Retrowave Review (Sky)
"Retrowave is fine" will probably be your first impression of the game. "Retrowave is fine" will also be what you think after playing for a while. Eventually, when you will have played for the last time and before you forget about the game, your last thought about it will likely be "Retrowave is fine".
The cool futuristic 80s style is the main appeal of the game, and the reason you'd consider playing it. It's also a "racing" game that's very easy to pick up and play for a few minutes.
Three cameras at your diposal : a classic view, an interior one and an unplayable one. Pick a car and one of the many available environments, decide what kind of traffic you want and you'll be set to drive in a long straight line, dodging cars, boredom and vans until you reach the end of the road, or crash trying. You'll be accompanied along the way by synthwave music that fits well, even though you'll probably switch to your own music after a few hours.
Racing will reward you with money, that you spend on buying new cars, upgrades and a couple of customization options.
Unfortunately, those upgrades and bonuses are either barely noticeable, or have no effect. Why even implement them ? This almost feels like a last-minute addition, to justify putting a price on a product that could be a free flash game.
There's a leaderboard filled with the same one or two cars, that shows the other issue with the game. Because you see, not all cars are created equal. You'd expect the smaller cars to have a smaller hitbox, but that's not always the case. Worse, even when they do have a smaller hitbox, the collision detection for near misses with other cars, which is the way to score points and combos, leaves a lot to be desired. So only a few of them actually "work".
Once you're done with your little drive, whether you were going for high scores or a relaxing time... Well that's pretty much it. No story, no missions, no challenges... You better set your own goals, because the game won't do it for you.
As a last side note, it's one of those games you have to cap your fps for, unless you want to listen to an actual engine right beside you.
I haven't made it to the end of the road. I probably won't (and I have a feeling that no one ever will), but I've had an okay time with Retrowave. There isn't much to do and some of the bugs are annoying, but if a casual drive in the 80s every once in a while sounds appealing, you should be satisfied.
A 5, because it does the job, but not much more. Retrowave is fine.