Slipstream Review — Fast, Furious, and Old School
While racing series like Forza and Gran Tourismo are widely popular today, high speed, adrenaline-fueled racing games were born in the arcades of the mid-80s. Two of the undeniably most influential arcade racers being Hang-On and Out Run — projects spearheaded by Sega’s Yu Suzuki. Slipstream is a love letter to those earlier, pixelated, drive-by-the-seat-of-your-pants racing games.
Let me start this review off by cutting to the chase: Slipstream is great. Almost everything about the game is phenomenal, and I plan to tell you why I love this game, but first, we need to take a quick detour. We need to talk about the indie game scene; this will be important later.
A Pitstop in The Indie Dystopia
Indie games — they’re great, right? There are so many wonderful, imaginative, and inspirational projects being developed. Meanwhile, documentaries like Indie Game: The Movie have captured the passion so many indie game devs have for their work. Yet, for every work of art, there’s a handful of derivative, minimal-effort re-hashes of games from decades past.
I mean, how many “Rogue-likes” and “Metroidvania” — heavily populated Steam tags that have become so large of genres that they’ve warranted their own Wikipedia pages — games do we need? When does the market become so saturated with recycled game mechanics and pixel-vomit graphics “inspired” by games so old they could legally run for president of the United States that we collectively yell “ENOUGH!”?
Phew. Alright, I’m finished now.
I guess the major gripe from my rant is that there are hundreds of “indie developers” capitalizing on nostalgia to release entirely derivative and unnecessary games. Games that, frankly, aren’t very good and often don’t need to be made. That brings me back to the game at hand…
…Getting Back On Course
So, okay, what the hell does any of that rant have to do with Slipstream? Well, having written what I just did, what makes a game like Slipstream any different from the countless other derivative indie games floating around the ever-growing digital marketplaces? That’s the question this review really hinges on.
Slipstream, developed solely by the one-man team at Ansdor, is a well-crafted homage to the Out Run series. If you’re someone who is unfamiliar with the Out Run series, you’d be forgiven for thinking a game like Slipstream is an original concept; however, 90% of Slipstream, from the on-screen rivals to the titular slipstream mechanic, are taken from earlier Out Run games — games as recent as the 2009 release, Out Run Online Arcade.
As a quick overview, Slipstream is a break-neck traffic dodging racing game that requires players to beat both fellow racers, a ticking clock, and, in the hallmark game mode, an NPC rival racer. Players can choose from six different game types, ranging from the more well-known Grand Tour and Time Trial modes to the oddly named “Battle Royale” mode. All of which, again, borrow heavily from previous Out Run installments, but are nonetheless well executed here.
Yet, this still begs the question: what does Slipstream do that makes it anything more than another recycled “homage”? That’s an entirely valid question to ask — and one that, honestly, should be asked far more often. That said, for Slipstream, the answer is simple: Slipstream takes all the most recent Out Run mechanics and modern design sensibilities and packages them into a beautiful re-creation of the 80s/90s arcade racer aesthetic.
A Little Retro, A Little Modern
Slipstream doesn’t simply take low-effort pixel graphics, toss in a tired, old concept, and then attempt to cash in on a cookie-cutter indie/retro experience. The game design is clearly inspired by a passion for the source material. The gameplay mechanics feel deliberate — this game is fresh and it’s very fun.
Slipstream offers tight controls, streamlined gameplay, and gorgeous sprite work that clearly evokes a retro feel. In essence, Slipstream combines the old-school look of classics like Out Run and Hang-On, with updated vehicle handling, gameplay mechanics, and sound design — speaking of which, the game has an awesome soundtrack by effoharkay.
The sprites and background art throughout Slipstream are gorgeous — with bright, vibrant splashes of color, and 60 frames per second gameplay, this game is a sight to behold in action.
In addition to its overall look and feel, the game offers several other little touches: four-player local multiplayer, several graphical customizations — like a CRT filter and an NTSC filter, the option to add your own music files to the game’s soundtrack, and Steam-integrated leaderboards.
Taking everything all together, Slipstream is a fun experience that feels simultaneously old and new. It’s fast, runs like a dream, sounds cool, and looks cooler. The typical gamer might get 5 to 10 hours out of it, while others who enjoy games that emphasize course memorization and quick reflexes might get double that, and a few more diehard fans looking for the challenge of a high-speed racer might well zoom past the 30-hour mark.
Ultimately, Slipstream is a game that doesn’t do much that’s new, but, instead, combines modern game sensibilities with an old school style to create something that’s special. Most importantly, it backs this up with solid gameplay, ease of use, and slick performance. For $10, you really can’t go wrong with Slipstream.
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