genki please come back step away from the pachinko machines we really need you.
Most promising racing game from the last 10 years or so, really hyped for the final release
As much as this game is a (frankly, incredible) effort from one dev, and as much love as this game has had in its early access demo, significant problems with both the loose and muddled time frame in pursuit of 'aesthetic' and how that aesthetic is applied, and general gameplay loop issues, show that there is a very clear glass ceiling that might not ever be broken through. But for an indie racing game, this is by far the most important development in the genre in terms of scope.
going into this game it definitely felt like a game for car people and racing game fans, neither of which im really much of. i've never really touched the major racers like need for speed or burnout or whatever just because they kinda missed me. this game might be the game that converts me though, this shit is awesome. i remember seeing this game a couple years ago and following the page on twitter for it because it looked so cool but it left my mind for a very long time until i heard someone mention it and i realized there was a whole demo out on steam.
jumping into this game and seeing how stylistic it was in its loading screens and ui was something that jumped out at me and stuck with me for the entire game. the game taking place in 90s japan with all the aesthetics of the technology of the time already gives it a really good vibe that pulled me in. then, that first moment after you buy your car and take it for a spin on the way to tatsumi PA and the music fades in as you instinctively floor it, going fast as fuck on a nighttime highway honestly feeling a little terrified by how fast you're going but also in a trance is such a magical moment that immediately sold me on this game. this game just captures such a good vibe that i haven't felt since playing bomb rush cyberfunk last year. also i just need to mention this game's ost goes crazy and really helps elevate things in the vibes department, i cannot get emotion engine by dazegxd out of my head ever since hearing it for the first time in this game.
as far as the gameplay goes, as i mentioned before the feeling of driving fast as fuck in this game is equally a liberating but also very scary feeling and i love it. even when im not in a race and just speeding to whatever destination you feel a real rush weaving through cars and tractor trailers. speaking of races, thats the main thing you're here for in this game. you're placing wagers on races to eventually pay off a few million yen in debt that's tossed on you at the start of the game, meanwhile making a name for yourself in the local racing scene going up against people of increasing rep in the community. the races themselves are a lot of fun and offer some variety, but the ai is either very good or slow as hell and i haven't really found much of an in between in this game. later on it will come down to whether or not you have upgraded your car accordingly in order to match the speed of the better racers in this game, and trying to upgrade your car can sometimes be an uphill battle when you have debt payments to make and not much pocket money to work with which can suck. also, one complaint i've seen others talk about that i agree with is trying to maneuver your way around this map. with time you will get used to traveling to some areas and understand your way around, but for the most part you will have to rely on a gps system that is a little annoying to use at times because of how easy it is to miss a turn and how little guidance the game gives you except a very thin blue line that's supposed to be guiding you to your destination and can be really difficult to read.
i think what's here in this demo is really promising. while it can feel a bit same-y at times and maybe even a little bare bones in its racing gameplay and world, doing the same races, only having one area available to travel around that becomes familiar pretty quickly, not many goals to work towards, and npc dialogue that's pretty limited and has lines that get repeated frequently, i think there's a lot of potential to make a full map and game here that will feel super variable and keep you coming back. there are plenty of areas you can't travel to yet that the game tells you are under construction which is already really promising in itself because of how much potential there is for this game to be pretty expansive, and there are also parts of your car that can't be upgraded yet in this demo meaning they really have plans to go all out in customization, even though they honestly already have gone all out with it in this demo alone to a point that felt a little intimidating to someone who knows nothing about cars except how to drive them.
i'm gonna shut up now i talked way too in depth about a demo for a game. i just haven't been able to get this game out of my head ever since i started playing it a couple days ago and even though i paid off my in game debt i wanna keep playing it and deck out my car and beat the game's "rep boss." this game fucks hard go play it it's a free demo that you can probably squeeze hours and hours out of
jumping into this game and seeing how stylistic it was in its loading screens and ui was something that jumped out at me and stuck with me for the entire game. the game taking place in 90s japan with all the aesthetics of the technology of the time already gives it a really good vibe that pulled me in. then, that first moment after you buy your car and take it for a spin on the way to tatsumi PA and the music fades in as you instinctively floor it, going fast as fuck on a nighttime highway honestly feeling a little terrified by how fast you're going but also in a trance is such a magical moment that immediately sold me on this game. this game just captures such a good vibe that i haven't felt since playing bomb rush cyberfunk last year. also i just need to mention this game's ost goes crazy and really helps elevate things in the vibes department, i cannot get emotion engine by dazegxd out of my head ever since hearing it for the first time in this game.
as far as the gameplay goes, as i mentioned before the feeling of driving fast as fuck in this game is equally a liberating but also very scary feeling and i love it. even when im not in a race and just speeding to whatever destination you feel a real rush weaving through cars and tractor trailers. speaking of races, thats the main thing you're here for in this game. you're placing wagers on races to eventually pay off a few million yen in debt that's tossed on you at the start of the game, meanwhile making a name for yourself in the local racing scene going up against people of increasing rep in the community. the races themselves are a lot of fun and offer some variety, but the ai is either very good or slow as hell and i haven't really found much of an in between in this game. later on it will come down to whether or not you have upgraded your car accordingly in order to match the speed of the better racers in this game, and trying to upgrade your car can sometimes be an uphill battle when you have debt payments to make and not much pocket money to work with which can suck. also, one complaint i've seen others talk about that i agree with is trying to maneuver your way around this map. with time you will get used to traveling to some areas and understand your way around, but for the most part you will have to rely on a gps system that is a little annoying to use at times because of how easy it is to miss a turn and how little guidance the game gives you except a very thin blue line that's supposed to be guiding you to your destination and can be really difficult to read.
i think what's here in this demo is really promising. while it can feel a bit same-y at times and maybe even a little bare bones in its racing gameplay and world, doing the same races, only having one area available to travel around that becomes familiar pretty quickly, not many goals to work towards, and npc dialogue that's pretty limited and has lines that get repeated frequently, i think there's a lot of potential to make a full map and game here that will feel super variable and keep you coming back. there are plenty of areas you can't travel to yet that the game tells you are under construction which is already really promising in itself because of how much potential there is for this game to be pretty expansive, and there are also parts of your car that can't be upgraded yet in this demo meaning they really have plans to go all out in customization, even though they honestly already have gone all out with it in this demo alone to a point that felt a little intimidating to someone who knows nothing about cars except how to drive them.
i'm gonna shut up now i talked way too in depth about a demo for a game. i just haven't been able to get this game out of my head ever since i started playing it a couple days ago and even though i paid off my in game debt i wanna keep playing it and deck out my car and beat the game's "rep boss." this game fucks hard go play it it's a free demo that you can probably squeeze hours and hours out of