fan translation was announced and translated for him as we played and man it was an experience. From what I've sesen of the translation it looks like they did a pretty good job transferring over the vibe from the original which is really respectable NGL considering how much of the original Japanese is sprinkled with unnatural sounding English phrases.
It'd be a 5/5 for sure if it wasn't for all of the clunkiness, loading screens, and wildly complex stats, but playing through an emulator helped to mitigate a lot of these issues.
i never knew how much i needed a High Speed Driving RPG until now. fully customizable vehicles both in stats and visuals by using parts that you buy from shops or loot from beaten racers. a world map you traverse by cruising the night streets. encounters with other racers happen as you're driving around the world map, but they're initiated by speeding drivers flashing their headlights at you. you can also flash your headlights at absolutely anyone, racer or not, and start a race. such a【COOL】and thematically appropriate alternative to the usual rpg encounters.
racing lagoon is a masterclass in presentation. the music, the backdrops, the cutscenes full to the brim with style, and the protagonist's cheesy & poetic monologues all come together to create an atmosphere that pulls you into this world of street racing. and man, this story. nothing groundbreaking, but i would never have expected something like it from a game about a bunch of street racers.
seriously fantastic game all around.
racing lagoon is a masterclass in presentation. the music, the backdrops, the cutscenes full to the brim with style, and the protagonist's cheesy & poetic monologues all come together to create an atmosphere that pulls you into this world of street racing. and man, this story. nothing groundbreaking, but i would never have expected something like it from a game about a bunch of street racers.
seriously fantastic game all around.
I understand Vagrant Story's stat system. I do not understand this one.
Sick soundtrack tho.
Sick soundtrack tho.
Somewhere between Kingdom Hearts and Fallen Angels
holy hot diggity dog damn. I definitely have never played anything like this before in my life, for better or for worse. First off, if you are even remotely averse to grinding, this game will not be for you. Racing games as a genre are inherently grindy as you hone your skills by doing the same courses over and over, and this being an RPG version of that same exact gameplay means theres a WHOOOOLE lot of grindin going on. Theres also a fair amount of padding in the fact that the optional missions aren't as optional as you might think (don't slack on those UORs buddy). With all that being said, you might be surprised as to why I gave this such a high score, and that high score is purely off of memorability. I am definitely not going to forget my time I had spent in Yokohama and Hakone playing this game. Not only was the environmental design and overall visuals extremely unique and the 3D rendered courses look phenomenal for PS1, but also the soundtrack is incredibly vibin and most of all, the plot is absolutely insane in this game. There is no way you will ever predict how the game is going to go with all of its twists and turns making the plot the absolute biggest driving force for progress, even if the grind can be kinda annoying at times. For freshness alone, I don't think I'll ever forget this game without a doubt. Must play for any racing fan that can tolerate the grind.
Dude, Where's My Car?
Where's your car dude?
DUDE, where's my car?
Where's your car dude?
Where's your car dude?
DUDE, where's my car?
Where's your car dude?
Racing Lagoon is undoubtedly one of the coolest video games I have ever played. Literally every single screen and piece of dialogue culminates in a sleek, artistic aesthetic of its own domain. Characters have shonen-esque appearances, upheld by their hip, slang filled street talk, and even at times poetic speech styles thanks to the brilliant English translation provided by Hilltop and the rest of the crew that helped bring such an underrated gem into the light of Western audiences.
Gameplay is a mixture of high speed drift racing, with the addition of JRPG elements such as vehicle upgrades and customization that is surprisingly in-depth and far more involved than simply equipping a better engine or cooler looking body onto your car. Building the proper vehicle requires analysis and consideration depending on the challenge that awaits you on the road.
The story itself absorbs you into the moody and heated rivalry of street racing teams competing for the title of “Yokohama’s Fastest Legend” in Japan’s 1990s nightlife. In addition to the beautiful presentation of Racing Lagoon, I immediately fell in love with its jazzy and techno soundtrack, one that I consider to be a favorite of any video game score.
There is very little that this game suffers from. Times where you might feel lost in the winding streets of Yokohama’s cityscapes are deliberate, and exploring various gang hangout spots and street corners are necessary to progress further into the plot. What starts off as the exciting progression of Sho Akasaki’s street racing career soon unveils a darker, more disturbing tale of loss and misidentity in typical Squaresoft fashion.
Put simply, my experience with this game went beyond my initial excitement when I first found out that Squaresoft developed a racing JRPG for the PS1 with a jazz soundtrack and anime aesthetic. Racing Lagoon is impressively ahead of it’s time in many regards, and fans of Square or JRPGs in general need to look into this game.
Gameplay is a mixture of high speed drift racing, with the addition of JRPG elements such as vehicle upgrades and customization that is surprisingly in-depth and far more involved than simply equipping a better engine or cooler looking body onto your car. Building the proper vehicle requires analysis and consideration depending on the challenge that awaits you on the road.
The story itself absorbs you into the moody and heated rivalry of street racing teams competing for the title of “Yokohama’s Fastest Legend” in Japan’s 1990s nightlife. In addition to the beautiful presentation of Racing Lagoon, I immediately fell in love with its jazzy and techno soundtrack, one that I consider to be a favorite of any video game score.
There is very little that this game suffers from. Times where you might feel lost in the winding streets of Yokohama’s cityscapes are deliberate, and exploring various gang hangout spots and street corners are necessary to progress further into the plot. What starts off as the exciting progression of Sho Akasaki’s street racing career soon unveils a darker, more disturbing tale of loss and misidentity in typical Squaresoft fashion.
Put simply, my experience with this game went beyond my initial excitement when I first found out that Squaresoft developed a racing JRPG for the PS1 with a jazz soundtrack and anime aesthetic. Racing Lagoon is impressively ahead of it’s time in many regards, and fans of Square or JRPGs in general need to look into this game.
Interesting
This review contains spoilers
One day we will reach a world beyond speed
I cannot tell you how funny I found the protagonists secret past is he's just a steel pipe murderer and that becomes a huge part of his personality
I cannot tell you how funny I found the protagonists secret past is he's just a steel pipe murderer and that becomes a huge part of his personality
This game rules.
Everything about the way this game looks and sounds is just perfect, and that’s saying a lot this side of PS1 town. All the 90s post FF7 Square pre-rendered goodness you could ever want, plus surprisingly sophisticated, moody 3D visuals during gameplay. The soundtrack—that is equal parts fusion, electronic and pop—combines with the visuals to create the perfect atmosphere.
The story is bonkers; I don’t wanna spoil anything, just play it.
The gameplay is what surprised me the most. It’s RPG mechanics are remarkably fleshed out for something that, on paper, reads like no more than a novel idea. Car handling feels really good, too—deceptively so for a game that, once again, sounds very gimmicky. The game also offers a diverse array of events, from street races, to rally races, to drag races, to chicken races, which might be my favourite.
It could use some refinement; for example, I got the impression from my playthrough that, despite the potential for many different builds, many didn’t seem too viable, so progression felt pretty linear. I’m also not a huge fan of having to relinquish a random part of your car upon losing a random race (and maybe the event races as well? I don’t remember). It’s such a harsh punishment, I would almost prefer a fail state. Additionally, the collision isn’t great; I never got used to the way you bounce off cars when you collide with them. It’s very jarring.
All of that is pretty minor when you consider what Racing Lagoon does achieve, however. The presentation is firing on all cylinders, and gameplay-wise, it’s far better than something with a premise this gimmicky should be.
And seriously, I cannot stress enough how stylish this game is. It’s unbelievable; worth playing just for that.
Everything about the way this game looks and sounds is just perfect, and that’s saying a lot this side of PS1 town. All the 90s post FF7 Square pre-rendered goodness you could ever want, plus surprisingly sophisticated, moody 3D visuals during gameplay. The soundtrack—that is equal parts fusion, electronic and pop—combines with the visuals to create the perfect atmosphere.
The story is bonkers; I don’t wanna spoil anything, just play it.
The gameplay is what surprised me the most. It’s RPG mechanics are remarkably fleshed out for something that, on paper, reads like no more than a novel idea. Car handling feels really good, too—deceptively so for a game that, once again, sounds very gimmicky. The game also offers a diverse array of events, from street races, to rally races, to drag races, to chicken races, which might be my favourite.
It could use some refinement; for example, I got the impression from my playthrough that, despite the potential for many different builds, many didn’t seem too viable, so progression felt pretty linear. I’m also not a huge fan of having to relinquish a random part of your car upon losing a random race (and maybe the event races as well? I don’t remember). It’s such a harsh punishment, I would almost prefer a fail state. Additionally, the collision isn’t great; I never got used to the way you bounce off cars when you collide with them. It’s very jarring.
All of that is pretty minor when you consider what Racing Lagoon does achieve, however. The presentation is firing on all cylinders, and gameplay-wise, it’s far better than something with a premise this gimmicky should be.
And seriously, I cannot stress enough how stylish this game is. It’s unbelievable; worth playing just for that.
Wow this game has such an interesting genre-mix and outstellar presentation, the meta-narrative it builds is so layered and fascinating for a 1999 game, I sure hope the ending will wrap all of this up in a nice and concise way!
racing gooning
Might actually be the greatest racing game of all time. A joyful fusion of JRPG and racing game. The customization aspect is incredible and it makes it so much fun to try and go through the game with all sorts of car types.
Soundtrack is just actually an absolute banger and listening to the music while driving around the towns never gets old.
The story is absolutely batshit insane and I love every second of it. It's absolutely ridiculous and played completely straight which makes it all very enjoyable.
Soundtrack is just actually an absolute banger and listening to the music while driving around the towns never gets old.
The story is absolutely batshit insane and I love every second of it. It's absolutely ridiculous and played completely straight which makes it all very enjoyable.
I´m a racist
This game FUCKS. It Fucks Vigorously. It Fucks like it's on a Mission. This game Fucks like humanity has gone extinct and it has to repopulate the earth.
Too bad it was infertile and we never got to see its little sequel babies.
Too bad it was infertile and we never got to see its little sequel babies.
A lost epic of what can only be described as Car Poetry, guarded on all sides by the most inscrutible tuning system I have ever seen in a car game - but it lets you put a speed bodykit on a bus and that is something I can understand.
"We burn our black streaks into the freezing cold asphalt. These are the records of our existence." is one of the coldest things I've ever read. This era of square was so sick
This just reeks style from every angle you look at it, screen by screen, menu by menu, frame by frame. Somehow even venturing into design choices which will find their way in the mass market of racing games only years and years later. The handling model really, really holds this game back, sadly. If you manage to overlook that, you will find that thing you've been looking for in racing games for a very long time.
this is a wild ride of a game. worth playing for the way the story is presented alone, and slowly upgrading your car (while requiring a lot of grinding) is rad as hell. it really is a JRPG with street racers, more literally than you'd expect.
huge shout out to the people who got a translation out there
huge shout out to the people who got a translation out there
final fantasy de carro daora demais
The first part of this is the closest any game has come to the feeling of a Wong Kar-Wai film. It then decides to be an examination of the fractured nature of the human spirit by way of psychological-horror street racing of all things. Intoxicating. This behemoth can be absolutely jaw-dropping at times in spite of how hokey and frustrating it can be. (make sure to bind fast-forward to the controller for the loading screens)
A little jank but I think it was supposed to be a partial love letter to street racing of 80s and 90s. Due to time, it has now become a love letter to the late 90s fantasy. They left their mark on the streets of time. Such a joy to hear and look at the whole time. I did not like getting locked out of the last race and not having ANY clue what to do, I just needed to get good!! But quality writing and Bosozoku’d Evos/Limos/Trucks got me to the end. DREAMING ON THE ROAD. THE LEGEND OF SHOU AKASAKI WILL NEVER DIE.
Playing the fan translation on Duckstation in 4k resolution is the ideal experience. It's truly a fun, innovative game that is a must play if you care at all about racing or Playstation 1 era games.
What if the Final Fantasy 7 team made a car based RPG inspired by Initial D? This is your answer. Neon skylines, 90's anime cool guys racing to be the best of the best. Absolutely phenomenal soundtrack pumping while you fight for your life in the streets -- grinding for better parts and cars like a maniac. It's simply bliss.
This is one of the most unique experiences in gaming. From developers who were creatively on fire, in a time where gaming was highly exploratory and experimental in approach and execution of ideas. Racing Lagoon is the ideal "caRPG" that hasn't been surpassed.
What if the Final Fantasy 7 team made a car based RPG inspired by Initial D? This is your answer. Neon skylines, 90's anime cool guys racing to be the best of the best. Absolutely phenomenal soundtrack pumping while you fight for your life in the streets -- grinding for better parts and cars like a maniac. It's simply bliss.
This is one of the most unique experiences in gaming. From developers who were creatively on fire, in a time where gaming was highly exploratory and experimental in approach and execution of ideas. Racing Lagoon is the ideal "caRPG" that hasn't been surpassed.