IndieCade 2015: ‘F-Zero’ Meets ‘Ikaruga’ In ‘FAST Racing NEO’
While Nintendo has been better over the past year with revisiting some of their seemingly forgotten franchises like Star Fox and Chibi Robo, one much sought after series that is nowhere to be found is F-Zero. Looking to fill that void, the developers at Shinen Games, (the folks behind the Jett Rocket and Nanostray series of games,) have turned their attention to the race track with FAST Racing NEO, a futuristic, high speed competition that pits the galaxy’s greatest drivers against one another across a series of tracks. At this year’s IndieCade, we got a chance to check out what this promising title has in store for Wii U owners.
Opponents are relentless
Obviously modeled after the style of Nintendo’s own racer, NEO manages to replicate the sense of speed, and the punishing difficulty of the games that inspired it. Keeping up with each turn, figuring out when the best times to boost are, and fighting off opponents who will take the first chance they get to run you off the road all comes off as a seamless, adrenaline filled experience that comes off as if it were a sequel in a long running series as opposed to the developer’s first try at this type of game. Putting all of these pieces together as you zoom through the track is vital if you want to win, because once you fly off the road or end up getting your vehicle destroyed, chances are you can say goodbye to that first place position. The CPU in the runs that I played was relentless, ensuring that I was on top of my game each time.
Not content with just being an F-Zero clone however, NEO manages to pull away from the pack thanks to its unique boosting meter mechanic. Replacing the health meter is the boost meter, where driving over certain sections of the track will build up your stored boost for later use. However, these sections are color coated as either blue or orange, and will only reward you with that precious speed if you ship switches its force field to match the color of the track. Much like Ikaruga, changing colors on the fly is achieved with a simple tap of the button, but anticipating when the right time to switch is becomes a challenge in and of itself, adding some depth to an already strong outing.
Split screen co-op, and it still looks great? Who would have thought?
Scheduled for a 2015 release on the Wii U e-Shop, FAST Racing NEO is right around the corner. Complete with online and four player split screen races to accompany the game’s yet to be played single player content, and it’s looking like this indie title will be one to save your points cards for when the holidays roll around.
Are you as excited for FAST Racing NEO as we are? Let us know in the comment below!
