Formula Retro Racing: World Tour Review

I do like a racing game. There, I’ve said it, be it Forza Horizon 5 or any of the numerous Need for Speed titles, I have always enjoyed a driving game. In fact, the first ever achievement I ever got, way back in the mists of time, was on Forza Motorsport 3, as soon as I had got my shiny new Xbox 360 home.

So, when any new racer appears on the scene, you better believe I’m there at the front of the queue to review it. What this rambling opening is leading to is this: Repixel8, acting as developers and publishers, have released Formula Retro Racing: World Tour, and I have got my hot little hands on it to test it out. So, I shall now present, for your reading pleasure (or not) my collected thoughts on the game. Strap on your best racing boots, we’re going in!

Now, generally at this point in a review, I’d discuss the narrative to be found in the game, but here, I can’t, as we all know racing games don’t generally come with a narrative, except the NFS titles. Basically, we have a collection of fast cars, a collection of exotic locations to take them to, and we have to make the best of it. It’s a hard old life. 

Presentation wise and World Tour certainly lives up the retro part of its title, with graphics that hark back to memories of playing Daytona USA in the arcades. The cars are pretty much just boxes on wheels, whilst the tracks are lovely and polygonal as well. The backdrops work quite well, with each location you race in having a certain feature that is recognisable, be that a pyramid in Las Vegas or The Shard on the London track. The more complex backdrops do have some pop in as you get closer, which again is very retro, but unless you are looking for it (as I have to) it isn’t very noticeable. The cars are well designed though, and can be painted a variety of garish colours, so all is well. 

The sound is a game of two halves though. The music that accompanies the racing action is great, very nice to listen to and suits the racing action perfectly. But the engine sounds are another matter. They are just some noise, and the racing car engines in particular are very annoying, sounding something like a mosquito in a baked bean tin. You know how in Forza Horizon 5, you can tell what engine is in the car you’re driving by the noise? Yeah, not here. 

Anyway, with mixed news on the presentation, let’s have a look at the action on offer. There are a multiple play modes when you start a fresh game of Formula Retro Racing: World Tour – Arcade, where you have to compete in races, earn points and thus unlock the next level to have crack at; Grand Prix, where you can play solo or with up to three friends in a split screen, local only multiplayer fashion – the only multiplayer mode in the game; there is the Eliminator, where you are tasked with getting into the top ten in the race, staying there for as long as possible as the enemy AI drivers get faster and faster; and finally there is Free Practice, where you can take any car out on any track to see which you prefer. With eighteen tracks to open up and race on, and ten cars to drive, you can see the permutations are quite numerous. Oh, and there are three difficulty levels for each track too, to add to the mix. 

The cars themselves are a mixed bunch, split into two different types. There are racing cars, such as open wheel Indy Car types, Le Mans style racers and even old school Formula 1 vehicles to drive. The other category is that of the muscle cars, and can be anything from an old school square box from the ‘70s, to pick-up trucks and more. Each car does handle differently as well, so you’ll have to find which one suits your style.

The two classes handle quite differently to each other, with the racing cars relying on grip to get round corners, while the muscle cars drift at the drop of a hat. Don’t make the mistake I did though: there is no need to counter steer to come out of a drift in Formula Retro Racing – simply removing the steering input will see the car come back into line beautifully. Stringing corners together in these cars is a huge amount of fun, and these are much my preferred mode of transport. The only niggle I have is that there is no indication on the car select screen of your chosen steed’s stats – no speed or handling info is displayed, and if you want to see what a car is like, you have to drive it. 

Trying to keep your car in one piece is a bit tricky as well, as too many collisions with other cars or the scenery will see your car disintegrate and fall to pieces; literally. There’s nothing worse than challenging for first place and clipping a wall. By the time you respawn, your opponents are usually well gone. It certainly focuses the mind when you are on your last little bit of the damage meter, let’s put it that way. 

Formula Retro Racing: World Tour is an extremely enjoyable racer. The action is fast and furious, and while the AI feels a bit cheap as the levels rise, it is a solid enough racing game to keep you coming back for more. The achievements are well crafted to keep you playing too, really making you work for them; something which is good to see in these days of easy completions. 

If you like the low poly look and have room for a racing game in your life, give Formula Retro Racing: World Tour a look.

Formula Retro Racing: World Tour is on the Xbox Store