I recently finished Horizon Chase Turbo. Short review: it’s really good!

A number of retro-themed arcade racers have caught my attention in recent years, and it seems (albeit from a position of almost total ignorance of modern gaming trends) as if the increasing focus of mainstream racers on a serious, simulation-focused experience has opened up some space for smaller developers at the more arcadey end of the market.

It’s one thing to say that you’re attempting to recapture the spirit of 80s or 90s racers in a new game, but quite another to actually achieve it successfully. Eagerly presenting a trailer showcasing sprite-based or stripped-back polygon graphics and chiptune soundtrack is arguably the easy bit.

Horizon Chase Turbo not only ticks those two boxes – it looks and sounds great – but has plenty going on under the bonnet too. Its career mode, the World Tour, offers refreshingly gimmick-free gameplay and uncomplicated structures of progression, particularly for single-minded gamers (such as yours truly) who refuse to move onto the next races until perfection has been achieved in those already available.

Start at the back, do laps, finish first and collect all the coins: that’s how you get top billing on each track. As you do so, you’ll unlock more vehicles, which can be upgraded through a top-3 finish (or first, and only first, if you’re an obsessive – see above) in a special race in each territory. Consideration of your vehicles’ attributes – again, kept relatively simple, just like in the old days – then becomes a matter for some consideration prior to each race.

The length of the World Tour and number of races is one of the few concessions to the expectations of the modern gamer, and possibly leads to occasional autopiloting through stages without necessarily mastering them. However, dotted throughout are some truly nefarious tracks that simply will not be beaten without you getting everything – vehicle selection, the location of on-track pickups, not crashing, using nitro at exactly the right time – absolutely spot on.

These are the moments that, in my opinion, make for a great arcade racer. And while there may be a few too many filler races overall, things do build to a crescendo, difficulty-wise, and the finale is appropriately climactic. It’s a game that pretty much achieves everything it sets out to do, which is a rare thing indeed.

For those, like me, with fond memories of the original Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge (or the Top Gear games that followed on the SNES), this is the perfect modern successor. Having been hooked on achieving World Tour perfection for quite a few months, I’m not sure if I’ll dive into the various other modes available straight away, or at all, but even if I don’t, Horizon Chase Turbo has provided more than its fair share of thrilling moments already.