There is absolutely no shortage of racing games on the PlayStation 4. So when I tell you that Hotshot Racing feels like a nostalgic and therefore strangely fresh take on the genre, that gives you an idea of how different the game is. Developed by both Lucky Mountain Games and Sumo Digital – the latter of which worked on Team Sonic Racing, this is one arcade racer you don’t want to miss.
GRAPHICS & PERFORMANCE
The game has a low-poly design that is really stylish. At first glance it reminded me of PS4 Indie hit Virginia – which is another point in the game’s favour. The game is very vibrant, managing to look retro and modern at the same time. The tracks are varied and have lots of cool touches, like the Jurassic Park gates opening up after the first turn in the dino dash circuit.
The performance is solid with no dropped frames as you powerslide your way around the various tracks on offer. I didn’t notice any pop in or graphical issues in my time with the game either, which almost feels rare at this point. The overall package reminded me a lot of the old Daytona USA games which were popular in the early to mid-’90s. Load times are also excellent, with near-instant restarts if you aren’t happy with your start to a race.
GAMEPLAY
Anyone who has ever got hooked on an arcade racer will tell you – it’s all about the gameplay. Thankfully Hotshot Racing excel(lerate)s in this department. To be successful, you are looking for any and all opportunities to powerslide. This fills up your boost meter, which is broken into four parts. Each time you drift enough to fill a bar, you can activate one boost.
Maintaining your powerslide for as long as possible will be your number one priority. Using the speed boost at the opportune time is vital as well. The game is structured in such a way that you are never clear of the pack and so I always like to keep a boost up my sleeve for the final straight.
The boost isn’t your only means of gaining an advantage though. You can also enter the AI drivers slipstreams, which grants you a small boost that can make all the difference. At first I found myself frustrated with the rubber-banded AI, but once you realise that it’s actually a feature that can be manipulated to help you, the game truly clicks.
GAME MODES
I was surprised with the amount of variation on offer here. You have Grand Prix mode, which offers you four different cups to compete in. Each cup contains four different races. You get points for your position in each race and that is tallied at the end to see who is the champion. All 16 courses have a unique aesthetic which I appreciated also.
Single race offers you three different race types. There is arcade, which is simply just a straight up race. There is also ‘Cops & Robbers’ and ‘Drive or Explode’ modes as well. Cops & Robbers has you start on the run, being hunted down by the cops. You have a health bar that will deplete whenever you get hit. Once you have been taken out you will transform into a cop car and be tasked with chasing down the remaining cars. It’s a really cool mode as the longer you hold out, the more AI cars are defeated, turned into cop cars and pitted against you.
Drive or Explode is also great fun. You have to keep above an ever-increasing speed or you will explode. This mode also gives you a health bar that gets topped up at each checkpoint, but dropping speed or taking hit damage will quickly derail your good run. It’s a bit like Speed, but more frantic and less Sandra Bullock.
You also have time trial and both online and offline multiplayer. Multiplayer is self-explanatory, but it should be noted that the game offers four-player splitscreen which is both rare and awesome. In time trial you can race against some of the development teams best times, or against your own or downloaded ghosts.
CHARACTERS & UPGRADES
Throughout all of your races, you are gaining money. This can be spent on car modifications. There are a total of 8 racers. Each of which has 4 cars. One that’s balanced and then one geared towards speed, acceleration or drift. These mods are all cosmetic and don’t actually alter the inner workings of the car. Racers are hilariously stereotypical, like Aston, the English toff who regularly asks if it’s too early for Champers. Or tells you this looks like where he spent his gap year when in the jungle.
VALUE
At £15.99 (or £12.79 until Oct. 2nd 2020 if you have PS+ and FREE as part of Xbox Game Pass) there is a lot of value here. As well as the 16 courses and multiple game modes, it has been announced that there will be free DLC coming to the game in the next few months. A new cup featuring 4 new tracks. It’s great to see the game being supported post-launch and it just adds even more value on to an already excellent package.
TROPHIES
Currently, in it’s second week on the market, no-one has obtained the platinum. I would expect those numbers to stay extremely low given nine of the trophies are tied to winning on expert mode… which is absolutely rock solid. Aside from that you have a gold trophy that requires you to buy every customisation in the game. Something that will take a serious time investment. This is not to say it’s a bad list though. It is varied and tasks you with exploring all the game has to offer. The platinum will be a real badge of honour to anyone who is able to get it.
VERDICT
In short, Hotshot Racing is great. As someone who never really sticks with racing games for long, I can honestly see myself coming back to this one a lot. It’s just so much fun to pick up and play. Drifting is so satisfying and the different modes add some variation. With free content coming in the future and a rock hard trophy list, there is always more to strive for. In terms of over-the-top arcade gameplay, this is my favourite racer on PlayStation 4.
-VDZE ✌️
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Pro.
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