Overview – originally developed by Vision Reelle, ported to console by Zero Games Studios with publishing handled by FunBox media and 2Tainment, Classic Racers Elite is a racing simulation game with an emphasis on time. Take part in 12 championships using a variety of vehicles in this love letter to the 60s, an era of rock and roll, men without names and iconic cars. This title is available on PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Funbox Media for providing the copy of Classic Racers Elite that was used for this review via the Keymailer platform. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is no plot for this release, so I will be going straight into discussing the gameplay.
Gameplay – the developers describe Classic Racers Elite as a “Hill Climb Racing Game”, with the goal of each race being to reach the finish as quickly as possible. This must be done by taking hard turns, flooring it on open stretches and slamming the brakes to get around hairpin bends. The game is made up of two distinct modes, the Championship and Free Race, with the first featuring 12 championship cups over 4 car categories.
All of the vehicles featured in this title are inspired by classic cars from the era, with a range of vehicle types from mini consumer cars, to rally cars and even high end motor sport vehicles. There is also the ability to select from 4 different cosmetic styles per car, giving them a different paint job which gives some variety to the aesthetic. The 16 cars are split into groups of 4 with new groups unlocked when the right conditions are met.
The cars themselves can also be difficult to control, with some of the vehicles being tough to handle at speed, which can be off-putting for newer players looking for an arcade style challenge. The racing is more akin to that of a simulation game, which can be very difficult for players to get to grips with. This can be made more difficult with the lack of track assistance, meaning players will likely take several attempts to complete a race.
When in the championship mode, the player must beat all of the races in a championship, using one of 4 cars that are tied to that specific level. However, this may not be an easy feat to accomplish, as the conditions to succeed in a race can be incredibly tough. The championships are split into time trial and slalom cups, taking place in 17 locations with a total of 50 tracks, using variations of standard race, reverse and Slalom layouts.
All of the races in the championship mode have a rather tight time limit to meet, which can be rather difficult to meet depending on the track. There is only one target time per track, which can be rather daunting for newer players of the genre, while also making it feel rigid and stiff. The single goal time for a track makes for a brutal and unforgiving gameplay loop, as a mistake will often mean restarting the race due to the time loss suffered.
This is made even more challenging by the design of the various track layouts, with race markers that have poor visibility when driving at high speed. By the time a turn can be registered by the player during the first few attempts, there is usually little time to respond. This will lead to collisions with barricades and track elements that can interact strangely with the cars, like traffic cones and tyre stacks that have the potential to flip cars.
Outside of the championships is the Free Run mode, where players are able to play through the unlocked tracks, practicing to get their times as low as possible. However, when starting the game for the first time, there are no tracks unlocked which prevents players from trying out the game without going into championship. Unfortunately, this can be difficult for players to get to grips with the controls and cars at the beginning.
Tied to both the championships and the free run mode are worldwide leaderboards, where players are able to compete all over the world as they battle for the top spot. This does add some replay value for the game, with the player being able to battle it out in time trials with players on all platforms. The leaderboard system is active in both the championship and free run modes, where players can use higher grade cars to set even better times.
There are some unfortunate issues with this release, as the physics have some issues during races, leading to the car bouncing around the track from the lightest bump. This is most present when trying to do the slalom races, as the car can be flipped over with the slightest contact with obstacles on the course. There are even issues with the way momentum works in this release, which can have cars going from full speed to a dead stop in a jarring way.
The last issues to discuss are the difficulties with visibility when racing. The speedometer is in the top right corner, with the track map in the bottom left, which can be distracting during high speed races. The map can be misleading as it only shows the road and not barriers, which can cause difficulty when navigating the tracks. There is also difficulty with visibility when using the different camera positions, which can obscure the track especially in the cockpit view.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – the control system for this release has a simulation feel to it, with a marker at the top to show the wheel turn on screen. The steering is controlled by the left thumbstick and d-pad, with adjustable settings for the way the game handles which can be very useful. The other functions of the car, like the accelerator and break are controlled by the triggers and face buttons, which work well with all control types.
Difficulty – this can be a very difficult title, which may take several attempts to reach the goal target of each race stage. This is due to the single lap system that the game uses, meaning that there is no chance to regain time lost from a mistake. The vast majority of the tracks will need to be learned for players to be able to get the most out of the experience, as the mini map can be of little use and the lack of race line assists add to the difficulty.
Presentation – visually, this is a rather pleasing game, with nicely designed cars and tracks. However, there is some blur that can occur during races, especially when using the cockpit and front viewpoints, which can make navigation difficult. There aren’t any issues with the performance in terms of framerate, with a smooth and stable experience all round. The sound is rather basic, with some music that plays in the menus and standard sound effects during races.
Final Thoughts – to start, when I was looking into this title, I was expecting a more arcade style of racer, akin to that of Sega Rally or the original Ridge Racer. But when playing it the game feels more like the simulation motorsport games Gran Turismo and the Forza series, which I am not the biggest fan of. However, after enough time was spent with the game I gradually improved and eventually cleared all of the cups.
There are some flaws to the overall experience, with the track visibility and way that the physics/collision of the tracks can affect the game, along with the awkward HUD placement. It took several attempts to beat the vast majority of the track goal times, which ended up being a frustrating thing due to the tight time limits. This is due to the fact that any single mistake could lead to the car getting stuck, flipping over or just not being able to recover.
I’m not sure if I can make a general recommendation of this title, as I feel the skill ceiling for the game is very high compared to others in the genre. Those who are looking for a difficult challenge are likely to enjoy this, but I don’t think it is for most racing fans as the hill climb time trial gimmick could wear out its welcome quite quickly. The overall package has a lot of potential, but is lacking some of the polish that could make it a truly great racing title.
In the end, I give Classic Racers Elite a final score of 3/5. This is a challenging racing title that has a lot of potential, with unique track designs, a good variety of cars to unlock and plenty of cups to challenge, but there are some issues that tarnish what could be a great racing game. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below, with the game releasing on June 26th 2023.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
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