Horizon Chase Turbo Review
Release Date: November 28, 2018
Developer: Aquiris Game Studio
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PS4, XB1 and Steam
Price: $19.99
I have always been a huge fan of arcade style racers. The first game I ever played was Pole Position when I was 6 years old at the pizza place. I remember years later playing Outrun in the arcade, as well as on the Genesis. When I first saw Horizon released on Steam, I thought it would make a great arcade racer for the Switch.
Most people are going to compare the game to Outrun, but it’s more a mix of Outrun and the Top Gear series on SNES. There is World Tour mode that has over 100 tracks in 12 regions with each region having a special track that, if you finish first, will allow you to choose one of 3 upgrades for your cars. The World Tour never gets boring or repetitive. The regions span from California, South Africa, China and more. You race day, night, sunset, sunrise, snow and rain, all in a beautiful, brightly colored cell shaded graphics. What amazes me most is the game runs at 60fps handheld or docked which is amazing.
There are several modes in the game besides World Tour. Championship mode, where you have a set number of races and whoever has the most points wins the championship. Endurance mode is a longer championship mode where you can choose how many races you want to do, 12 to all 109. New to the game is Playground mode. This mode is regularly updated with a series of challenges that you upload your lap times to leader boards and compare yourself with other racers around the world.
There is no online multiplayer, sadly, but there is up to 4 player local multiplayer. Even with 4 players the frame rate still stays very high. The music is composed by Barry Leitch who did the soundtracks for Top Gear, Rush 2 and many more. It is a fantastic soundtrack that never gets old. It's so good I would buy the soundtrack to listen to all the time.
Horizon Chase Turbo is a welcome game for the Switch library. I went in thinking it would be a sub par racing game, but it is addicting fun. The sense of speed and the steady 60fps put it a step above. This game is a love letter to arcade racers of the 80’s and 90’s and everyone, hardcore or casual alike, should check this game out.
PROS:
60fps Docked and Handheld
Great Graphics and Sense of Speed
Tons of Replay Value
CONS:
No Online Mulitplayer
Thanks to Aquiris Game Studio for providing a code for review.