Hello and welcome to another entry in my Lost Gems feature, it is that time again to discuss games that have become largely forgotten by the general gaming sphere. In this instalment, I will be covering a game that became pretty notable for the lawsuit it was involved in, leading to distribution being pulled. So today I will be covering Unirally/Uniracers, a 2D racing game for the Super Nintendo from DMA Design, all about sentient unicycles from 94/95.
Disclaimer: while the game discussed here is no longer officially on sale, there are still ways to obtain it. This can be through the second hand market, or through the unofficial digital roms/rips. I do not condone or promote piracy, so there won’t be any links to roms or rips of the game being covered.
So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be discussing the general game experience, then providing my own personal thoughts on the title and background details. I will be referring to the game as the PAL name of Unirally, as that is the version I own.
About the game
Unirally is a rather unique 2D racing game, where the player controls sentient unicycles. The objective of the game is to obtain medals, completing events separated into Tours. Each Tour has 5 events, with two single lap races, two multi lap circuits and one stunt challenge. When starting the game, there are four Tours that players can access, with humorous names like crawler and shuffler. These different names have animals tied to them, like snails and frogs.
Before jumping into a Tour, the player will need to select their racer from one of 16 unicycles, made up of a wide range of colours. Each of these racers have their own progress, which act as 16 individual save files. The 16 racers have their own names, but these can be altered in the options menus, giving players the ability to customise their experience to an extent. There is an 8 character limit for adding names, but that is enough to get creative.
When taking on a Tour, the player must beat each event to obtain a medal. In the races, the player needs to get first place in a head to head race to the goal. During a race, the player (and opponent) can perform tricks to gain speed, with a boost for each successful stunt. This can help get ahead on the track, but speed will be lost if the player wipes out. There will also be gimmicks on tracks, like slime, spirals and loops that can affect the racers.
Then there are the stunt events, where the player needs to perform tricks to beat a target score. These stages are contained stunt tracks, where players must use the stage to get big air to perform their tricks. The stunts that can be performed consist of flips, twists and even head bouncing to gain high scores. As the player performs tricks, there are double, triple and even mega versions of the flips/twists, resulting in bigger and better scores.
The various tracks that players will take on are colourful and vibrant, made up of colourful bars that provide hints for the player. These elements combine with the backgrounds, made up of patterns that contrast with the action on screen. This simple yet effective stage design helps the action stand out, making what is happening on the screen the core focus. There is a beauty in the simplicity and use of colour, preventing it from getting visually noisy in motion.
If the player is able to beat all 5 events for the first time, they will get a bronze medal for that event. After getting a bronze medal, the player will be able to challenge them again for a silver medal, then finally the gold medal. With each medal level increase, the difficulty will go up, making it a solid challenge to obtain all medals. As the player unlocks medals, the player will unlock new Tours to take on, with something special if the player can get all gold medals.
Away from the single player part of the game, there are two multiplayer modes that can be enjoyed. These are 2P VS and League, in the 2P mode all of the stages that have been unlocked can be used, including the stunt stages. Then we have the League mode, where up to eight players can compete in a tournament style competition. These additional gameplay modes make it a great choice for game nights, party play and even remote play through emulation.
Personal thoughts
Unirally is one of those unique games, which was able to stand out among the other 16-Bit racers of the time. The core gameplay loop for the game is one of those things that took me a while to get used to, needing to learn the different tricks to succeed. Sadly I didn’t have a manual when I first played this game, having only a loose cart at the time, so I had to figure it out. That was all part of the fun for me, as I enjoy being left to just figure things out in older games.
Over the years, I have played through this game several times, and it is one of the most challenging racing games I have played. The game can be easy to pick up and play, but it can be hard to master the later stages of the game. This is most present with trying to get the some of the Silver medals, along with all of the Gold medals, as they are extremely tough. But with each success and victory, there is a strong sense of satisfaction.
One of the most striking things about the game is the visual style, as the simplicity of it adds to the overall experience. Then we have the soundtrack, which is limited to the number of instrumentals, yet each of them is a good rocking time. My favourite piece of music in the game is the celebration music, which plays when a medal is earned for completing a Tour. Sometimes, I just get that piece of music up and listen to it for that hit of nostalgia.
This is one of those games that everyone can just pick up and have a good time. It may have a bit of a learning curve, but if you want to add something a little different to game night, this is a great choice. Sitting down with a friend, family member or partner and booting this up can be a great time, as it is good fun in general. Just be prepared for some arguments when deciding on which colour unicycle to use, as that can be serious business.
There is a rather interesting Legacy surrounding Unirally, which prevents the game from ever being re-released on any platform. After the original release of the game, a lawsuit arose between DMA Design and Pixar. The developer was taken to court alleging copyright infringement, as they claimed that the unicycle design used in Unirally was copied from one of their shorts. Unfortunately as a result of this, the game ceased distribution after the initial cartridge run.
There is an estimated 300,000 copies of Unirally/Uniracers out into the wild, making the game a little rarer than others from the time. However, this hasn’t led to a dramatic rise in price, with the game still being relatively affordable in both loose and boxed formats. While it would be nice to see this game be re-released, there is little if any chance of it happening. So the best way to experience Unirally will be through a used cart, or through other “unofficial” means.
If you have enjoyed this feature, then please stick around and see what else catches your eye. I cover a wide range of games in reviews, get special previews and put out regular features. I have Lost Gems, Retro Revival where I discuss re-releases and the occasional Gaming Oddities piece, where I cover weird and wacky titles. So stay a while and have a look around.
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