In the event you had visited an arcade within the late ’70s and ’80s, there’s a great likelihood you’d come throughout a bustling Dash cupboard full with crowd-pulling steering wheels and pedals. Atari’s as soon as ubiquitous overhead racing traditional is now making a comeback on trendy consoles with NeoSprint, and we’re completely happy to report that it largely holds up as a well-executed throwback.
It’s the most recent in Atari’s effort to companion with indie builders to convey its traditional IPs into the twenty first century. Headless Hen, the Costa Rican studio behind this loving retro revival, manages to retain the rubber-burning essence of the unique video games whereas incorporating modern gameplay modes, automobile customization, and a surprisingly strong monitor builder.
All informed, we had pretty modest expectations getting into, tempered by NeoSprint’s simplistic visible model, harking back to a cell recreation with generic-looking belongings. Nonetheless, after diving into its gameplay, we had been pleasantly stunned by its intuitive controls and simply how nicely it captured the playful and chaotic spirit of its arcade racing forebearers.
Now, we acknowledge that NeoSprint is unlikely to seek out broad enchantment within the period of Forza and the evergreen Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. However when you’ve got a smooth spot for old-school top-down racers like R.C. Professional-Am, Micro Machines, and all issues Atari, there’s a great likelihood you’ll admire NeoSprint’s stability of participating retro gameplay and trendy accessibility.
Whereas it helps sofa co-op for as much as eight gamers on Change (making it a great occasion recreation), the shortage of real-time on-line play and leaderboards to trace excessive scores and occasions – options that many would possibly anticipate from a title priced at $24.99 – are a notable disadvantage. Racing in opposition to the ghosts of gamers’ greatest occasions doesn’t fairly match the joy of real-time competitors.
However in case you can overlook that, NeoSprint excels the place it issues most: the races themselves. The controls are intuitive, permitting informal gamers to rapidly get the dangle of navigating by its single-screen 3D isometric tracks. The only-player Marketing campaign Mode stands out with its well-balanced problem curve that steadily progresses to be pretty difficult.
Marketing campaign Mode pits you in opposition to AI opponents that carry out fairly dynamically: they will crash, and by no means drive as if they’re on rails. Every circuit ends with a 1-on-1 race in opposition to that course’s prime rival, all of whom are rendered in a cartoonish artwork model. There’s no story and just a few bits of flavour textual content as dialogue, which retains racing in focus.
Profitable a head-to-head victory unlocks the following Cup and rewards, together with belongings for the monitor builder, Atari-themed automobile decals, and color schemes. The 48 unlockable marketing campaign tracks begin merely however quickly change into pretty intricate with ramps, jumps, and banks that can take a look at your mettle steering round sharp turns and navigating by pileups.
The controls are easy, with ‘A’ for the accelerator, ‘Y’ for hand breaking on turns, and ‘B’ for brake/reverse. ‘X’ additionally realigns your automobile on the monitor in case you handle to get caught or overshoot the course when barrelling off a ramp. We sometimes nudged the ‘X’ button in error and bungled a great run by letting the competitors get forward of us. That operate would work higher on the shoulder buttons in our view, however sadly the management scheme can’t be remapped. Urgent the ‘L’ set off highlights your automobile, which could be useful in raucous multiplayer matches. In the event you don’t have seven (or fewer) different associates, you may choose AI drivers to fill out the roster within the freewheeling Grand Prix mode.
The races are fast-paced and bite-sized, with every of the 4 races in a circuit (there are 4 circuits throughout every of the three Cups) beatable in a minute or two. How lengthy it takes to beat the complete marketing campaign relies upon fully in your ability stage, and given the problem of later programs, it is virtually sure that almost all informal gamers would require just a few makes an attempt to beat them.
NeoSprint provides you two digital camera choices: a single-screen overhead view and a tighter view focusing in your trip, akin to R.C. Professional-Am. We discovered the default overhead view proved higher for manoeuvring strategically, akin to accelerating throughout a protracted stretch of straight monitor. However in handheld mode, the tighter digital camera scheme is preferable for being simpler to discern.
Profitable manages to be fairly exhilarating, particularly in shut races when the motion briefly goes into slow-motion simply as autos zoom previous the end line. Automobiles aren’t destructible, however they will definitely crash and infrequently type a glut that momentarily blocks the best way. Manoeuvring forward simply as opponents hit a snag is crucial to build up an unassailable lead.
There are 9 completely different automobile sorts loosely modelled after real-world autos, all with completely different attributes for acceleration, most pace, and turning. When confronted with the escalating problem of the marketing campaign, we’d typically check out completely different autos’ dealing with to see which might be greatest suited to the challenges of every circuit.
There are heaps of unlockable monitor belongings, easter eggs, and funky nods to the Atari legacy packed into NeoSprint, which can be unlocked by successful no less than bronze in a circuit within the Impediment Course and Time Trial modes. Other than simply racing, the Observe Builder mode is an intuitive addition that provides additional replayability heft. Designing tracks is probably not a pull for each participant, however NeoSprint’s deep, customizable track-building engine is as user-friendly because it will get, with easy-to-use drag-and-drop monitor segments together with surroundings and decorations. Sharing tracks with the web group is simple, and we managed to strive some intelligent player-created content material throughout our overview.
Lastly, efficiency held up all through at 30fps even with eight racers on display screen, although the already not-great visuals appeared a contact muddier in handheld mode, notably with tracks that happen at evening. There’s additionally a becoming soundtrack of catchy ’80s instrumental synth tracks that properly match the gameplay and retro context.
Conclusion
At its core, NeoSprint is enjoyable to select up and play and managed to depart us itching for ‘another race’, making it a great advice for retro arcade racing followers and Atari fans. That mentioned, we really feel the asking worth is a tad steep given the omission of on-line play choices, notably when stacked in opposition to free-to-play retro racing competitors like F-Zero 99. However in case you’re bought on its well-crafted marketing campaign and strong track-building parts, there’s lots to take pleasure in right here.