Slipstream (Nintendo Switch)
I’ve always credited the Outrun series as being my favourite racing games of all time, specifically Outrun 2 and it’s variations, so I was really excited to discover Slipstream takes heavy influence from them. To be super reductive, Slipstream takes the mechanics of Outrun 2 and wraps them up in the style of the original with a bit of extra flair.
The game has three core mechanics. Drifting, slip streaming and rewinding.
The drifting is essential to take even the most mild of corners and is activated in the same way as Outrun 2, a dab of break, then back to the accelerator to turn your car sideways to navigate the corner. There is also an option to turn automatic drifting on which I thought would remove the enjoyment, but as drifting is so essential to almost every corner I actually found this method enjoyable, especially whilst getting used to the feel of the game.
The games namesake ‘Slipstream’ is also very important to success. Simply drive direct behind a vehicle in front of you to get an unrealistic, yet highly satisfying turbo boost. And the last gimmick is the rewind feature. Holding Y will give you the ability to rewind time to retake that corner you just completely messed up. I found this feature broke my flow in the game so I didn’t really use it a lot, but it was nice to have it as an option to avoid the frustration when you mess up the last corner of a perfect race.
One of my favourite things about Slipstream is the amount of fully fleshed out game modes. The most obvious one is the Grand Tour mode which again works exactly like Outrun, racing the timer and rival throughout five stages, choosing your next destination at the end of each stage. There are also more tradition modes such as single races, repeating laps of any one stage, time trials, elimination mode, a grand prix mode where you can race a season of tracks for point to determine a winner. Possibly my favourite is the ‘Cannonball’ mode where you can choose to race up to 30 tracks in an order of your choosing which then seamlessly blend one into the next.
There are 15 unique stages in total, each with a very different aesthetic which stops the game feeling repetitive. There are also 5 different cars to choose from each having their own balance of speed, acceleration and handling.
The game also has a robust local multiplayer where up to 4 players can play most of the game modes split screen. I would have really appreciated an online multiplayer mode but you have to realistic with the work involved to implement that against the price and scope of the game.
There are the standard screen options such as CRT filters which I also like to be included, but very rarely leave switched on… anyway it’s nice they’re there !
Slipstream in general is an excellent classic arcade racer. It did take a few goes to really get a feel for the handling in the game as it’s so drift heavy, but once it clicked, it’s super satisfying to play, and all the different game modes and unlockable trophies give you plenty of reasons to keep coming back.
As I mentioned at the start, there are a lot of great indie retro-inspired racing games this has to compete with, but Slipstream does seem to have a very strong focus on what it wants to be. It does feel unique to play compared to other similar looking games. If you’re just looking for casual blast of nostalgia it might be worth checking some of the original retro rereleases on the Switch such as the Sega Ages Outrun, but if you’re in anyway a fan of the genre and are looking for a more expanded experience that still has that nostalgic vibe, I don’t think many people would be disappointed with Slipstream for the launch asking price of £8.99!