Pure Chase 80’s Review | TheXboxHub

The Xbox’s love for Outrun continues with Pure Chase 80’s. Like Horizon Chase Turbo, Slipstream and Hotshot Racing earlier than it, Pure Chase 80’s is nostalgic for a time when shiny purple sports activities automobiles accelerated in direction of a pixelated horizon; the place the one technique of cornering was a drift; and straights had been spent pumping your fists to a banging midi soundtrack.

‘80s purists could be banging their fists on the keyboard, saying that ‘Chase’ within the title should be a reference to the basic Chase HQ. That could be true, however Pure Chase 80’s, in its gameplay, doesn’t really feel notably like Chase HQ. It’s extra in direction of the Outrun finish of racing. Your opponent, most of the time, is the timer, and – whereas there are a number of bosses, and extra on these later – you’re hardly ever chasing after them. In case you cherished Outrun, Energy Drift or Daytona, then you’ll know what Pure Chase ‘80s is all about. 

Contemplating Pure Chase 80’s is a title from a lesser recognized studio (FuriouSoftPhoenix have solely dabbled in funds puzzlers earlier than this level), it appears to be like fairly on-the-money. It doesn’t raise its artwork fashion from one explicit recreation, however there’s a contact of 32X Virtua Racing to the bushes and rocks, whereas we get some early Carmageddon vibes from the automobiles. It has the odd tendency to go for griminess and darkness on lots of its tracks (it could usually really feel such as you’re taking part in by means of sun shades, which could be the purpose), however usually it captures the heightened technicolour of an ‘80s arcade recreation. 

Musically, it does the job too. It’s not bought a observe that we’d instantly add to our Outrun playlist, however it’s hi-octane sufficient to maintain issues shifting. We’d have taken extra Riiiiiidge Raaaacer-style commentary, although, however which will simply be us. 

With the pad within the fingers, although, Pure Chase 80’s instantly feels sub-standard. It’s one thing that improves with time, however you’re consistently accounting for it. The issue is within the dealing with: once you flip a nook, the automobile routinely drifts, however the entire weight and management is within the automobile’s rear-end. You’re controlling that thicc backside round corners, desperately making an attempt to maintain the bonnet out of attain of different automobiles. And there’s a lot inertia that doing so is very troublesome. Transferring from one lane to a different whereas turning is just about unimaginable, as gravity gained’t let go. 

On straights, Pure Chase 80’s feels higher, however solely reasonably. It’s nonetheless troublesome to maneuver from lane-to-lane (it’s essential to have a number of our bodies within the boot), and it sacrifices emotions of ability or pace because of this. When it chucks site visitors, rocks and bombs at you, and it does that a lot, it could really feel like making an attempt to nudge a rhino whereas it’s stampeding. 

It’s additionally surprisingly simplistic. You’re proven the controls when Pure Chase 80’s is booted up, and there’s solely two on there: speed up and brake. There’s no guide drift or enhance, and positively nothing that will differentiate racing from every other title. It’s a Plain Jane, and we had been usually jamming buttons on the controller simply to see if it did something. 

As a counterpoint, when you be taught to guide with the butt and anticipate obstacles approach, approach upfront (not all the time attainable, by the way in which, as Pure Chase 80’s doesn’t draw numerous them fast sufficient), it’s attainable to finish the races and have one thing approaching a very good time. We realized to drive near obstacles to present ourselves wiggle room for the following, and a few alternatives for borderline-cheating cropped up. Some snowspeeder-like automobiles felt impassable till we realized to hug the outer partitions, the place they usually didn’t trouble to drive. At different instances, we realized that some issues – tumbleweed, helicopter bullets – aren’t price dodging. They don’t complete you, so we simply stored calm and carried on. 

We discovered the adrenaline surging, and had the occasional good time. The sport’s two bosses (remixed all through by altering their guidelines) had been standouts, as we bounced bombs again at a battleship, and overtook a Lancaster-like bomber. They blended up the formulation, retaining issues easy however discovering a option to be thrilling. And a few observe sections had been good enjoyable: a forest sequence switched out site visitors for jumps, whereas a Area Harrier bit chucked statues at us, and dropped pyramids down from area. 

For each good bit, there was a nasty bit, nevertheless. The beforehand talked about snow-speeders on a tundra degree are a wild issue spike and all the time generated an involuntary sigh, whereas Pure Chase 80’s often tries to wring extra selection out of its ranges by repeating sections, however turning the lights out. On darker ranges, it’s merely not attainable to see upcoming partitions and automobiles, and we brute-forced our approach by means of them.

What pours sugar into Pure Chase 80’s tank, although, is the whole lack of longevity. There are three ‘missions’ accessible right here (the third is unlocked after ending one of many others), however we’d be charitable if we stated they had been wildly totally different. They’re, successfully, one observe with three totally different issue modes: Mission A is simpler than Mission B, which is simpler than C. Every mission is made up of a dozen or so ‘chunks’, as you progress from ice to abandon to forest, for instance, however these chunks are the identical – generally reordered – for every mission. There are a few exceptions to this rule – the Area Harrier ‘chunk’ is unique to C, and the bosses have new guidelines added – however, usually, you’re taking part in the identical stuff repeatedly, usually with an identical observe layouts. 

Duck out of the missions and discover the primary menu, in search of alternate modes or new methods to play Pure Chase ‘80s, and also you gained’t discover any. There aren’t any highscores, multiplayer modes, mirrored tracks or unlocks. The one motivation for replaying is the three tracks themselves, and a bevy of achievements which are unlocked by finishing a observe with minimal crashes or with numerous time on the clock. As you’d most likely guess, it’s not sufficient. Not for £9.99, anyway. 

And we couldn’t go away with out addressing a few elephants within the room. On the finish of Pure Chase 80’s three tracks, you get a cameo. An especially odd, ‘did I simply see that?’ cameo. Contemplating this particular person is notoriously litigious, and it’s clearly, undoubtedly them, we hope that no one on their authorized crew spots Pure Chase 80’s. And we’d prefer to take a second to shine a lightweight on hilariously dangerous translations within the recreation. “There’s a increase in your automobile!”, says the title display. “Too late! Bomb exploited!, says the Recreation Over display. All of those had been high-points for us, after all.

Pure Chase 80’s is a fling with an ex. For a fleeting second, it reminds you of a previous love – on this case, Outrun – and leaves you pining for an older time. However it’s exceptionally fleeting: all emotions of pleasure evaporate after an hour or so, and also you realise why you moved on within the first place. Pure Chase 80’s might supply some pure racing enjoyable, however it has nearly zero substance and longevity to again that purity up. 

You should purchase Pure Chase 80’s from the Xbox Retailer