Being only the tender age of 19, I am too young to feel adequate nostalgia for the 80s and 90s racing games. I can, however, recognize a beautiful game when I see one. Which is exactly what Horizon Chase Turbo by Aquiris Game Studios is. Drawing from games like Out Run, Lotus Turbo Challenge, Top Gear (SNES), and Rush, Horizon Chase Turbo seeks to resurrect and reinvent that classic era of racing. Still, far from being outdated, Horizon Chase Turbo adds it’s own more modern feel, with more modern graphics and beautiful art style.
When I was first introduced to this game I honestly had no inclination to check it out, as I was not versed in the classic racing genre. The only racing games I had had any experience with was Mario Kart and Room Zoom. Both of these games were not enough to give me adequate perspective into this genre. However, when I was able to try Horizon Chase Turbo, I was surprised by simple controls and easy mechanics. On top of that it looked quite polished for a game that was homage to 16-bit racing games from the 80s. I was immediately taken by the clean feeling that I was left with after playing it. I almost wanted to give them an award right there on the spot. But my limited knowledge prevented me from doing so. Still, there are several things that I walked away with from this game.
First, there is a myriad of content to help with consistent interest whilst playing this game. For starters, there is 12 world cups, 48 city locations, 109 tracks, 31 unlockable cars, and 12 upgrades for those cars. I myself was only able to test one of these tracks and such, so I cannot speak for the quality of all of them. The one that I was able to play, however, was definitely worth my time to play. I don’t think I can emphasize enough how clean this game played, in both graphics and controls. Arcade style games sometimes suffer from being clunky. In this game, there was none of that.
Additionally to the aforementioned content, there is 4 player split screen as well as an online competitive ghost mode. After all, what is a racing game if you can’t be faster than your friends. To me, the online competitive ghost mode is implicative of the classic arcade style. When I was talking to the developer about it, he confided that that was their goal. Even their soundtrack aims to inspire the classic feel of the 80s arcade. Their sound designer Barry Leitch made sure this was accomplished, having worked on games such as Top Gear himself.
Ultimately, Horizon Chase Turbo aims to slip between the genres of games like Mario Kart, which are zany and fun, and the newer sleek games that feel high tech and modern. To that end, this game is quite poignant and unique. Also, this game is set to come out on 5/15/18 on PlayStation and Steam. And it is soon to be released for the Switch and Xbox One. For more information on this game be sure to check out their official website.
