Racing games tend to come in two forms. There are the fiddly sims for purists, best manifested by Project CARS most recently, and the goofy, physics-mocking arcade racers. Trackmania has always been the latter, but after four years away, Trackmania Turbo takes that to its natural extreme, and it’s hilarious.
Trackmania Turbo (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Artistic Achievement
Don’t be fooled by the pick-up-and-play nature of this game; underneath it all, Nadeo wants to compete with the big boys in the looks and sounds department, and largely succeeds. As you go through the various, progressively more unusual tracks, they pack the frame with detail, sound, and self-deprecating jokes. The soundtrack is all peppy, lighthearted pop and the game commits to its conceit of the “International Time Attack” racing circuit with unusual detail. The frame is crammed with signs that are easy to read and instructive, but doesn’t feel cluttered or hard to read. That cleanliness is hard to pull off and it shows a thoughtfulness that belies the Simpsons quotes on the loading screens.
Innovation
This racer is pretty stripped down, as a game; you can literally play it with two buttons and a thumbstick. Nadeo isn’t trying to push the boundaries of the arcade racer, but it does have its particular brand of Mario Kart-esque racer physics refined to a science, so perhaps it doesn’t need to.
Execution
Nadeo has been developing arcade-style racing games for more than a decade, so it’s no surprise this game feels tight and responsive. Controlling yourself in the air takes a little practice, but you’ll be drifting and getting the hang of courses in no time. That ease of use disguises some pretty tough gameplay; while pulling a bronze on any of the game’s two hundred pre-made tracks is relatively easy with a few playthroughs, and even reaching the silver is possible for even the most casual player willing to keep trying, getting a gold medal isn’t something to scoff at even at the easiest track and often requires note-perfect runs.
Similarly, each one of the two hundred tracks is thoughtfully designed to offer fun whether you just have a need for speed or want to nail the perfect run. Most of them are bite-sized races that last less than a minute, so you can easily lose yourself in unlocking tracks or getting that run just right. The game subtly pushes you in that direction with cheerfully competitive signage, constant leaderboard updates for both the game and the individual tracks, and even careful wording; if you get a faster track time, but no medal, instead of “Repeat,” the menu will ask you if you want to “improve.”
And, of course, you’ve got the track editor, which is easy to use, and comes with the brilliant stroke of a random track generator. That alone might eat up more of your time than you quite realize before you look up and realize it’s midnight. Paired with the extensive multiplayer, granular leaderboards that will rank you right down to the best players in each state on each track, as well as overall, and a coop mode where two players control the same car, and you’ve got a lot of fun in a small package.
Staying Power
Considering it’s a game that can both suck you in or kill half an hour while you’re waiting for a bigger game to download, odds are good you’ll be playing this for a long time. With 200 tracks and the random track generator, you won’t be running out of challenges any time soon. And the fact that it has couch co-op with up to four friends makes it a must-buy if you’re having friends over to game.
Bullsh*t Factor
Nil. The centerpiece of this game is the track editor, after all. Anybody complaining about the $40 price is just being churlish; you get a ton of fun for your money.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t much to Trackmania Turbo. There’s no deep plot, no complex open world, no NPCs to haggle with, no store or emails from competitors and sponsors. But there doesn’t have to be. It’s not a game that’s trying to be absurdly complex, it wants to be a game you can pick up and play, and that your friends can play as well. And, to be honest, the focus on fun and the lack of self-seriousness pairs well with the carefully refined gameplay and thoughtful effort to give the game real depth. Trackmania Turbo is a game you’ll be playing for a long, long time.