Static Shift Racing - Tinysmurf's Posts

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1K View2023-01-20

I've tested the game for a couple hours but I feel like I've seen about everything the game has to offer currently -

It is very clearly in the early release stage so every early judgment is to be taken with a grain of salt towards what's to come:

Technicalities -

The game runs greatly.. not a stutter whatsoever and the graphics are detailed and pleasant to look at. There are some small visual quirks that need to be addressed (such as the cars' wheels partially remaining submerged in the roads) but other than that everything seems already perfect.

The audio design is average, nothing noteworthy, however the surprise comes from the game's soundtrack: it is on point with the rhythm and absolutely, positively reminiscent of many hit games from the ps2 racing fever of the late 2000s.

Gameplay -

I could test two or the starting cars so far and they behave nicely enough. We're very far from a simulative experience but we're also pleasantly far from an overly arcade (and rather typical for mobile racing games) driving experience.

The cars are reactive and there is a good feeling of weight to them; controls are very responsive but absolutely require customization.

There is a slight lack of momentum, aka not feeling the accentuated sense of speed like most Need for Speed-esque experiences (which this game seems to take from) so I feel the need to point it out. Nothing major, just takes away a big part of the "fun" in a street racing game.

AI -

The harsh part. The opponents (only 1 per race and they're all ghost cars) are extremely underperformant and won't ever present a threat to someone with any racing game experience at all. Maybe only a few exceptions to this rule. Not good. Also why choose a no collision dynamic in a non simulative street racing game?

Map and tracks -

The map is surprisingly well designed and variegated - again - it almost felt like booting up Need for Speed (Carbon for those inclined). It is, however, somewhat on the small side for now and the event variety also runs dry very fast (although they remain fun, it can only last so long in a loop like gameplay).

Another big issue is that the map feels completely lifeless as per now: no traffic, no roaming events and/or racers make the whole space always feel artificial and devoid of charm. This may obviously be changed as the game is developed further.

Extra notes -

Customization is, from what I could see, delightful and I'm sure it will only get better as long as the game's profit scheme doesn't start dismantling it.

The game NEEDS to have an online section to it: be it simple roaming Co-op or PVP.

Hoping to see this project grow up further because it shows a lot of promise and for once it's not just a soulless arcade mobile racer. 7,5/10

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