Developer: Sylwester Osik
Publisher: Forestlight Games, PlayWay S.A., Ultimate Games
Platform: PC, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Electro Ride: The Neon Racing – Review
It’s nearly the time of the year where one would buy a game for their loved ones, or even one as a present for themselves. The offer is quite high at the moment, but those who missed out on the release of the Xbox Series consoles and the PlayStation 5 will probably have a hard time scoring one before the end of the year. Nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s actually quite easy to find a game you like. We have discussed a fair amount of realistic racing games over the course of the last few months but now find ourselves trying out Electro Ride: The Neon Racing; a cute little racing game at first glance, a big disappointment when actually getting into it.
Story
While no voiced or written dialogues are given, you seem to be a new racer in this game’s universe. According to the game’s description, we find ourselves in an alternate version of the old Eastern Bloc, which was still going strong with the Berlin Wall still present. Nonetheless, outside of a few properly animated comic book-like sequences, you have very little to work within the story department. Given the game’s alternate universe, it would have been nice to have something a bit more tangible.
Graphics
Electro Ride is quite cute at first but becomes stale quite quickly. The neon-infused low poly cars have a certain charm, but the simplistic designs get old after a while. The tracks are fairly decently handled, but again feel a bit stale after a while, and are often a bit sleep-inducing because of nothing really happening on them. It feels like the primer has been set on this canvas, but it was forgotten and left to dry, without the artist never returning to it.
Sound
The game’s musical backdrop might be its biggest forte, even if the synthwave on offer is a bit generic. Even with its repetitive nature, the background is properly set for this 80s neon experience. Sound effects that are present are quite basic and could easily come from a free audio database.
Gameplay
Electro Ride: The Neon Racing is clearly an arcade racer that could also be seen as a one-trick-pony in the genre. The game’s shtick is to change colors by hitting certain star-like power-ups, which then allow you to grab a boost on the boost strip of the corresponding color. We did notice that the latter becomes quite useless, as you drive nearly the same speed as your opponents when doing so.
Truth be told, even though the game might have split-screen and a proper 80s vibe, it’s bland, boring and just broken. When playing on easier difficulties, your opponents will visibly brake when you fall behind, instead of just adjusting the speed of the AI. The game also has extreme rubber-banding, where you can never gain a lead on your opponents, no matter how well you drive. This is actually extremely annoying when having a perfect race and making one mistake before the finish line, forcing you to redo the track you were on. The latter is even further amplified with the tracks being so damn long. You’ll often spend around five minutes on a track, which is too long for a racer of this genre and type.
The actual racing isn’t any better either, as you never feel in control of the different vehicles you get to play with, if you actually get to unlocking them. The game forces you to start with only one car, which is again another limitation for a game that should have some nice cars on offer.
Conclusion
Electro Ride: The Neon Racing feels like a small beta of a bigger project, but sadly actually is a full game with a too-high asking price for what it is offering. The initial impressions might be amusing and interesting when viewing a trailer or screenshots, the actual experience is painstakingly boring, annoying and not worth your time. With some necessary changes in the control scheme, content and general options, this could be an amusing game. For now, don’t be blinded by the lights. Keep in mind, we have tried the Switch version of the game, and this might not reflect the quality of the original PC release, as that version is actually getting a lot of positive Steam reviews.
Electro Ride: The Neon Racing - Review,
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