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.