Coincidentally, I had just cycled through real-life Pirkkala before installing this. Luckily, the traffic there isn’t nearly as rough as in the game. So far, I’ve only tested it solo, but since this definitely seems more fun with a friend, I’ll return once I find one.
The rhythm is excellent, with no downtime between races or after failures. As a result, even though the game can be frustrating (as these kinds of games should be), it kept me hooked until I finally managed to beat the computer opponent for the first time. (That said, perhaps starting with a slightly easier AI would help new players ease in.)
I performed better using the first-person view. In third-person, the limited forward visibility often caused me to steer off the track. There’s a risk that the game may turn more into a memorization challenge rather than a reactive one. My notoriously poor reflexes would certainly appreciate some advance warnings like traffic signs or indicators showing the direction of upcoming turns.
The addition of windowed mode was great. I played the Windows standalone version on a fairly large display, and the huge pixels can be quite straining when sitting close. This game definitely feels more comfortable on a smaller screen.
I also noticed that gamepad controls aren’t mentioned anywhere, though they were intuitive enough to figure out.
All in all, it’s an instantly recognizable game with a fun premise and a solid implementation. Who wouldn't enjoy a huge-pixel drunk-driving simulation with a police car; even the run-over victims seem happy. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes next.