I used to be oddly intrigued after I first heard about developer Timbo Jimbo’s Static Shift Racing final week. The premise was that it’s an open-world avenue racing sport with a heavy ’90s vibe by way of automobiles and magnificence, and there’s an enormous emphasis on customization with 1000’s of elements and upgrades so each racer can trick out their very own journey simply to their liking. It sounded massively bold for what appeared like a fairly tiny studio, so I sort of figured it could both be an enormous success or a significant flop when it lastly launched.
Nicely, Static Shift Racing did launch globally this week and I’m comfortable to say it falls far more on the aspect of a hit. Don’t get me flawed, there’s a lengthy methods to go in lots of respects, however what’s right here at launch is majorly spectacular, and extra importantly majorly enjoyable. As talked about you’ll roam round an open world coming into into varied varieties of races, and that is one space the place the sport feels prefer it might use some increasing. The atmosphere isn’t as giant as your typical open world sport, however it’s extremely detailed with a number of well-designed roadways that may act as totally different circuits within the varied occasions.
Then there’s the car choice, which is simply 5 to begin, however these 5 are fairly totally different from each other and have numerous customization choices to discover. Once more, the extent of high quality and polish right here places a lot bigger studios to disgrace. Every part is tied to an total development system on your driver in addition to your varied automobiles. That is the a part of the sport that has actually sucked me in. Incomes XP, unlocking new elements, tricking out your journey with the brand new gear, after which heading again out to race some extra is a really satisfying sport loop. It’s like enjoying a loot-based dungeon crawler besides it’s a avenue racing sport, and it’s superior.
Additionally price mentioning is that the racing itself is tremendous enjoyable. Very arcadey and really drift-focused. It could possibly really feel somewhat wonky at first however when you get the dangle of issues it’s extraordinarily satisfying to carve round curves utterly sideways whereas coloured smoke billows out of your tires and tunes blast out from the audio system. I believe the builders have been going for a really particular vibe with Static Shift Racing and I believe they undoubtedly nailed it.
With all these constructive factors does come some detrimental. Initially is that there simply must be extra sport right here. Extra open world areas, extra automobiles, and extra occasion varieties. To be truthful that is all stuff that’s supposedly already within the works and can be coming quickly, however I’ve seen far too many video games make guarantees they by no means adopted by way of with so the proof will certainly be within the pudding ought to stated pudding actually materialize. The second factor is that this can be a very free to play sport, with a ticket system for coming into races the place the tickets are on cool-down timers in addition to two varieties of in-game forex. To date none of this has been a problem, however that’s all the time how they begin, proper? Long run stays to be seen.
All that stated the nice undoubtedly outweighs the unhealthy right here, and as jaded as I’ve turn into through the years I’d prefer to assume that this can be a developer that’s simply passionate a couple of very particular kind of racing sport and needed to make considered one of their very own, and is simply making an attempt to barter the troubled waters of cellular gaming as finest they will. What’s right here in the present day is a really, very stable base to one thing that might turn into actually particular, and the truth that it’s free does at the least imply that anyone might attempt it out for themselves to see if Static Shift Racing revs their very own engines as a lot because it has for me up to now.
