Missing a proper old-school Outrun styled experience? Slipstream is here to fill that gap.
Available to purchase and download right now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch, Slipstream is a new retro arcade racer that is about as close to Outrun as you’re likely to get. It’s been put together over the course of four years by the Brazilian solo dev Sandro Luiz de Paula (ansdor), before being pushed out to market by the BlitWorks squad.
Having created his very own custom game engine that does a great job of recreating the sprite scaling visuals of the 1980s and 1990s, Sandro then utilised that, mixing it with modern hardware to ensure that Slipstream was born, with a super smooth, constant 60fps gameplay experience in place.
It’s not just the arcade racing that ensures that Slipstream sits on the tail of Outrun, it is visually complementary to that classic and throws out some proper immersion as you get behind the wheel of your Slipstream racer and head through the city, desert, forest, mountains and beaches.
Drifting is obviously the way forward, but this comes with a modern rewind feature to help out the rather challenging experience. You’ll need to use it if you’re looking to make the most of the twenty tracks and five playable cars too. When you throw in different game modes – Grand Tour, Cannonball, Single Race, Time Trial and Battle Royale – then there’s much that Slipstream is able to provide.
The key features you need to concern yourself with include:
- The real thing: Built on a custom engine, Slipstream brings authentic 2D sprite-scaling graphics to modern platforms.
- Multiplayer: Local split-screen fun, up to 4 players!
- Time rewinding: Made a mistake? Press the rewind button to travel back in time for up to 5 seconds and try again.
- 20 Different tracks: Set on a variety of exotic locations all around the world… and beyond.
- 5 Playable cars: Inspired by classic models from the 80s and 90s.
- Accessibility Options: There are 3 difficulty levels to choose from, some visual effects can be turned off and, most importantly, the game speed can be reduced up to 50%, giving players more time to react, but keeping the game physics exactly the same.
- 6 Game modes:
– Grand Tour: Scenic trip through five stages, with rival racers to beat and branching paths to choose.
– Cannonball: Freely customizable race mode with optional traffic, rivals and other racers.
– Grand Prix: Championship mode composed of five races, with season scores and optional car customization.
– Single Race: Simple race mode, with customizable settings.
– Time Trial, a solo race against time.
– Battle Royale, an elimination endurance race mode.
– 5 Car models, each with its own specs and playstyle.
- Original soundtrack with 9 exclusive songs by Stefan Moser (Effoharkay) .
- Graphical Options: Including Pixelated, CRT and NTSC filters, for a faithful retro experience.
- And much more: Mechanics such as drifting and the slipstream, rival characters and secrets to discover…
Our full review of Slipstream on Xbox Series X|S is live. Give it a read and then grab a copy of the game for yourself from the Xbox Store, playing it on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. It’s also on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5. Expect to pay around £7.99.
Game Description:
Slipstream is a racing game inspired by the visuals, music, games and cars from the late 80s and early 90s. It’s built with an authentic retro feel and unique graphics. The soundtrack, drawing from synthpop and jazz fusion influences, sets the tone for a race across a variety of exotic locations from all around the world, including cities, deserts, forests, mountains and beaches. Drifting and slipstreaming mechanics add depth to the driving gameplay, and the result is a challenging and exciting experience.
