Back in 2021, I reviewed Formula Retro Racing from solo developer Repixel8 and I really enjoyed it. Now in 2023, Repixel8 is back and has teamed up with CGA Studio Games to bring you Formula Retro Racing – World Tour.
“A retro racer updated for the modern age, rediscover nostalgic racing as you drive through iconic locations in Formula Retro Racing: World Tour Fusing 90s-style arcade racing with realistic physics, split-screen multiplayer, and 60fps performance. With new tracks and car types!”
If you have read my review of the previous game then, if I am being honest, there’s not really a great deal that I can add to this review of Formula Retro Racing – World Tour. In terms of how they play, the two games are virtually identical. The short version is that if you enjoyed Formula Retro Racing (as I did), then you’re going to enjoy this. Everything that was in the first game is here. The awesome low-polygon and very ’90s graphics and audio. The very fast and very smooth racing action. The damage meter and awesome exploding cars. The same four different play modes, 4-player split-screen and so on. When it comes to new features, there is very little to cover. Hence why this is a mini-review.
The main differences and new features with Formula Retro Racing – World Tour stem from that ‘world tour’ bit of the title. The first game had 8 tracks to race on, this sequel has 18 and those tracks take place all over the world. You’ll be tearing around the tarmac in London, Paris, New York, Berlin, Hong Kong, San Francisco and more. Each track with instantly recognisable landmarks and iconography. The stylised ’90s low-poly graphics really help to take you back to when arcades were the place to go for some racing action.
The other main addition takes on a Sega’s Virtua Racing Deluxe angle, with two different car disciplines to choose from. With the original game, there was only one car type, different colours for that car but still, only one car type. With this sequel, you have a classic F1-style racing car and the addition of a drift car. The two car types drive very, very different from each other. The racing car is very much what you would expect and drives like it is stuck to the track with super glue. The drift car does exactly that, it drifts and is all about sliding around the corners.
Now, each of the two car disciplines also has a range of different-looking cars (and selectable colours) to choose from. The press blurb does state that: “Each car handles uniquely, making each track feel different”. Each of the two car disciplines most definitely handles uniquely. But each car doesn’t seem to. In other words, it doesn’t seem to matter which of the selectable drift cars you pick, they all drive and feel the same. At least, I never found any differences in how each of the cars felt. To be fair, this was an issue that I had with the first game too, the car in that was the same no matter what. The racing cars here all drive the same, even though there are different racing cars to pick. And all of the drift cars drive the same, even though there are different cars to pick.
It would’ve been nice to see some stats difference between all of the cars because, outside of the cosmetics and even though there are multiple cars (and colours) to pick from in each discipline, there are still only really two cars.
The first game had a fantastic price point of just £5 and most definitely made buying it a must. The price has gone up for this sequel and is around £17 on PC, Xbox and Switch with the PlayStation version coming soon. Yes, you get more tracks and another car to drive with, but it is just more of the same with very little in the way of new features. Still, Formula Retro Racing – World Tour, like its predecessor, is really bloody good fun. Tough at times with some very unforgiving AI, just like in the arcades of the ’90s but still great to play. Basic and pure arcade action that is well worth a play.
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