I remember a time when racing games were one sprite in the middle and the road was moving around it. I remember it as a better time. Then came Need For Speed, Sega Rally that 3D rendered everything and quite soon racing games where about realism and not so much about fun.
Horizon Chase Turbo brings back the arcade to the racing genre and it is marvelous. The main campaign is a tour around the world with different racing tracks that you need to beat. You get new cars that all differ in terms of handling, speed, acceleration and handling. And most important of all, you can select color of your car.
The game is very well balanced. If you play carefully and make sure you get gold on all the tracks, finishing all the upgrade tracks, you will always have good enough cars to beat each level. I completed most of the tracks on my first try with gold trophy, and while it wasn’t too easy, I still found it challenging.
As an arcade game this is excellent. It is bite size of fun, but as a campaign experience the game is somewhat lacking in depth. Except for getting faster cars, the game doesn’t develop the gameplay beyond what you do in the first few tracks. That is a shame, because I think the concept has a lot of potential.
I also bought the summer vibes tracks, which are a fun homage to Out Run.
I think this game put the emphasis of fun and that is where it really succeeds. The music, the tracks makes driving into the sunset a really joyful experience and one that I will return to many years to come.
I rate this game as GOOD.
Replay 