Music Racer Review

Rhythm games have undergone a little renaissance of sorts in recent years. They’re still not as big as they used to be in the late 2000’s and very early 2010’s, but they are still much bigger than they were at the beginning of this generation. And while modern rhythm games, are nowhere near as big as your Guitar Heroes, then they are still as fun and as exciting and the recently released Music Racer, is the best example of that.

Music Racer, is not some grand, AAA title with an abundance of modes and features. It is in fact, incredibly far from that. Music Racer, features one singular mode where your car is automatically driving down a three lane road to the beat and you simply have to move it left and right in order to collect music tabs and to avoid obstacles. And while there are some variations to this mode, then such don’t really change much as they simply alter the difficulty while conserving the gameplay in its purest form.

When it comes to gameplay, Music Racer doesn’t leave a very good first impression. And that’s all because the introductory track, has you driving up and over virtual hills. And once on the incline, you can’t see over the hill – which is understandable. And this is infuriating, because once you cross the threshold, you will automatically start missing music tabs which you simply couldn’t see while scaling the hill.

Thankfully, Music Racer does feature completely flat tracks, which make the title much less infuriating. But before you get to those, you will have to spend some time, amassing a rather significant amount of the in-game currency. And by significant, I mean tens of thousands of points. And to amass enough to buy at least one higher-end car, you will have to achieve three stars at least 70 times and considering that single level can take roughly three minutes, then you will have to spend four and a half hours just to unlock a single vehicle. And if you want to unlock all the in-game cars and tracks, you will have to spend tens of hours simply grinding over and over again.

The core gameplay of Music Racer is fun, exciting, and exhilarating. And the game is simply a blast when played in short bursts, once or twice a week. However, everything that surrounds the said gameplay, in terms of features and game design, is simply below par. In terms of content, there is a fair amount of it, but you have to grind to even unlock a portion of it. Whereas the title’s UI, is so poorly designed, that I have quit the game instinctively three times in the span of an hour, because pressing circle in the pause menu, unlike in other games doesn’t un-pause the gameplay, but simply boots you straight to the main menu, without a warning.

While Music Racer’s game design may not be entirely up to scratch, then its visuals compensate for it tenfold. Its low poly, vaporwave façade is simply superb and the combination of dark colours and intensive neon lights, elevate it to the next level. And each and every second spent in-game feel more like a spectacle than anything else. Music Racer is basically a video-game embodiment of Crystal Castles, and if you have ever heard the song Crimewave by the aforementioned duo, then you already know exactly what Music Racer is like.

Personally, I’ve enjoyed myself immensely when playing Music Racer. But unlike with Loud on Planet X, I didn’t enjoy myself for hours at the time, but rather minutes. Because as soon as I’ve completed a couple of levels, the boys would come online, and I would jump straight onto Siege. And when I was done with Siege, I would jump straight back into Music Racer, but yet again, only for a quarter of an hour or thirty minutes. Because yet again, the second I’ve blasted through a handful of songs, I would always find myself something else to do. And in that sense, Music Racer feels more like a free time filler, more than anything else. It’s a game which you’ll fire up when you’re waiting for somebody to come online, or when you are waiting for yet another exuberant patch to download. And it is certainly not a game, which could feel like hours of your free time, as it simply doesn’t have the longevity, or even the proverbial carrot on a stick.

I’d love for this review to be longer, but there is simply not much more that can be said about this game. And while it feels fun, and is a great pace-breaker – then it is not a long term investment. And it appears that the developer is fully aware of that, as Music Racer retails at the incredibly adequate £5.79. And such a price tag is not just enticing, but also fully justifiable. And all things considered, it does feel fairly low. As with all the above points taken into consideration, Music Racer could have easily gotten away with entry-point of £9.99, or even £11.99. And for just under £6, it is definitely more than worth it as in the long run, it is a fun and satisfying fame, which quite simply packs the proverbial bang for the buck.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.