Retro Drive Revamped Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Retro Drive Revamped is an arcade racer that puts you at the heart of an 80s movie, replete with slacker dudes, American high school and words like ‘bodacious’. It does so while dripping neon-infused visuals and pumping out a soundtrack that feels resolutely authentic, almost crying out for you to drive with sunglasses on at night. Maybe your name is Ferris?

You come busting out of your school – literally busting out, with your not-Delorean screaming through the doors of the building – and give chase to your best friend and your girlfriend who’ve decided not to wait around for you, instead heading off to a series of cool locales that you always seem to just miss them at. I was starting to think that maybe she wasn’t my girlfriend after all.

Everything here is bathed in a warm Tron-like neon glow, and the synthwave soundtrack makes it feel as though you’re playing an FM-84 or Gunship album. You’re definitely playing the front cover at least. I really like the look of Retro Drive Revamped, but it’s the soundtrack that you’ll keep tuning in for, with some great synthwave vibes carrying you through it all from artists like Futurecop! and New Arcades. There’s the option of a jukebox from the main menu, with each track unlocking as you get ever further through Retro Drive Revamped, and it’s a great touch as you’ll want to return to them.

That said, Retro Drive Revamped has a gameplay loop that’s also worthy of the 80s, and in the modern day, it doesn’t always feel so much retro as aggravating. You drive the neon highways, aiming to complete each track in as fast a time as possible while dodging impediments. Green cars can be knocked into for a boost, while red cars slow you down, but then come the laser gates that instantly