Steam / GOG Downloads #7

Retrowave (2020)
By: RewindApp Genre: Platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: PC
Also Available For: Nothing

Many of us retro gamers have been accused of living in the past. This may or may not be true, but if it is, it might not just be the games of the past in which we seek refuge but perhaps other things too, such as music. As we already know, the music of the 80's was/is awesome but it was only a few years ago that I discovered the wonder that is synthwave - music made in recent times but in the style of 80's synth and electro music. It truly is the greatest thing ever, I listen to it all the time, and it is becoming more and more popular. Synthwave songs have already appeared in some mainstream films (the splendid 2011 release, Drive, being a good example) and the gaming world seems like an even more suitable home. One example that recently caught my eye was Retrowave and I was keen to give it a try.

Unfortunately, due to its low price and very positive feedback, I didn't watch the trailer on Steam before buying it. All I knew was that it's a synthwave-inspired racing game which sounded awesome, but I quickly realised it wasn't quite as awesome as I had imagined. The presentation isn't great which didn't give the best first impression (there isn't even a proper title screen, for example), but that was the least of my concerns once I started playing, for I found what might be the most basic racing game I've ever played. There's just the one game mode - you choose a car, then choose a course/background, and then just drive along a dead straight, completely flat road... for as long as possible.

Yes that's right, for the 'races' here have no other contestants and no objectives beyond not crashing. There are many road users but they aren't racing you, they're just there as obstacles. If you hit one, it's game over. You earn money while driving so the longer you can keep going, the more money you'll make, which can then be spent on unlocking cars and/or buying stuff for them. The cars are admittedly very cool though - at the start only the DeLorean is available but there are lots of others for varying prices. Highlights include the Ferrari F40, Corvette Stingray, Porsche 911, and Lamborghini Countach, although none of them are licensed of course. Once you've settled on a car you can change its colour and there are also a wide variety of alternative wheels including neons, though I'm not sure why since you can't really see them in-game.

You can also buy upgrades for the engine, brakes, filters, etc, but it again seems a little pointless when you're just going to be driving in a straight line for as long as you can. There are 12 stages to do that on, though many look similar. Most are dark and nearly half have the FM-84 setting sun as a backdrop. I know this has kind of become the symbol of synthwave along with the classic 80's supercars and neon lights and all that stuff, but a little more variety wouldn't have hurt, surely? While they were at it, why not throw in the odd corner here and there? Maybe even a hill or something too? That said, the cars do look good and as ultra-limited as the gameplay may be, it is still pretty addictive, possessing a strong 'one more go' factor as you try to beat your personal best.

Part of that is down to the moody graphics which can get pretty fast, and there are a few gameplay options (one-way/two-way traffic, even a bomb mode where repeated impacts bring an on-board bomb closer to detonation). Plus of course, there's that music which is fantastic and, for many, the main reason to even play. It's hard to know how to score this game really though. It is cheap (£1.69 at present), it is reasonable, undemanding fun and quite addictive, and it sounds truly wonderful, but it's barely more complex to play than those old handheld LCD games. I suppose it helps to think of it as an interactive music video, just with lots of songs (there are around fifty). It definitely has its good points, I guess it's just frustrating to know that it could've been so much more than it already is. Get it for the music but it's not one to play for hours at a time.

RKS Score: 6/10