There aren't that many car racing titles out there on Nintendo Switch, however successful the console may be. Horizon Chase Turbo is pretty good, V-Rally 4 not so much (at least from a visual standpoint) and the 2 Gear Club Unlimited by Eden Games disappointed more than they impressed. Now you'll tell us Mario Kart 8 and its usual contenders (Sonic and Crash Bandicoot) can still offer an alternative, not to mention the great Fast RMX, but there are not really car racing games per se. What about Rise: Race the Future then? We'll, since the Switch version recently came out on the Nintendo eShop, it's time to tell you about it a bit.
Verdict
Though not the absolute must-have car racing games fans have been waiting for on Switch, Rise: Race the Future in undeniably entertaining and fun to play. Not only does it handle well, with different surfaces to drive on (asphalt, dirt, water...), it also looks very good whether on a TV or in handheld mode. With its smooth framerate at 30 fps and colorful graphics, you can tell the studio used their experience developing great ports of past generation games on Nintendo's portable devices (V-Rally on Game Boy and Game Boy Color, V-Rally 3, Stuntman and Driv3r on GBA to name but a few) but also the gorgeous Jim Power on Amiga and Atari ST. VD-dev's title sure could have used more variety in terms of environments (only 4 different locations are available) and possibly a multiplayer mode, but at its price tag, it's clearly worth your money if you're looking for an arcade title which leans more on the realistic side than Ridge Racer when it comes to gameplay. Our major regret about the game is the absence of rumbling effects which would have added more feedback and would have made the game more immersive as a result. Aside from that and the few minor flaws we listed below, there is a lot to like in Rise: Race the Future on Nintendo Switch.
- On the upside
- Nice colorful graphics
- Smooth (docked and handheld)
- Excellent sense of speed
- The challenge mode
- Good driving sensations
- Surfaces affect handling
- Three types of boost modes to choose from
- Fast loading times
- Pretty cheap (17.99€)
- On the downside
- No 60 fps
- Only 4 different environments
- No rumbling, even with a Pro controller
- Sound design and music are just ok
- Spinning out of control when bumped from the rear
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