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Although the Switch is home to an abundance of arcade-style racing games, the same can’t be said for more realistic fare.
This is most likely because the Switch’s hardware would struggle to handle the Gran Turismos and Forza Motorsports of this world, so developers tend to give Nintendo's system a miss when making their own serious racers. Besides, let’s face it, on the odd occasion the Switch has received a port of a racing sim, the results usually leave something to be desired – case in point, the chonky visuals that were being churned out in the WRC games for years.
French indie developer Zero Games Studio is attempting to embrace the middle ground with Hot Lap Racing, a game it calls a ‘simcade racer’ – that is, one that has the serious elements of simulation, but boasts the more forgiving, fast-paced action of an arcade-style racer. The results do indeed meet somewhere in the middle, for better or worse.
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Because it’s an indie studio, Zero Games doesn’t exactly have untold riches it can throw at Ferrari and chums, so it would be unrealistic to expect Hot Lap Racing to be bursting at the seams with thousands of mega-brand manufacturers. What it instead offers is a more eclectic mix of real and lookalike cars that should raise petrolheads’ eyebrows.
Given its developer’s French location, it’s perhaps no surprise that the likes of Renault, Citroen, and Peugeot feature among the game’s list of 50+ cars, but there are also some interesting manufacturers in here who don’t make regular appearances in racing games, such as Alpine, Venturi, Noble, Minardi, and Lola.
This is partly because the game’s main gimmick is the way it splits its car types – single-seater, GT, endurance, and the like – into modern and historic categories, allowing Zero Games to feature some of the more interesting models from the past instead of simply whatever modern vehicles it can get its hands on.
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This dedication to the non-mainstream side of racing extends to the drivers you face off against, some of whom are based on real-life racers from a variety of disciplines (others appear to be fake). There are more than 100 of them, and they serve as your opponents in the game’s main Career mode – if you win a Championship they’re competing in, they’ll be added to your Driver Codex, complete with a little bio.
As well as the typical Time Trial, Championship, and Quick Race modes you’d expect from a typical racing game, Hot Lap Racing’s main offering is its career mode, where you take on a series of themed Championships covering different disciplines and time periods. As you tick these off – and complete them well enough to earn high rankings – you unlock parts for a fictional ‘Formula X-Treme’ car. It’s a solid way of doing things and ensures some variety, even if the 17 tracks on offer (and their different course variants) do get overly familiar by the end.
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There’s also local multiplayer for one-to-four racers – either single races or full Championships – and online racing. The local split-screen performs well enough given the game’s limitations, which we’ll get to, whereas we weren’t able to find an online race during the pre-release period and we dare say it will be tricky to find one post-launch too.
As always, where it all matters is on the road itself, and it’s here where Hot Lap Racing will divide opinion. Performance was never going to be 1080p at 60 frames per second for a game like this on Switch, so the fact that the game aims for 30fps and achieves this for the most part is admirable enough, especially because the resolution never seems to drop to the extent that things start to look blurry – it remains nice and sharp, even in handheld mode.
That said, it doesn’t always hit that 30fps target, and the game does have a habit of getting choppy at busier moments, including the start of practically every race when multiple cars are on-screen at the same time. This is unavoidable and is just something you’re going to have to deal with until the pack spreads out a bit and there are fewer cars right in front of you.
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Handling varies quite noticeably depending on the type of car you’ve chosen. Single-seat open-wheel (F1-style) cars have tight handling and are probably the most satisfying to control, but other types have very loose handling and have you powersliding all over the place, which isn’t as enjoyable as it sounds. It’s here where the game’s ‘simcade’ philosophy bites it on the bum, because in trying to be a jack of all trades it never really nails either side.
Players looking for a more realistic simulation experience will be frustrated at the lack of tuning options, the slippery handling, and the frankly awful music that plays throughout (this can thankfully be turned off but it exposes the weak engine noises as a result). Those craving more arcade-style racing, meanwhile, will get annoyed at HLR’s insistence on issuing penalties for going off-track, slamming into enemies, and the like, meaning the game finds itself in a weird middle ground where you can go gung-ho, but only to an extent.
We’d be lying if we said he didn’t have a good time with Hot Lap Racing, despite its drawbacks. Its performance certainly leaves a lot to be desired (especially during the starts of races) and it can never really tell whether it wants to be taken seriously, but we really like its eclectic choice of cars, its lengthy Career mode, and its focus on not only modern cars but those of yesteryear too.
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As long as you take its issues into account before buying the game, there’s certainly enough to do here to justify the £30 asking price, and the fact it at least attempts to do something slightly different with its car roster is something that petrolheads should probably reward with their custom anyway.
Conclusion
Hot Lap Racing is too serious to be an arcade racer and its handling is too loose to be considered a serious simulation, but players looking for something that attempts to straddle a middle ground will get a kick out of its unique roster of cars and its dedication to the history of racing, despite its performance issues.
Comments 27
'Proper' racing games just don't work on Switch. Not having analog triggers was (possibly the only) mistake when designing the Switch.
Always interested in indie racers, since I'm developing one myself.
Looks like it's console-exclusive to Switch, so they might have accommodated the lack of analog triggers.
The dev has a gameplay video (Switch-only footage) with commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5KNWE_zxy4
@scully1888 noticed a typo: "so developers tend to give Nintendo's system a mess when making their own serious racers."
@Qwiff That's on me, zapped. Thanks.
"Aims for 30fps but still suffers frame rate dips".
Enough. I can't take it anymore: another game trudging along. I go on strike until Switch 2.
Fast RMX still the racing king on Switch after all these years imo.
Cheers for the review. The move towards a sim style game is interesting. This makes it different from the variety of racers on the Switch. The handling aspect of things may bite as you are pitting various types of cars against eachother but it still sounds enjoyable. One for a slight sale though as I am navigating a downloaded sea of games.
@ShingoTamaiX
Heh. I've given up on the Switch and have since about 2022.
I'm sorry N but I'm out. If the Switch 2 does what I need it to do and fixes about 100 ergonomic misses of the Switch 1 then I'll look into it.
Unless I'm ignoring someone, why is it I'm the first person here (including the reviewer) to mention GRID Autosport? It's the best non-Mario-Kart racer on Switch.
But at least this one offers a physical release, so I'll keep an eye out for it. Seems a bit odd to go with a name so similar to Hotshot Racing though.
@gcunit GRID is so good. It's by far my favorite of the more "realistic" racers on Switch. This game actually sounds pretty fun to me, but time will tell once I get my hands on it.
Read the title as “Hot Lap Dancing”, left disappointed.
@Arkham24601 having realistic gas pedal depression does not make something a proper racing game. Video games are representations, not direct correlations with things in real life. That's like me saying any game with a sword not on switch or Wii isn't the proper sword game because you can't use motion controls to swing it.
@GreyFenyx does Grid Autosport run well on Switch? And is it worth getting?
@Qwiff you’re developing an indie racer??? That’s cool. Can you tell us more about it?
@anoyonmus Grid runs well on Switch. Don't have it installed right now, but, IIRC, it has a "performance" mode that gets you close enough to 60fps. Fun fact: it's one of the few games with dedicated support for the GameCube controller's analog triggers.
@anoyonmus All I can say it's a jet ski racing game. Its source of inspiration should be obvious. 😉
Grid is fantastic, but it's pretty much the only great realistic-style racer on Switch in, what, nearly seven-and-a-half years? A port of a 2014 PS3/360 game. That's it. Crazy.
Racing game at 30fps is a hard pass for me.
For physical ($52.99 dig, $70 phys AUD but $39 USD dig or phy), looks ok, eh. Passable. This game is probably fine but little boring & unexciting with classes & basic modes. When anti-grav/scifi racers are better for Switch that says something. No idea for Karts, Mario Kart or fair ported ones. Arcade/simcade are just ok on Switch, not as good as GameCube.
5/10, the MC score I gave shovelware Dodge Charger Vs Challenger on Wii had 2 side modes & average progression/controls/polish for an ad game, Ford Racing challenges, Alfa Romeo rewind feature before Grid/Forza 3.
Hot Lap has potential & better production values, (lacks filling in track details/new modes) it's passable but sad.
French brands is fine but even then the tracks/cars, even if lookalikes in other cars cases. Why not ONLY fictional cars. It's always ads/brands & boring modes with arcade/simcades/sims nowadays.
Ok tracks, some layouts look similar and some screenshots look like real tracks, lacking fake track personality.
Historical/small challenges would be nice. MotoGP games had challenges.
I suck at open wheel/F1, surprised by this review. Even if assuming car details/Switch performance then control I guess?
The tracks do look lifeless. Even if not people, no fantasy trees or quirks on the sides on on the track. Even GT series had the Loch Ness Monster in Trial Mountain or other fun details. Grand Canyon people. Others maybe balloons or interesting TV screen features. Indie or not they could try some details even with their fair budget/artstyle (which is fine) but lacking personality on the tracks is unfortunate.
The 'we are trying to compete with Grid' is fine (not a bad thing, fine with) but to me in a bland way, modes or progression. When playing WRC 3 on 360 has many event types besides the typical ones, found gate ones fun & the combo ones later a challenge, or PGR has kudos flashy driving (car dealership/garages, Geometry Wars), Forza challenges/autocross/drag/hillclimbs. Why do 8th+ gen games suck. Project Cars 3 sucked & it still had point gate events & typical races even if progression sucked.
Virtua Tennis on PSP (can't say for other entries) has the fruit, block & other modes are fun. To me it was more appealing of a Tennis game. Wow how distinct of a game.
Racing games 8th gen+ are soulless when we used to have 'mechanics' & modes with more exciting ideas, now it's business models & safe. Rewind was in 2006 by a advertising game (Milestone innovated regardless of ad/other games), then Grid, then Forza Motorsport 3 and the same ever since.
Ride 4 (FM1 & 2 region system expanded upon)/WRC 2023 (car builder, assume not as deep as Sega GT/Pure but something) have innovated, others have eh game design progression/features instead.
Nostalgia ones exist.... Indies are trying. Touge/Hillclimbs don't even exist in games anymore. Pink slips? Anything? Nope. Fair game I think but the lack of doing anything to compete other than the focus licenses & classes, but no fun modes is what stops me from wanting this title.
So many racing games are just bland with no exciting modes anymore just racing, time trial & drift, and oh licensed cars. Wreckfest has no licenses, no Flatout driver flinging events, but it had sofa, lawnmower & bus events were fair besides derbies or racing & fair track layouts. It's ok but better than others at being a modern game that was crowdfunded. Wrecreation hoping too.
Basic modes, eh cars/tracks (even fictional & I'll play), boring.
Part 2:
It fills a space on Switch but R Racing Evolution, GT Cube/Pro Series, Auto Modellista, & more on GameCube. RIMs for a bike game is probably fair. As bad as it is, terrain ideas for Motorcycle Club was cool (even though it's times were hard to beat, the limited bikes didn't bother me but progression did, I own that game because it's a 1.0 disk & because of it's ideas, not because I like it).
Gear Club Unlimited 2 wasn't much but it's few modes were fair, it's structure was fair, it was arcade for sure and the Tracks DLC tried to compete I guess but both DLCs have differences that I think are fair from the base game's systems.
Autosport was 2014 on PS3/360 then iPhone then Switch.
It's like Diofield Chronicle, fair ideas but Valkyria Chronciles 4 came out in 2018 & has more depth in mission variety as goals, sure a boss/regular enemy and a parachute bomb or a ship turret or tanks or the map layout isn't much but some get to here or do this & that in fair scenarios. May be different but 'focus on story' with only 2 character restricted missions as the 'gameplay highlight', rest repetitive & whatever story showed some devs are lazy, do the bare minimum & can't think up exciting ideas.
Hot Lap Racing is the Diofield to VC4's Grid Autosport in this comparison.
Distance, Art of Rally and Interial Drift, Horizon Chase Turbo have been cool but otherwise many seem to be oh were Virtua Racing, Outrun, Sega Rally, Micro Machines and I'm like nah pass. I don't seek nostaglia I seek game design and that seems to not happen because people are too emotional/inspired/nostalgic and making successors but really unexciting ones. There is filling in a space and making an interesting distinct game even if inspired. I want interesting in the racing genre and I haven't found it yet.
I mess around with music or just making up my own Power Points for games based on ideas, not fan game or fan music level nonsense. I get ideas and design concepts just for fun. No different to seeing Foamstars and going foam, what can be done with that in cool ways yet that came made it as sad as possible as a business model first game and surfboards only for defeating enemies, no races, nothing else exciting. Where are maps that do things, like a shipyard with moving cranes/platforms, a being a bug size, mostly platformers or Grounded have done that, but others could in their own way, in different locals for object scale.
Same with Platformers they have ok moveset additions but they are still pretty boring, or if are inspired have boring missions/level design to play in.
I'm a bit critical but it's because the competition I felt of ideas was better in the past. Samew ith No Man's Sky/Nightinggale from veterans making a survival game for the first time, ambitioushard to make structures/features.
I don't expect Indies to go that far as it's tough but at least some fair different mode (at least one, or make it a different type of game even if involves cars) in a racing game or fake cars would be nice.
Like the Raycevick racing sucks video. The using cars of Earth in different locales would be cool, why do we have to make it so realistic and boring. Make them have fun stunts or fun locations.
Gravel was fair as a game show rally game, OnRush was MotorStorm but it's own fair modes, sure more MP focused but still fun. What happened to racing games being so bland.
"even if the 17 tracks on offer (and their different course variants) do get overly familiar by the end"
Isn't that the point of a racer to improve your times consistently?
Anyways. Torn on this one. Wish there was a demo.
I wanna see a review of the recent eShop crapware title Gran Carismo. Yes it really exists!
@Arkham24601 Most "proper" racing games on the Switch allow you to use the analog sticks to accelerate and brake, which works just fine.
@anoyonmus Grid Autosport (like all Feral's work) is a great port, and they added lots of nice quality-of-life features for Switch, like a million controller options and a performance graphics mode to get it running over 30fps. It's the best serious racer on the console for sure.
@scottishwildcat so it is a racing simulator? Nice. I think I'll get that tbh.
@scottishwildcat @Qwiff yeah thanks. Im actually planning on getting GRID Autosport soon. So I needed this. Thanks.
@anoyonmus It's definitely worth getting if you're into racing games. The graphics are decent, and I haven't had any issues with it running poorly. I'd say watch a few reviews first, and if you like what you see, go for it!
Handling that is too loose is the deal breaker for me, even if only some of the vehicles have that problem.
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