A Retro Ride with a Rhythmic Rush
How many car chases have you seen in real life? I am hazarding a guess at none, or maybe one or two, at most. But how many car chases have you seen on film or in TV shows? The answer will probably be countless.
It’s a sequence that has been around for decades and never gets old, from the 1970s classic The French Connection to The Fast and the Furious franchise. And in the world of gaming, it goes on more than you would imagine, mostly highlighted in the likes of the iconic Driver and, of course, Grand Theft Auto.
Music Drive: Chase the Beat is a game all about high-speed car chases; a pick-up-and-play adventure that harks back to the PS1 era. But is it thrilling?
Stolen Tapes
This is a piece of quick-fix retro gaming, something that is about as complicated as buying a lottery ticket.
Set in Brazil, you are tasked with getting back stolen mixtapes from some thugs on the road. You set out either to grab these mixtapes or deliver them. The story comes about through the gameplay, which is fast and nippy, as is the music. However, there are no cutscenes or deep exposition in this game; yet perhaps that isn’t a bad thing at all.
What you do know is that you play as Tina and Tunner; the former being the driver and the other the gunner. Not that it really matters which is which.
Pursuit and Delivery
Music Drive: Chase the Beat features two gameplay modes. The first is Pursuit, where you are chasing down the people who have stolen a bunch of mixtapes. The car that you are after has a big arrow over it, but your targets have buddies in other cars who will try to stop you. So, you just drive, and Tunner leans out of the window and shoots at the other cars. After a few moments, the enemies are dealt with, cars have blown up, and you have the mixtape back.
From there, you get cash rewards and can use these to buy extra weapons and cars. It’s a very simple setup, and it works well enough.
The other mode is that of Delivery; it is here where you have the tapes, and everyone else is chasing you. It’s basically the same as before, and each mission is over and out within a couple of minutes.
Throughout, you’ll discover little secrets to find and opportunities to drive up ramps for bonuses. However, the whole game can be completed in just under an hour, delivering simple fun for that time. In a neat twist, the more you play, the trickier it becomes as the ‘Hater’ level increases, adding more enemies who are also seemingly much more aggressive.
Arcade Thrills and Driving Quirks
The gameplay loop has a deep arcade feel to it, with its quick action, and it makes you want to have another go. But do so and you’ll find that whilst sometimes the driving feels fluid, at other times turning can be tricky, and I found myself getting stuck a good few times in the environment.
Thankfully, due to the nature of the game, it’s so easy to just start again and since the missions are so quick, pretty much one-and-done, the issues will rarely lower your enjoyment.
PS1 Aesthetics and Brazilian Beats
Music Drive: Chase the Beat employs those old-school PS1 graphics that you might have found in a Virtua Fighter game in the arcades in the 1990s. You can play around with the settings to get a smoother, more modern, and less pixelated image, but I don’t think that’s what the developers intended and it all works nicely, at least if you like that type of aesthetic. I’ll admit to not getting on with the menus, however, and for some reason, found the interface confusing.
The audio is excellent, which is handy for a game that’s all about collecting music. The tunes have been designed by a Brazilian sound artist, NP Vocal, and the tracks are great, working superbly with the gameplay loop. It’s a good touch that, as you progress, you get to unlock new tracks to add to the collection.
A Fun, Fast, and Retro-Fueled Ride
So, will you have a good time with Music Drive: Chase the Beat? Probably, is the answer, what with its short gameplay loops and old-school polygon graphics. It’s not going to challenge any other driving games, but it does offer a very retro experience, aided by some brilliant music. Music Drive: Chase the Beat is further helped by the fact that it’s not anywhere near a hard game to play, but it is one that will make you smile.
If you are looking for a bit of retro car chasing, then you might just be on the right track with Music Drive: Chase the Beat.
Important Links
Music Drive: Chase the Beat Races onto Consoles – https://www.thexboxhub.com/music-drive-chase-the-beat-races-onto-consoles/
Buy Music Drive: Chase the Beat on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/music-drive/9NLJ9QKS7TTJ
