Super Toy Cars (Eclipse Games)
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If you didn’t play Micro Machines on the 16 bit consoles or Re-Volt during the Playstation era then you have missed out on some quality arcade racing. Fortunately, Eclipse Games can help you to redress the balance with their Early Access title, Super Toy Cars.
Super Toy Cars is a remarkable full featured release for an Early Access title and provided us with hours of entertainment already. The game is an arcade racer with vehicular combat thrown in for good measure. There are a total of 16 different vehicles on offer and these include sports cars, mini vans, hot rods, muscle cars, off-road racers and even a formula one car for good measure. As the vehicles are all toys it also means that the tracks which are set in a kid’s room, the street, the kitchen and garage are pretty imaginative. The courses are made up of everyday objects which are all larger than the cars, and the sense of scale is very nice.
The game offers a career mode where you buy and upgrade vehicles as well quick races against friends or the AI. You can race against three other friends in the local mode or take on seven other racers when playing online. The game also has Steam Workshop support and a level editor that allows you to create your own tracks. The editor is still a little rough but already very easy to use and will surely extend the longevity of the game.
The game is powered by the Unity engine and features some very detailed visuals. You can choose from a behind the car camera view that Re-Volt fans will enjoy or switch to the Micro Machines style overhead view. Playing with the top down view almost feels like a new game and the developers have nailed that old-school “arcade” feel perfectly. The drifting mechanics has a bit of a learning curve but once mastered works quite well. The ability to shoot your opponents with giant 8 balls and rockets or drop oil slicks is also very cool. Our personal favorite is the spring loaded trap that launches your opponents into the air when driven over. A picture-in-picture camera view of your traps ensures that you can view the carnage even if you are ahead of the pack.
Most of the features are already in place so at this stage the game only requires some extra polishing to really make it shine. The developers have a roadmap for the game and so far they seem to be doing an excellent job. The soundtrack, by a band called The Spin Wires, is very catchy but a few more tracks will help prevent repetition. The tracks also require some tweaking to prevent respawns from smacking into the invisible walls but these are minor quibbles.
We found the game addictive enough to complete the entire career mode which is pretty impressive for an Early Access title. If you are looking for a pure arcade racer that is not bogged down by a pointless plot or unnecessary gimmicks we suggest you keep an eye on Super Toy Cars.
