Developed and published by by NetK2Games, Rally Arcade Classics (as the title suggests) is an arcade style rally game. Trying to recapture that much-loved Sega Rally Championship vibe. I guess the big question is, does it succeed?

“Rev up your engines, it’s almost time to race back to the past with Rally Arcade Classics! Including 44 iconic cars from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s, and 48 thrilling tracks to rev up their engines to the max while drifting every close turn, you will never run out of challenges to take upon.”

If you’re expecting a hardcore rally sim, then Rally Arcade Classics will massively disappoint. If you are looking for some super slidey, arcade thrills, then this game may just scratch that itch. Rally Arcade Classics is bursting with content. The game goes for a Gran Turismo-like licence set up. Starting out having to obtain your C licence, you’ll eventually work your way up to a B, A and a final S1 licence. How you get to those higher licences is by earning stars, and you earn stars by taking part in and doing well in various rally events.

Each licence is split into various events. You get Time Attack, Vs, Drift and Race. Time Attack is just that, you trying for the best time. Vs sees you going up against another driver in an head-to-head battle to the finish line. Drift is self-explanatory as you try to earn the most points from drifting. Race has you going up against several other drivers as you all race to take the top spot. Already, you have a load of rally content right there as all of these events are used through all of the four different licences. However, this is just the main Tour mode (and that alone is pretty huge). Rally Arcade Classics comes with several other modes for you to enjoy.

There’s a Rally mode with different multi-stage events, across numerous countries, and split over various car groups throughout the decades. Arcade mode has you taking part in car specific rally events and will reward you with a new car if you do well. Chrono mode lets you play any of the rally stages and tinker with the weather and time of day settings, and you can drive any of the cars, even if they’re not unlocked in other modes. Finally, there are special weekly events too.

With almost 50 different events that take place in Finland, Spain, Greece and Monte Carlo, there is a metric ton of content here. Different terrains such as tarmac, gravel and dirt affect how the cars handle, and you can times that by ten with different weather conditions such as rain, snow and fog. There’s even a day/night cycle and the time of day that you race will have an effect on the rally events. Over 40 cars from several decades of rally history. Now, none of the cars are licensed, but they are very, very close approximations of real-world rally cars and you’ll recognise them even without the official badges, logos or names.

Yeah, Rally Arcade Classics is completely stuffed with content, but what use is all of that if the game plays badly? Well, thankfully, this game definitely does not play badly. It is pure arcade action and the cars slide around corners less like a sim and more like you’re sitting in an arcade cabinet circa 1994. The game runs smoothly and the rallying itself is a pure joy to indulge in with some fast-paced rallying, especially when you get to the higher licenses and WRC-style cars.

A new and free update called Precision & Chase is now available that adds several new features too, so even more content. Available now for PC and all the consoles, and coming with a price tag of around £17 (only £9 on Switch). Rally Arcade Classics is a very, very generous game, in terms of content. You’ll be playing this for weeks trying to unlock everything and chasing after those shiny gold trophies. The gameplay matches the game’s generosity and is a joy to play. No worrying about suspension set ups, tyre pressures or any of that guff. This is pure, arcade rally action. Pick your event, pick a rally stage, pick a car and away you go. With buttery smooth racing, an overflowing amount of content to unlock and enjoy, Rally Arcade Classics is title that had been developed by people with a real love for the genre, and that passion is easy to see. This is an absolute must-buy for arcade racing fans.