My experience with racing games is quite limited. I’m not too bad at Mario Kart, and I found a very unique artifact in a Garfield-branded title heavily inspired by it. But in terms of more “serious” racing games that simulate real circuits, my exposure is quite simply non-existent. They just never seemed all too interesting to me, let alone approachable. Every part of the experience—the branding, the drivers, the physics, the streamlined focus on technique and competition—tied into real-world racing, a sport I had no investment in. (It also doesn’t help that I’ve rarely had hardware powerful enough for their demanding graphics) Luckily, Zero Games Studio’s Hot Lap Racing, published by Maximum Entertainment, was able to change that.
Immediately, the most crucial feature to this game’s success was its tutorial. There was an option to bypass it by completing a tough lap under a certain time, which I promptly tried and failed by no small margin. Reluctantly, I pivoted to moving through the tutorial, which seemed to have an overwhelming number of steps (four) and substeps (two or three each). Each step went by very quickly, and did an incredibly effective job of teaching specific skills, demonstrating not only how to maneuver but how to see the track itself. To those well-versed in racing game strategy, the things they taught would surely seem like sitting in on a first-grade class as a PhD student, but I am not in that demographic. The game breaks down how to approach a variety of turns, including when to brake, turn, and accelerate to get around cleanly and quickly. That it manages to communicate so much in a short series of 30-second challenges is quite impressive.
The multiplayer option was not available at the time of writing, so I cannot speak to its quality. However, the singleplayer campaign offered here is robust, with a variety of game modes on hand. The one I invested most of my time into was campaign mode, a staple of the sports simulator. The start of this mode, Feed Racing School, houses the aforementioned tutorial. I completed a handful of cups, took first in all the ones labeled Easy and Very Easy (not to brag). Each race demands all drivers to use the same car model, each of which handles differently. The central focus is on upgrading your license rank to access harder races. The tracks repeat environments, but chart different courses through the space using cones and signs to clearly guide the player down the right path, which I think is neat. There’s also a practice mode and some free racing modes, which don’t require the player to progress in the linear fashion of the campaign.
Honestly, I don’t think racing games are for me. I enjoyed being along for the ride, but this handful of hours was enough for me to know that I am not good at them, and I’ve had my fix of them for now. As some final notes, the soundtrack is loads of fun, full of what I would describe as rock and EDM influences. It’s high energy, and plays well with the well-executed sound design. Also, my laptop is far from cutting-edge, and this game still looked nice and ran incredibly smoothly on it. Hot Lap Racing will find its audience, no doubt, and those who enjoy this style of game will surely get their mileage out of it.
Score: 9/10
Hot Lap Racing is available for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by John D’Auria
Video games are my personal favorite art medium by far. I love how many ways an interactive story can be told, and I can't stop myself from getting hooked on a good puzzle. I'm a student majoring in game design and music, so I hope to make creative work a part of my life going forward.
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