Rapid Racer

Rapid Racer is a racing game developed by Team SOHO. The title went to American store shelves as Turbo Prop Racing.

Mechanics

In Rapid Racer the players sit at the controls of eight motorboats and take part in races on six different routes, including Miami, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada; although the number of tracks is not impressive, the game is varied by the presence of their mirror reflections and the ability to fight for victory when darkness falls.

The motorboats themselves, on the other hand, have been differentiated not only in terms of appearance but also in terms of statistics: maximum speed, acceleration, handling, and stability; the first three of these features can be improved as progress is made. Furthermore, our chances of success are significantly increased by power-ups scattered across the tracks.

Game modes

Rapid Racer can be played solo and with other players. There are four variants of the game for single players - Single Race, Time Trial, Championship (a competition in which our goal is to score the highest number of points) and Bonus Rounds (special challenges, we can access after collecting five yellow power-ups located on each route). When playing with another person on split-screen we can take part in a single race as well as in the aforementioned championships. This is not the end of the story, however, as the devs have also prepared a special mode in which up to five players can fight for the victory by passing on the controller.

Technical aspects

Rapid Racer is one of the first games released on PS1, which uses the capabilities of the DualShock controller. We control motorboats using analog sticks, while the pad vibrates during the game. In addition, the game runs in 60 fps - however, in order to achieve such an effect, developers were forced to reduce the quality of visuals.

Last updated on April 22, 2020