Racing fans have been eating really good lately with the release of hits such as Gran Turismo 7, GRID Legends, Forza Horizon 5 and Assetto Corsa Competitzione. These high-fidelity titles provide some seriously authentic experiences that show just how far the genre has progressed since its humble beginnings.
Speaking of humble beginnings, how about playing a game that harkens back to those “good ol’ days”? That’s exactly what the retro-inspired Slipstream is all about.
Developed by indie studio BlitWorks, this modern “demake” returns players to a time when racing games were still so young that they relying on crude visual trickery to imitate a 3D camera perspective.
This pixelated madness somehow still looks good even today, thus giving Slipstream a charming artstyle that certainly helps it to stand out against the vast majority of other racing games out on the market today.
Slipstream features some modern amenities that retro players could’ve only dreamed of having, such as the now staple rewind feature, and even the ability to control the speed of the gameplay to make it more accessible to less skilled players.
The game features 20 different tracks based on a variety of locales from around and six unique game modes that will each challenge you in different ways. The car roster is a far cry from the hundreds found in the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo, with Slipstream only possessing a mere five. Not exactly a collector’s dream, but each plays a little differently, leaving you to find out which one best suits your style of racing.
For the tiny price of $9.99 (USD), you can relive early racing, or experience it for the first time in Slipstream. It’s now available on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. PC players can also enjoy it on Steam, where it got its initial release quite a while ago.