BlazeRush Review (PC)

The racing genre has retained its popularity after many years, but nowadays most titles offer the regular recipe of driving from a realistic perspective, using behind the car, cockpit, or "first-person" views. Even so, there are still those who prefer isometric experiences that hark back to the early days of the games industry.

BlazeRush is an example of such a modernized experience, as developer Targem Games wants to offer an isometric racing game that's fun, fast, and balanced with a wide array of abilities and bonuses, not to mention varied vehicles with advantages and disadvantages.

Does the new game manage to deliver a worthy experience or should it retire from the race? Let's find out.

Story

Even if most racing games nowadays abandon any semblance of a story, BlazeRush still has a single-player campaign that offers a bit of background on the game's universe, its characters, and more. It doesn't take itself seriously, thankfully, and just uses a bit of reasoning to promote a more eco-friendly message, not to mention one against evil corporations.

Deploy precise weapons

Gameplay

Of course, one of the most important things in BlazeRush is the gameplay. The action takes place on different circuits across multiple environments. You race against a different number of opponents each time and the goal is to ensure you score trophies, which then unlock new stages and events.

The actual racing mechanics feel pretty good, but it's important to note that you can only control your vehicle with the analog stick on the controller or the keyboard keys. There's no acceleration or braking, so it might take some time to get used to BlazeRush.

Things get a bit more complex as you progress through the campaign, as the circuits are filled with portions that don't have any guard rails, not to mention tight corners and ramps that, when taken with extra speed, can propel you outside the track's bounds.

Besides the intense racing experience, the game also features different weapons and speed bonuses that drop onto the circuit from above in a chaotic manner. The weapons range from a minigun to a sawblade launcher, a guided missile, a goo ball that can slow your ride, and much more. Each feels powerful, and thankfully, the campaign races limit their variety, so you don't get stuck with crazy weapons all the time. What's more, once fired, you need to collect another weapon crate from the circuit, so there's a risk/reward ratio that you must consider when deploying or keeping your ability.

The game also drops behind the leader crates with speed bonuses. These range from a lengthy but moderate speed increase to rocket tubes that provide short but powerful boosts, fans that work when you don't make sudden turns, and other such things. These also have an inherent risk and reward, as saving a speed boost for the right time can result in a win, but losing it if you fall off the course can lead to regrets.

In terms of race types, there are quite a few interesting ones. Of course, as always, there are lap-based events where crossing the finish line first is the only thing that matters. There are also King of the Hill-type races where you need to stay in front of the pack for a total of 50 seconds. The most hectic, however, is the Death Race type, in which a giant steamroller barrels down the track towards the competing cars. Depending on how many cars it eats up, you earn more and more points. The whole affair has a nerve-wracking aspect but it's still quite fun. In the campaign there are also special time trial events designed to get you to come to grips with the new speed boosts.

Many crazy trophies are awarded at the end of the race for all sorts of feats you manage during the actual event. From seizing or losing victory in the final meters to unleashing crazy weapons and perfect boosts, they are rewarded with hilarious mentions.

Vehicle variety is pretty solid, with each car/ship boasting three core stats, in the form of mass, acceleration, and handling. Your mass dictates how affected you are by weapons, as low mass vehicles can easily fly off the circuit but are usually much better when it comes to acceleration or handling.

While BlazeRush manages to deliver a solid racing experience, it does get a bit frustrating when you're stuck in the back of the pack, as the game teleports you in order to keep up with others. This can get confusing quite fast. It also doesn't do that good of a job when it comes to highlighting your own vehicle. If the cars are grouped up and the same model is used by an AI, you can easily lose sight of your ride.

Multiplayer

BlazeRush can be played locally by up to four players and is a blast when going only with all four against four other people. However, the online mode does suffer from time to time of lag, which can really impact a race, and from connectivity issues, as you sometimes aren't able to connect to any online party.

Even so, it's quite a lot of fun with others, especially since some of the AI rivals in the campaign are a bit too skilled, especially towards the end of the story.

Visuals and Sound

BlazeRush looks decent but it's clear that Targem emphasizes framerate over pretty graphics. The game maintains a really fast framerate at all times, no matter how hectic the action might get. The cars and the tracks also look pretty good but the surrounding environments aren't that impressive.

The soundtrack is instrumental only and features quite a bit of dubstep, house, or techno tracks. It matches the action on the screen quite well, so you'll certainly enjoy it.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

BlazeRush is a really fun isometric arcade racing experience that manages to deliver explosive action, imaginative weapons, and balanced speed boosts to create an addictive flow. Sure, its visuals aren't that great and there are a few quirks when going online, but it's still quite good.

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