Yu Suzuki traveled Europe ten years ago to research exotic backgrounds for OutRun. As with WipEout, indie developers are motivated to create new titles inspired by their childhood; the series’ distinctive blue skies and sparkling oceans have become a racing sub-genre.
With Slipstream, you can right-angle slide through a pyramid of glamorous backdrops, from emerald hills to golden national parks, created by a Brazilian author. Taking on eccentric rivals – one resembles Bob Ross – as you weave through traffic and sprint to your next destination. With no gear shift, your top speed goes up significantly when you are almost touching another motorist’s rear wheel.
There are a handful of different cars to drive, each with different parameters to master, and you can use these in the lap-focused Grand Prix mode, which repurposes locations from the main game and turns them into circuits. You can choose between stock cars and an upgrade system, which allows you to customise the parameters of your car based on your position in each race. Besides split-screen multiplayer, there are a few novelty modes, such as elimination-based Battle Royale.
In order to drift 90 degrees, you need to use the analog sticks delicately, and the action moves so fast you’re in a trance. This is not a track that rivals the Nurburgring – you either slide or go straight, with little variation – this is pure nostalgia, with scorching synthesisers and scanlines. This timeless homage would make Yu Suzuki proud, even if he didn’t have to.
Pros:
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Retro aesthetics.
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Drift mechanics that work.
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A wide range of modes.
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Soundtrack with synths.
Cons:
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It’s not original.
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A few minor issues.
7 out of 10 for this game.