Overview – developed by Vision Reelle in collaboration with publisher 3goo, 4PGP is an arcade style racing sim, where players take the wheel of a formula style car in fast paced racing. Go around the world in four grand prix cups, taking on a field of challengers to secure the top spot and take the championship. This title is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 and PlayStation 5, 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 PR Hound for providing the copy of 4PGP that was used for this piece. 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 or story for this release, so I will be going directly into covering the gameplay for 4PGP.
Gameplay – 4PGP is an arcade style motorsport racer, where players get behind the wheel of a formula style car, taking on circuits that are inspired by real world locations. There are several modes for players to take on, including a championship mode, where players take on four different championships. Then there is the quick race, where any track can be played (even in reverse), and Time Attack where players go for the top time on tracks.
In Championship mode, the player will play one of the four cups, consisting of three races against 9 other racers. The different Championship cups have tracks that share characteristics, like the Top Speed Cup, where players can floor it across different tracks. In the different grand prix cups, the player will need to finish in first place to win the championship. Depending on the difficulty selected for each of the cups, placing in first can unlock rewards.
At the start of the game, players will be able to use one of 9 cars, with lower level vehicles to start. However, as players complete the grand prix championships, more powerful vehicles will be made available. All of the cars in this release are based on real life vehicles, with fictionalised versions of sponsors on the cars, as well as the track. These include tyre manufacturers, motorsport gear and even a fictionalised version of Marlboro.
The racing itself is a mix between arcade style racing and motorsport sim, with easy to pick up gameplay at the lowest challenge levels. But players will need to take their foot off the accelerator when trying to take many of the turns, due to how tight they can be. If players don’t manage their speeds, they will go off track, losing almost all speed and quickly be overtaken. This means players will need to give the tracks a few attempts to nail the corners.
If the player does fall behind, or manages to get ahead, there is a way get even further along the track and that is the turbo boost. At the start of a race, the turbo charge for the player car will be fully charged, allowing them to use it immediately if they wish to. The boost can also be helpful for recovering if they go off track, as well as getting to speed after very tight turns. But be warned, the turbo charge is limited and does not last very long if players shotgun it.
At the end of each lap, players can recharge the Turbo by hitting the pit lane, with a stopwatch appearing when they enter the lane. On this watch, there will be a green section and a spinner that will move on its own. If the player is able to stop the spinner in the green section, they will get a full charge of the turbo boost for the next lap. However, in the event this is missed only a portion of the boost is restored while in the lane.
There is also tire wear which players need to keep in mind, as the lower the percentage gets, the harder it will be to handle the vehicle. Tire condition will deteriorate during races on the track, which is made worse by hitting the off road areas. This can severely impact the player’s performance in a race, leading to crashes and losing their position in the race. The only way to restore the condition of the tires, is via the pit stop at the end of each lap.
Away from the main championship mode, players can enjoy the Quick Race and Time Attack modes. In Quick Race, players will be able to pick any of the unlocked tracks, alongside special reverse versions for free races. Then we have the Time Attack mode, where players can challenge a single track alone to set the best time. All of the tracks have DEV times, with local leaderboards that players can record their best times on.
There is a special mechanic included as an accessibility feature called Assist Mode, which will nudge the player to the correct racing line. This makes learning the tracks easier, while also making the championships beatable for players who may struggle. Last is the split screen multiplayer, which allows up to four players to enjoy Championship and Quick race together. Unfortunately, I was not able to test this feature out.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – the controls for this release are rather easy to pick up, with only three buttons used to play the game. The player only needs to accelerate, brake and use the turbo button to get around each of the tracks. It is recommended to use a controller to play the game, with Steam input offering the best way to enjoy the high speed action. However, it is playable when using the standard keyboard, with no issues in terms of delay with any input used.
Difficulty – 4PGP is a very challenging racing title, as the hybrid arcade racing sim style can take a little time to get used to. Thankfully, there is a beginner difficulty that will let players get used to the Championship play, before progressing to Novice, Veteran and Expert to unlock content. The Time Attack and Quick Race modes can be a great way to get used to the tracks. Also for those who struggle, the Assist mode can be a great way to make it accessible.
Presentation – from a visual perspective, the style of the game feels close to classic arcade racing games, with smoothed out models for the vehicles. Then there are the tracks, which a designed well looking fairly close to their real world inspirations. I very much like the fictionalised versions of classic sponsors, which made tracks feel lively. The sound is rather good, with music that sounds like it came straight out of a SEGA arcade game.
Final Thoughts – I have an appreciation for classic arcade racers, like Virtua Racing and Daytona, so 4PGP really appealed to me. The look of the game does have that feel of the classics, with cars that have a chunky look to them, as well as clean and smooth textures. There is a good sensation of speed with the game, making it satisfying to go at full speed on the tracks, or take turns at speed. But it does take a little getting used to at the start.
There are a couple hiccups, as the CPU racers are very aggressive and can push ahead after pushing the player off road. Luckily, the turbo boost can be used to recover and catch up, but sometimes they can get far ahead to the point you cannot catch up even with boosting. Also, it can be hard to unlock the extra content, as players need to get first place for the cups. In general, I do enjoy this game, and I am happy to recommend it to racing fans.
In the end, I give 4PGP a final score of 3.5/5. This is a solid and challenging racer that mixes arcade and sim racing styles, with a retro style to the look, alongside fast and responsive racing with a good amount of content to unlock, but it does have some minor flaws. If you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Steam version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch 2 version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation 5 version (HERE)
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