Horizon Chase Turbo has actually been with us for quite some time now, but just how it has slipped under the radar, I don’t know. I only discovered it as the demo has just been released on the PlayStation store and immediately I was addicted.
Those of us of a certain age will remember going into the arcades as a child and pouring our saved 10p coins (or quarters depending on where you’re from) into such classics as Outrun.. well this game is a homage to such classics as Outrun, Top Gear, Lotus Turbo Challenge, and other games of the era.
Horizon Chase Turbo is a racing game inspired by the great hits of the 80’s and 90’s: Out Run, Lotus Turbo Challenge, Top Gear (SNES), Rush, among others. Each curve and each lap in Horizon Chase Turbo recreates classic arcade gameplay and offers you unbound speed limits of fun. Full throttle on and enjoy! Horizon Chase Turbo has Multiplayer Split Screen support across all game modes, to rescue the nostalgia of playing with your best friends sitting on a couch all night long. The hard time is to know who is your best friend because this one is also the one to be beaten.
In my eyes, Aquiris Studio’s, a little known Brazilian development team, have taken on a major task, but I’m pleased to say that they have pulled it off in spectacular fashion.
Most people who enjoy driving games will either prefer realistic simulations or more arcade styled games. Built from the ground up the game is delivered how I thought Outrun used to look. In the 80’s as a child, all arcade games looked realistic to me, now finally Horizon Chase Turbo has combined both fantastic graphics and a perfect handling game. That will probably sound strange to younger gamers but believe me, the graphics are bright and fun in the game.
Its a game I’m sure will appeal to both old and young gamers alike; simplistic in its gameplay approach extremely easy to pick up and play.
Music is provided by Barry Leitch, Sound Designer in 90’s racing classics such as Top Gear and Lotus Turbo Challenge, among other titles and it sounds beautiful, complimenting the games style perfectly. Unlike original arcade racers, Horizon Chase Turbo features loads of content. 12 Cups, 48 Cities, 109 tracks, 31 Unlockable Cars and 12 Upgrades which are unlocked along the way via upgrade races where you have to finish first. Don’t be fooled by the look of this game however, getting into first in races and staying there is no easy task.
The thing I liked most with this game is the old style 4 player split screen which very few games offer these days, its just another nod to SNES games of old. There is online racing, but sitting on the sofa with another 3 people is much more fun.
The car sits at the bottom of the screen, but is fully modelled in 3D which can be seen if you drive too wide in a corner and hit a tree causing you to spin out and as previously mentioned, racing against the other cars on circuits isn’t as easy as it seems. Getting in your way, you will hit them and be punished by loss of speed, not to mention the tracks are not very wide and trying to get past 2 cars side by side is frustrating.
For me, words cant do this game justice. Its perfect in every single way and should be a hit with a great number of people. 10/10 is the only score I can give it as I love it and you really need to try it yourselves.
