Mario Kart has taught us to expect a close-up, over-the-shoulder view of our arcade racers, but it didn't always used to be this way. Back in the NES days, the likes of R.C. Pro-Am and Super Off-Road offered a birds-eye view of the action.
It's this old-school racing spirit that developer 21c. Ducks seeks to evoke with Super Pixel Racers. Looking down on your pixellated rally car, like a drone covering the World Rally Championship, there's an instant warm and fuzzy retro feel to the action. While the cars you'll racing are all pretty grounded approximations of classic rally cars (Subarus and Mitsubishis, you know the drill), this is anything but a racing simulator. Your car auto-accelerates for one thing, while using a drift button to slide around corners will accrue boost for your nitro.
There's a unique feel to the handling model, too. A jab of the aforementioned drift button will send your car's back end out, prompting a long lazy turn. But if you're more aggressive with the button, you can gain traction and use it to carve into the turn and cut off the corner, almost like the motorbike handling in Mario Kart Wii.
The developer recommends that you use a control method whereby your car steers in whatever direction the left Joy-Con stick is pointing, but we found this difficult to get our heads around. Far better, to our mind, is the alternative 'Classic' method, whereby left and right on the stick will rotate your car anti-clockwise and clockwise respectively. It's the method top-down racers used to take, and it works a treat here.
The races you'll encounter during the game's single-player career mode, meanwhile, only occasionally incorporate twisting point-to-point races like real rallying, and rarely leave you alone completely via the odd time trial. Certain challenges even require you to actively ram into your opponent to secure take-downs, like some long-lost 16-bit Burnout prototype. We don't remember Tommi Mäkinen ever powering into the back of Carlos Sainz in such a way.
Other challenges see you using that drift button to rack up as large a score as possible. Then there are the meat and potato rallycross races, which gives you a full field of competitors to pip to the post across a mixture of dirt and tarmac surfaces. In between races you can head into the garage and spend your winnings on improving your ride. Here you must plough funds into four self-explanatory categories: Top Speed, Acceleration, Nitro and Durability. You don't need to worry about saving up to buy alternative cars though, as each unlocked racing class brings with it a single representative car to drive. These automobiles get ever faster, and whisking around the game's thirteen tracks at breakneck speed in one of the nippier classes is a real thrill.
Aside from the Career Mode and Free Race options, Super Pixel Racers supplies a fairly comprehensive multiplayer offering. There's an online mode, but this being a fairly modest indie game, you'll struggle to get a full field at the best of times. Far better to bring out Super Pixel Racers during your next local multiplayer meetup. The game's simple retro charms are perfectly suited to some casual couch competition, and it's well set up to support such a thing, with split-screen for up to four players in both docked and handheld modes. Besides regular races, you can also embark on a Battle Mode of sorts, which plops you into an arena and asks you to 'hunt' your fellow players with a well-timed nitro boost.
Special mention should go to Super Pixel Racers' presentation. There's nothing outrageous here from a technical perspective, but we're fans of the 16-bit pixel art style. Some might find the rudimentary animation a little too crude, but it takes us back to an earlier, more innocent time of arcade racing. The audio, too, is excellent, with the kind of driving synth soundtrack and high-pitched engine noises that speak to the classic era of top-down racers it's trying to emulate.
Of course, Super Pixel Racers isn't the first game to bring retro top-down racing kicks to Switch. Mantis Burn Racing arrived a couple of years ago, and offers a more generous, varied and more technically accomplished take on the sub-genre. Gotcha Racing 2nd took a slightly different route to success, successfully emulating the kind of casual multiplayer hijinks and hidden depths you used to find in the classic Micro Machines games.
If we're being frank, both of these top-down racers are flat out better, richer games than Super Pixel Racers. That said, you might just warm to the 16-bit charm of Super Pixel Racers a little more. Each offers enough of a distinctive experience in terms of handling that you'd be more than justified taking all three for a spin.
Conclusion
Super Pixel Racers offers a simplified brand of top-down arcade racing, with an intriguing handling model that's simultaneously casual and highly demanding. It might not be the richest, deepest or most rewarding game of its type on Switch, but it's a worthwhile experience for those looking for some solo and local multiplayer arcade kicks.
Comments 33
I'm interested in this game, but the review doesn't really dive in-depth into the information I'm interested in. The eShop listing says rally races have procedurally generated tracks; what are those like? Also, is there the ability just to do point-to-point rallies in Free Race mode? Are those procedurally generated? Some more details about the gameplay modes would be appreciated.
"Your car auto-accelerates for one thing, while using a drift button to slide around corners will accrue boost for your nitro."
What does this mean exactly if I may ask? Does the car drive by itself or does letting go of the accelerate button not do anything?
This is 2020. Enough with the retro crap. I mean, some of it is ok, but it seems like we are flooded with pixelated games to no end.
I bought it and so far it's been enjoyable. A bit grindy as these games are and I've not delved into all the options yet – but I've a total soft spot for top-down racers and enjoy pixel graphics too.
Although there are a lot of pixel games now and I (to a point) understand the frustration, I think 2D scrolling games are the real flooded market game-type at this point - and so anyone producing good top-down, isometric or 3D games still get extra points from me.
The game is nothing special ( imho ). Don`t buy it, wait for a HUGE sale...
@rockodoodle there are plenty of non-retro games. You do not have to pay attention to them if they are not your cup of tea.
Big fan of Supercars and Rock & Roll racing so was waiting on a review for this. Yeah, seems like I’m better of sticking with those games and waiting for something a bit more polished to scratch this overhead racer itch I’m feeling. May take another look when it’s on sale.
@rockodoodle This is 2020. Enough with the "enough with the retro crap" crap.
These top down racers seem to be more popular with retro gamers than they are with racing fans.
"A couple of superior alternatives out there"
Please advise what these are.
@FullMetalJumper
Mantis Burn Racing ( one and only )
@premko1 Already have that. Looking forward to the 80's racer when it eventually comes out
"Please advise what these are"
@FullMetalJumper he literally mentioned that in the review. Mantis Burn and Gotcha Racing was the other one. I've got Mantis Burn but I found it a bit dull. I'm going to save my moolah for Burnout Paradise, even though I'd rather not pay big cash for a friggin open world racer. What can I say, I'm a sucker for Burnout.
@Milton_Burle Apologies. I have to admit that I did skim through the review. Unfortunately, I've both games and have Burnout Paradise on a number of systems so will skip that and buy this
Drift Out 94 and the Great 1000 Mile Race are my top picks of the genre
@FullMetalJumper Gotcha Racing 2nd is the only one that comes to mind. Mantis Burn Racing has been highly overrated in the Switch community for some reason, everyone else seems to acknowledge it for the mediocre game that it is.
@JayJ I like them because they tend to be good racers.
@FullMetalJumper 80 overdrive is fun on 3ds.
I miss RC Pro AM. Only top down racer I ever liked.
@rockodoodle why the hate on bits man, clearly you dont appreciate the style, but to say there is enough...alot of people grew up with games that looked like this, myself included. If its not your thing, don't buy it, but dont bother bashing the style of the games either. Makes you sound like an **, for example, I don't prefer CoD games, I haven't played one since black ops 1, but I dont hate on them. Gamers need to stop being jerks to each other and join together in the hobby as a whole. -Gamer Jesus
@FullMetalJumper Paradise looks near-identical to a game I had on Wii U, Need For Speed Most Wanted. While I enjoyed that game the open world format makes it a bit aimless - I just want to jump into a race. Mario Kart aside my favourite racer on Switch has been Horizon Chase Turbo. Super Pixel Racers has definitely piqued my interest though. I love how many different modes it has. Would love a demo.
@rockodoodle I’ve always despised top-down racers, even “back in the day.” There were still over-the-shoulder racers back in the 80s and 90s, this kind of racer screams laziness. They could give it a 10/10 and I would still have 0 interest.
I really would like to see Re-Volt on the switch. Am I the only person that played Re-Volt?
@HXLXIII I grew up with these games too! I am not saying everything has to look Xbox One sleek, but I generally prefer at least GameCube caliber graphics. Quite old, I'd say.
@aznable I have had fun with them before, Mantis Burn was cool. So was one on the WiiU. I am actually easily impressed with graphics- I thought the WiiU was very impressive at times.
@rockodoodle Oh mate you've upset the retro brigade now lol
@HXLXIII So he's an ass for expressing opinion is he? No mate you are. He's not wrong, the eshop is flooded with gash pixel games. Take your rose tinted specs off. There's very very few pixel art games out today that are any good. We all grew up with them and have a place in our hearts but come on
I do like the look of this but the review says your car self accelerates? That's put me off for now. So I shall await a sale
@Milton_Burle A demo yes please!
@premko1 Yes it is!
@Sun-WuGoku yeah, I am not opposed to all retro games. I would compare it to veganism. We waited 60 someodd years to reach the top of the food chain.... it's definitely a step back. But hey, I like vegan stuff on occasion. But as a staple of my diet? Hell-to-the-no!
@premko1 Personally I think it’s a big stretch to say Mantis Butn Racing is a ‘superior’ anything, as it’s average at best, contrary to the nintendolife review.... but it is definitely an alternative.. Otherwise, gotcha racing.
@FTL True, but its still better than Pixel Racers ( imho )
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