No matter how good I think I am at rally games, clearly that’s not the case for Rally Arcade Classics. The game from NETK2GAMES is clearly one for perfectionists, such as myself, or ghost chasers seeking the best possible lines and times. You know that a review is redundant if it isn’t honest, so let me level with you: first impressions weren’t great, though turning the music off is a good start.
I like driving my Dodge Viper to Feeder as much as the next Gran Turismo driver, but music in a rally game doesn’t work. In my late gaming years, I find that arrogance of throwing away the manual, skipping tutorials, and ignoring advice is a thing of the past, as I now have a penchant for listening to my navigator’s directions. Unlike that much more dynamic #DRIVE Rally, the commentary is quite flat, though eventually useful.
Rally Arcade Classics doesn’t deconstruct the concept of rally driving as it’s all here: overtakes, time trials, and stage races. There is a good selection of camera angles suited to most tastes, and the handling is pretty responsive. Visually, it wasn’t as pretty as Art of Rally, nor did it have the gutsy Sega Rally arcade playstyle, so it wasn’t clear if I’d be able to go the distance without finding it slightly monotonous. Well, first of all, there are so many features, there’s no time to get complacent.
The initial hurdle may be the license tests, as these are a requirement to unlock the better cars. In the past, I’ve always preferred mid-range to supercar standards and felt hypercars take the driving experience to Wipeout levels, and somewhat chaotic. With rallying, slow and steady wins the race, yet the starting cars are a bit naff. That’s no reflection on the developers; it’s the reality. Say all you like about the Mini Cooper – I’d rather be hooning in a Peugeot 106 or a Lancia Delta until I get my Evo. On this basis, the starting cars are ok.
Like a good rogue-like, the rewards are abundant with progress, and aside from the 44 different types of rally cars (not licensed, but look and play the part), there are 48 circuits in the newly released Precision & Chase update for Rally Arcade Classics, along with weather and day/night cycles. The sheer volume of options is excellent, and surprisingly, not so overwhelming. The challenge, however, lies with how you get there, as I was never a fan of licensing, though if you can’t pass them, you shouldn’t be driving one of the top-line vehicles. In theory.
So, you can opt to go the arcade route or the actual rally stages. Again, no reflection on the developers as they have created a decent rally game, but the rally circuit can be tough. Traditionally, you will need to complete a stage as fast as possible, though you won’t know your standings until each checkpoint. Even then, you could complete three stages brilliantly, then falter on the last, only to come second. What happens then? You don’t get the trophy or the required credits to invest in another vehicle. This can be quite restrictive for some of the slightest mistakes, though it inevitably improves your skills in practice.
To unlock the vast available stages throughout Rally Arcade Classics, you can earn stars, which are earned through time trials, your position in a race, and even drifting with style. The latter was perhaps the event that pulled me further into the game, as it was quite easy to see progress. You effectively have to perform a number of drifts to beat a three-tier system. Get the gold, and you have three more stars. Not that it’s a quick process to unlock everything – it’s actually quite epic – and for that reason, I have so much to see still in the game.
For those inclined to seek bragging rights, there’s an online leaderboard that I believe is cross-platform for both PC and consoles. I didn’t pay too much attention to the scores as I’d often find myself in the 100s with a tenth of a second between me and others, and for that reason, Rally Arcade Classics unleashes the perfectionist to get better and better. While the game doesn’t have that urgency and allure of a title it compares itself to, Sega Rally, it has much more longevity and depth. In all honesty, outside of the arcades with your mates, what’s the collective time you’ve spent playing Sega Rally or even V-Rally? Perhaps a few hours. A few hours with Rally Arcade Classics won’t even scratch the surface, and there’s no faffing about with settings or over-complex menus of a modern simulator. Besides, those elusive high-end cars are too much of a lure to ignore.
