The ‘80s aesthetic is so overused these days that it takes something fairly spectacular to stand out in the crowd. To be fair to 80’s Overdrive, it originally launched on the 3DS back at the end of 2017, when things like that 3D purple sci-fi grid you see all the time now (and appears in this game too) were still considered cool. Times have changed.
In the two-and-a-half-years that have passed, we’ve all seen more than our fair share of ‘80s-style games, so this one’s going to have to play well too to justify forking out ten bucks for it. It just about manages it, but it’s certainly not without its issues – and we don’t just mean the apostrophe being in the wrong place in the title.
In case it wasn’t clear by the screenshots, 80’s Overdrive is a tribute to old-school arcade racers like Out Run, where one principle reigns supreme against all others: driving bloody fast in cool sports cars. There are initially six cars available in the game, although you can only afford to buy one of the first two when you start off. They’re all unofficial but are clearly based on much-loved cars from the era, from the Ferrari Testarossa (known as the Testosterando here) to the DeLorean (aka the De Loan). Each of them can be upgraded with earnings from race wins, with the exception of the final car – the Tensor V12 – which comes with its stats already maxed out.
It’s clearly a pretty game. Its art style is an interesting mix of pixel graphics and 3D tracks designed to give the game a unique look that’s both modern and retro at the same time. It has eight distinct environments, ranging from the seaside to meadows to a futuristic city, and each of them looks wonderful, with plenty of roadside scenery to enjoy as you race past. It almost always runs at a silky smooth 60fps too, although on rare occasions we had issues where the forest stage – which is lined with autumnal trees – would start to chug horribly to the extent that it was really distracting.
It doesn’t just look impressive, it sounds great too. As you’d probably expect, a game like this more or less demands an electro ‘80s soundtrack and Overdrive doesn’t fail to deliver. Its 18 tracks were composed by six artists – most of them Polish, like the game’s development studio – and they maintain a high quality throughout. It’s a shame the soundtrack doesn’t appear to be available anywhere because we’d happily listen to it while driving our car in real life (while obviously observing applicable road traffic laws, of course).
That’s the audio and visual boxes ticked, then, but what does the game actually offer in terms of modes? Well, there are two main ones: Career and Time Trial. Career presents you with a series of 35 races with progressively more difficult opponents. Track length varies, as does the amount of traffic in each race and how frequent the police will appear to try and run you off the road. As you win races you earn cash that can be spent on your car: either upgrading it, repairing it, refuelling it or replacing it altogether with a shinier model.
On occasion, you’ll also be given separate missions from a shady character (it’s never really revealed what his motivation is for this). If you accept and carry out these missions you’ll get a large cash bonus. Some are interesting, such as collecting certain items lying on the track while you race, or deliberately finishing in a specific position. Others, though, are a little pointless; the one that challenges you to finish ahead of a specific opponent sort of goes without saying if you’re trying to win the race anyway.
The Career mode passes a couple of hours, but your progression isn’t balanced so well. In a best-case scenario, games with similar modes try to stagger your upgrades and control them tightly enough that you’ll have earned all your upgrades just in time for the last phase; you’re rewarded for your hard work by becoming as powerful as you can be just when you need it.
In 80's Overdrive, it’s absolutely possible to buy the fastest car (with its stats fully maxed out) by roughly the halfway stage; this not only gives you nothing to aim towards other than simply winning the remaining races until you reach the end, it also makes the optional missions entirely pointless. After all, what’s the point in taking on extra tasks to earn a big cash bonus when you’ve got nothing left to spend it on?
Once you’ve beaten the Career mode there’s no real reason to go back to it, so the Time Trial mode is likely to be your regular port of call from that point on. It’s similar to Out Run in that you’re given a set time to reach the end of a stage and pass a checkpoint for a time extension. Just like in Sega’s game, the track splits into two different routes at the end of each section so you can choose which landscape to race through next. Unlike Out Run, though, you can also top up your timer – and pretty much have to, really – by overtaking other traffic as closely as possible. You’ll add 1, 2 or 3 seconds to the timer depending on how closely you pass them.
It’s a fun idea designed to stop you feeling bored by nothing more than simply avoiding everything, but it does also highlight the game’s most notable flaw: the handling. Light taps of the D-Pad or analogue stick result in absolutely nothing happening: you have to hold the direction down for a while before the car starts to turn. This isn’t an input lag issue, because the car stops turning immediately when you let go and the problem is more obvious in slower cars. It’s a conscious design choice, presumably created to make the better cars feel more responsive. That said, although the delay is less blatant as you drive faster vehicles, even the super-fast hidden one you unlock for beating Career mode still has it to a degree.
What this means in practice is that while it’s fairly easy to adapt to it in Career mode – because you’re mainly trying to give other cars a wide berth and turns are never sharp enough to demand perfect timing – it makes the Time Trial mode extremely frustrating, because you’re actively encouraged to inch closer to opponents but your controls aren’t anywhere near twitchy enough to allow this. The number of times we find ourselves reasonably close to a car, try to tap the direction to get a little closer and either don’t move at all or move too much and plough into the side of it is too large to be acceptable.
It also feels oddly slow. It makes sense that the worst car in the game would run at a lethargic pace, to encourage you to upgrade as soon as possible. Even the fastest car, however, doesn’t give the same sensation of speed as its speedometer suggests. When you’re going at more than 270mph and it feels more like you’re doing 70 on the motorway, that’s underwhelming. This, combined with the controls, results in a game that may try to look like Out Run, but just isn’t as satisfying to play.
Conclusion
80’s Overdrive may be wonderfully presented, but its problem is that price-wise it’s sandwiched between two similar games that are better. Sega Ages Out Run is cheaper and its tight controls remain impeccable today, while Horizon Chase Turbo may be double the price but is significantly superior in almost every notable way, including control, amount of content and sense of speed. If you absolutely need another ‘80s style racing game then this will keep you entertained for a few hours, but there are better alternatives.
Comments 43
I am sticking with Horizon Chase Turbo, that's for sure.
I picked this up out of curiosity while it's not bad especially for the price, Horizon Chase Turbo is the better game. I agree with the reviewer in all his points, the biggest is the lack of sense of speed. I seriously didn't have any sense of speed at all when playing this game.
@Tasuki Yeah I think these retro style racing games can be very hit and miss. 3D really worked wonders for the racing genre in the 32-bit gen and while it can be nice to revisit the older styles for this genre I think there is a good reason why we mostly moved on. This game is pretty much banking off that Outrun nostalgia and when it comes to that I would much rather just play the Sega Ages Outrun.
@JayJ I've been talking with the developer about several issues i have with the game. The main one i highlighted was the lack of speed immersion. This has now been fixed and is coming along with lots of other changes in an update.
There is no Testarossa in this game, that is a BMW M1.
The lacking sense of speed compared to the 3DS version stood out to me immediately in the footage I've seen of this Switch version. The only real improvement I saw were some extra music tracks.
I was hoping for a long time to see this on the Switch, but I'm afraid it's one of those "wait for a sale" games now...
...unless I'm swayed by footage of the coming updated version YANDMAN speaks of above!
I took a punt on this but I regret buying it now it’s soooo slow play this and then try and play outrun immediately after the difference in speed is ridiculous
@JayJ Yeah. To be honest I have been searching for years for a great Arcade Racer in the vain of Top Gear and didn't find one until Horizon Chase Turbo. That game just nailed it perfectly.
@YANDMAN if there’s a car called a Testosterando in this, I’d guess it was based on the Testarossa...
@slider271 You would think that, but looking at the models it's definitely an M1.
Bought it day one... I haven't played since day one either... as others said the sensation of speed is really poor, and the way the cars move when steering looks and feels off. I was really hoping for much more 🙄
That’s a real shame I guess I will wait for the inevitable sale price
@Johnno137426 I find that the cars move like they are on rails they move really erratic and at times it's hard to judge how to get pass them.
Such a shame, it's absolutely gorgeous but I don't buy games on art style alone.
I doubled dipped on this game. Here's my conclusion:
80s Overdrive is one of those titles that absolutely benefited from Stereoscopic 3D on the 3DS.
This game actually looks (and plays) better on the 3DS than on the Switch on my 65-inch LG OLED TV.
Agree with others on here about Horizon Chase Turbo being superior.
Can't wait for Hotshot Racing (formerly "Racing Apex") to release as I love retro racers in general.
Lastly: Thanks a lot Mr. Scullion! Now I'll never see this title again without noticing its misplaced apostrophe! Lol.
@GrizzledVeteran Yeah it should be "80s' Overdrive" and yeah the 3DS version is better.
I regret buying this on Switch particular due to the poor sense of speed compare to the 3DS version which does the game more justice. The more I see this game the more I rather play it on 3DS instead.
I downloaded the soundtrack- sublime listening material for my night drives.
The game itself isn’t anything special though...
I had wanted this thanks to the screenshots and was excited to hear it announced for the Switch. But the lack of any sense of speed in gameplay videos is a complete turn-off.
They all look like Pole Position or Outrun being played by an ignorant player in low gear that's blissfully unaware there's a high gear to switch into (Of which there are tons of videos on YouTube).
If they can improve with a sequel and make it feel fast, I'd be happy to take it out for a spin. But I'll be passing on this initial effort.
In American English, 80's is also used and acceptable. For a site that many times uses the United States only date format of 5/17/2020 it is peculiar as to why the author of this article finds wrong the use of the apostrophe.
In the cons section where it says "Controls respond as well as Furby" does that mean occasionally at the command given and sometimes at random times?
Thanks for the review! Booting this off the wish list ( it’s ridiculously bloated as is anyway) and sticking to Horizon for a bit of retro arcade racing for now then.
Looks a bit like Rad Racer but wasn't a huge fan of Horizon Chase Turbo, which apparently better, so pass for me. Love the art though.
@Benji80
Been waiting for Hot Shot Racing since the Wii U days (when it was called Racing Apex).
I know there have been recent updates and videos of it in action, but after this long, I'll (happily) believe it's coming, only after seeing it in the eShop... Still....can't wait!
Yup, I already kind of figured that a review of this game would go this way, although I would still give it a narrow 7, because it's still an enjoyable game regardless.
I definitely agree about the lack of a sense of speed in the Switch version, which was most definitely there in the 3DS version, so I've literally got no idea what got lost in translation while porting this game to the Switch. But like another user also already said, I think it's simply the loss of stereoscopic vision, which really pulled you into the game, and in return, the game massively benefited from that.
@Tasuki So, a speed up patch is coming soon? Interesting...
A great game no doubt, I have it on my 3DS and will not purcahse for Switch... Still great if you only have a Switch at hand....
@GrizzledVeteran As @Cosats was correct in pointing out, the apostrophe is not misplaced because '80's' is acceptable for the shortened, numerically-based form of 'eighties'. The apostrophe is considered part of the method of making a number plural. Thus @scully1888 was mistaken when he said that it was misplaced. However, the form that he used in the review, ''80s', is also correct; it is considered a contraction of '1980s', which the apostrophe in that position indicates, rather than indicating the plural. One could conceivably do both with ''80's'. The form that @BlueOcean suggests, '80s'', is incorrect on all counts, because it is not the possessive form of the number, which is what the apostrophe in that position would indicate; it is the same principle behind saying 'London Underground' instead of 'London's Underground'.
This has been Today In Video Game Pedantry.
@JimmySpades
Hey Mr. Spades, Thanks for taking the time to write such a clear explanation. Much appreciated.
I got this on sale on the 3DS. The 3D effect made up quite a bit for the semi-bland/unoriginal gameplay. Without that, it loses some of its appeal, for me.
The art style is exquisite. It is a shame it seems the game as a whole didn't end up running seemlesy together. I think I will take the advice of some of the people in the comments here and get Horizon Chase Turbo instead.
Slipstream on Steam seems to have already done this shtick, and did it better. I'd have picked up a Switch version of that.
And seriously, a game whose entire premise is, "the '80s" spells its decade wrong in the title? That's pretty amateur. Contractions ain't possessive.
@Dreamcast2Turbo Please see my previous comment, which addresses the flaw in your premise.
@JimmySpades I wold respectfully disagree. Although 80's has become accepted by many as an acceptable placement of the apostrophe, it still isn't technically correct.
The apostrophe is there to denote missing characters: in this case the full term is the 1980s, therefore the correct abbreviation is the '80s. Moving the apostrophe so it instead reads 80's turns it into a possessive, which doesn't make sense: instead of saying "the 1980s", you're now saying "belonging to the 80". It's the equivalent of saying "I bought a bunch of apple's yesterday".
I appreciate that some people do write 80's but mob rule doesn't always make everything correct
I think one potential area of confusion is that American English sometimes allows the use of an apostrophe even when using the full number, as in the 1980's, but even then it's only an alternative way of spelling it, not the agreed standard. In British English it's a straight no-no, and the only generally accepted terms are the 1980s or the '80s.
Hope that massively nerdy reply explains things
I don't remember the 3DS version's review being so harsh.
While I understand the game isn't outstanding anymore in 2020 because of the aforementioned competition, the issue about controls wasn't mentioned in 3DS. Anyway, I won't double dip, the 3D effect was a strong selling point, as well as the half price bargain.
@JimmySpades As @scully1888 says, it should be '80s and not 80's.
@JimmySpades No, you are wrong. 80s and '80s are the abbreviation of eighties and nineteen eighties respectively. 80's might be accepted but it doesn't mean that it's correct and of course it doesn't mean that you should correct people that are right pedantically. Because the title seems to mean "the overdrive of the eighties" and includes an apostrophe I chose to write 80s' Overdrive omitting the first punctuation mark but it could also be 80s Overdrive or '80s Overdrive. Using the apostrophe to make a plural is not correct so, in this case, it's you and not me who is "incorrect on all counts", using your own words.
This whole argument is quite funny considering the game's ending actually involves the apostrophe (seriously).
@slider271 Well you like the reviewer would be guessing incorrectly. Pretty sure or at least i thought i was in that everyone knew what a testarossa looked like. Obviously not.
@YANDMAN Fair enough, I’ve looked up the image in the game and I can see that you’re absolutely right. Which makes it a weird name to give the in-game car!
picked up day one, disappointed with the handling more than anything. love the style of the game overall, but simply can't compare to Horizon Chase Turbo.
This looks like a mashup between outrun and power drift visually.
Actually also looks a lot like that terrible remake of outrun in the sega classics collection for ps2.
@slider271 Incidentally the testarossa is possibly coming in the first update.
The game is OK. The lag with controls someone mentioned disappeared for me after upgrading my car's stats.
As for the apostrophe, perhaps it is meant as a possessive?
Spoiler:
Last boss' name is BOBG who drives the Penetrator 8086.
The last race is placed on a chip, as well... Maybe all of those are some obscure references to Intel's CPU?
I might be imagining this, though.
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