For those who were around for the early 1990s, you might remember a certain 3D racing arcade game that was released on the Sega Genesis. That game was 'Virtua Racing'. During that time, 'Virtua Racing' was receiving tons of praise for being a game that perfectly executed the 3D racing model and design.
Jumping years ahead to 2020, we now have 'Formula Retro Racing'. It's basically a remaster of 'Virtua Racing' that was able to retain it's charm, stylish 3D effects, and colors, along with enhanced 3D graphics to make the game pop and stand out more.
'Formula Retro Racing' is a straightforward game in my opinion. You start the game, choose what color car that you want and which of the eight different tracks you want to race on (which all have unique difficulties), and then start your engines and begin to race. The gameplay and the driving mechanics feel so smooth and flow perfectly. As you race throughout the tracks it feels like how any F1 race should feel like, fast-paced and filled with heated moments.
There's also crash physics in the game where if you and another vehicle collide together or even graze each other you'll either crash and blow up into a fiery ball or spin out and crash into a wall creating a giant explosion. I feel that at times when I do bump into another racer it's a bit too sensitive, but I'm used to playing racing games such as 'Forza' or 'Wreckfest' where they allow you to bump into other vehicles and try to do things such as spin them out.
For the players who want to throw it back old school, there's an arcade mode where you race and have to run through checkpoints in a certain amount of time. If you run out of time, you fail, just like a normal arcade machine. There is also an elimination game mode where you have to race your way to the top before you get eliminated out of the race.
Going off of the time that I spent playing 'Formula Retro Racing', I enjoyed the gameplay as a whole. The game itself is pretty straightforward and delivered. The only problem that I really had with it is the fact that after you crash and you respawn, the game has a habit of spawning you backward and you might end up driving the wrong way.
Graphics-wise, the game and the 3D visuals look very clean cut and extremely polished. The different colors are all vibrant and no race track looks the same. They all vary from each other. Sound and music-wise, the game has a very 8-bit retro feel to it which is a major throwback to 'Virtua Racing'. Keep in mind this is an arcade style game, so it's not meant to be played for long hours on end. I played up to two hours at most just to see everything the game had to offer. I feel that if you are an arcade racing fan like me, you'll come back to play more often than your average player will.
As I stated before, 'Formula Retro Racing' is a straightforward game. Coming into this game, I thought about it as a better, newer version of 'Virtua Racing', and I was right. It doesn't need to have a bunch of new features to top the older game. All it needed to do was visually enhance it and to keep the same charm that the game had in the '90s. If you haven't played 'Virtua Racing' or just want to play a fast-paced arcade racing game for a reasonable price, then 'Formula Retro Racing' is the game for you.
