Do you like Wipeout? Do you like Geometry Wars? Do you love Neon? If you have answered yes to all three of those questions, Super Laser Racer is right up your street.
Futuristic, fast paced, vehicular combat racing, all taking place in what could be The Grid from Tron. The neon glistening world of Super Laser Racer is a top-down 2D racer with the visual design almost being a love letter to the style of Bizarre Creations Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.
The game features thirteen race tracks and twelve unlockable racers, unlocked through beating a variety of criteria across four challenging tournaments. The thirteen default tracks are well designed and each have their own level of complexity. Tracks feature multiple paths, tight hairpin bends and are scattered with turbo boosts, weapon pick-ups and a shield recharge zone similar to f-zero. Weapons of all types have a dramatic affect on vehicle handling, speed and responsiveness. Weapons have a pleasing impact, as you will find fighting your opponents is as important as racing them. If the thirteen tracks aren’t enough, and you are feeling creative, Super Laser Racer comes with a drag and drop editor for creating your own circuits.
When zipping around the track, the handling feels nicely floaty with each vehicle having enough drift and glide to satisfyingly take tight corners and power away from your competitors. This however is proving you choose the correct vehicle for the track. Vehicles have their own attributes, some air on the side of caution and have huge shields but in doing so are as slow as a Sherman tank. While other, more fragile, vehicles are nippy and manoeuvrable but have paper thin shields. Choosing the right vehicle for the track is the difference between winning and blowing up in a spectacular neon fireball.
The techno soundtrack has become a staple of every futuristic racer since Wipeout infused high-quality visual design with electronica and electronic dance music. Here the music is short, original and unique. It would be nice to have the ability to import your own tracks but what is available doesn’t outstay its welcome. When combined with plasma-gun fire and exploding mines the music really enhances the overall experience.
Super Laser Racer is an above average racer. But it’s struggles to compete with larger budget and more ambitious games like Wipeout and to a lesser degree better games that use a top down racing view like Micro machines.
The game desperately wants to be iconic Snes game F-Zero but despite evoking the classic 90′s game in terms of handling and neon aesthetic it fails to match the “just one more race” level of addictiveness.
Super Laser Racer is a refreshingly simple and effortlessly combines appealing graphics and frantic gameplay.
Super Laser Racer is available on Steam for £2.99 or Direct from New Star Games
