Developer: Typical Entertainment
Publisher: Typical Entertainment
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Thunder Rally – Preview
When was the last time that you played a local game with friends? It could be some time ago, as AAA games tend to remove local multiplayer modes in favor of online functions. Surely some stay true and still have a split-screen option, but these are rather rare. Party games have increased in popularity as their quality improved by the years and it can provide a lot of fun when you have friends over. Thunder Rally is that game that you can enjoy after the lockdown, sitting with up to eight people on the couch and have a great laugh.
Thunder Rally is an arcade party game that is ideally played with four people, but can be played with up to eight players. Your goal is to score as many points and be the winner of the competition. This can be done by defeating your opponents and be the last man standing. You can choose from a handful of different cars and colors. Each vehicle handles differently and will impact your gameplay in a way. Tinier cars are faster, but are easier to tip over, while large cars are slower but pack a larger punch.
You can defeat your enemy by either shoving their car on their roof so the driver needs to come out, ram them out of the map or lead them into a trap. When you are on foot, you are vulnerable, yet when you open a power-up crate you get a new car and a second chance. There is a boatload of power-ups to be found, from boosters and rocket launchers to black holes and a transformer mode. When you bite the dust early, there still is a revenge mode. Here you throw exploding barrels into the field and try to irritate or take out opponents for extra points.
The game just oozes arcade feels, from the cool retro-inspired graphics, to the beefy soundtrack. Playing with up to eight people, there will be some hectic battles going on in the arenas. There are many different maps and even with each competition lasting many rounds, you will never have a double map in a playthrough. The difference in the maps lies within its traps; some will have grinders that destroy vehicles; others will have scoops that drag you off the platform or trapdoors to fall through. Most of them also differ a bit in size, which can be handy or rather hectic depending on how many opponents there are. Graphics are in 3D, viewed from a top-down perspective in this arcade pixel art style. Music is fast-paced and will keep you in the mood for action. Sound effects are nicely timed and make the game feel like an action movie.
Thunder Rally is one of those games that you can quickly pick up, play a few rounds and go on with your day, or keep on playing for longer times. If you have a few friends over and some beers, this would make for an ideal combination if you want some exciting action. The game is very accessible and allows different types of people to join in on the fun. You only have a few button inputs to use from the driving to the fighting. There’s a button to use items, jump and get into vehicles, so after a short glance at the instructions, you are ready to go.
What if you are still in lockdown and can’t see any friends? Well, the developers thought of that and implemented bots. Since there are eight slots, you can even play with friends and work together against the bots. It would be really nice if this game would have an online multiplayer option, but it is unsure if this feature is planned.
Conclusion
Thunder Rally is an entertaining arcade game that you can pick up for a few matches while waiting for something or just to spend the time. The gameplay does not get boring as there are many arenas to fight in and they barely repeat. The graphics and music are great, making it feel all retro like during the arcade days. The simple controls make the game accessible for everyone and if you don’t have friends over, you can still play it against many bots.
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