Horizon Chase 2 isn't the most interesting racing game out there, but damn, if it isn't hard to put down! It may not match the high-speed hijinks of kart racers starring Mario, Crash Bandicoot, or Sonic the Hedgehog, nor does it hit the same destructive highs of Burnout or the high-fidelity, simulative thrill found in other platforms' exclusive driving games, Forza and Gran Turismo. Instead, you just go fast and feel good doing it. In other words, Horizon Chase 2 is arcade-y fun, and good at pretty much exactly what its title implies, though not much more, and it hits some bumps in the road on Switch.
Like Aquiris' predecessor, Horizon Chase Turbo, Horizon Chase 2 is a throwback to a bygone arcade era; the only thing that matters is that horizon and the finish line that lies somewhere beyond. There's no gimmick or catch. Everything around you becomes a blur as you hit dizzying speeds as you race through low-fidelity courses offering cute renditions of places like Morocco, Japan, the Continental U.S., and Brazil.
That said, Horizon Chase 2 seems to have learned the wrong things from the first game's success. In what seems like an effort to push the series forward, this sequel goes too far in some places and not far enough in others. Instead of Horizon Chase's bright, sharp environments, some of Chase 2's feel muddier and much more drab. There are still highlights, but it's almost like Aquiris tried to create more realistic levels and got caught in an awkward lane between charming, retro visuals and modern, high-fidelity graphics.
Luckily, the soundtrack's high energy hasn't faltered. Composed by Barry Leitch, it nails that synthy, pulsating feel you'd expect from a classic racer from the '90s and early 2000s. Every track here's a ripper, and it's playing at all times, pushing you into the next horizon.
Certain modes bring small tweaks that add a modicum of extra depth to Chase 2's pure 'gotta go fast' mentality. In World Tour, you'll (you guessed it) race in courses around the world, doing your best to podium as you pick up collectible blue coins that populate the race track. The blue coins are the only real change from the races in other modes. If you manage to place first in a race and collect all of the blue coins scattered across a track, you'll earn a special trophy and unlock car parts. Upgrading and leveling cars in World Tour could be better. Instead of earning garage-wide level-up options, you earn upgrades and unlocks for one car at a time, meaning you're probably going to be locked to one car at a time.
Horizon Chase 2 does do a good job of giving you new, leveled-up cars each time you complete a specific country's courses, though. They can't all be winners, but each car feels distinct from the last. A luxury sedan with lots of horsepower feels tanky and hard to steer but just sings in long straightaways. Conversely, the maneuverable hybrid zips around corners like a treat but doesn't hit very high speeds. None of the courses are exactly impossible to complete with any specific vehicle, but there are some that reward different traits more than others.
Knowing those strengths and weaknesses in a normal race isn't as important as it is in Time Trials, where your speed, precision, and skill are put to the test. These challenges (which are all completely optional) function a bit differently from the time trials you might find elsewhere. Instead of racing along a path against the clock, you're tasked with hitting a specific time by picking up time coins, which will each reduce your race time by one second, and making clever use of strategically placed boost pads (like what you'd expect from a Mario Kart or F-Zero). Suddenly, times that seemed unrealistically low – like 11 seconds for a three-lap course that typically takes 90 seconds to complete – appear within your reach. It'll usually take a few tries, but these are the best part of Horizon Chase 2. And they're tough as nails (and unfortunately sparse).
Other modes boil down to the same kinds of races in other formats. For the most part, they swap blue coins out for little power pickups that, once you collect them all, give you a temporary speed boost that lasts longer than the four boosts you start each race with. Otherwise, the only thing that varies is the order of the courses presented to you in a four-race series.
Zooming through these races with reckless, breakneck abandon feels good, but the Switch doesn't exactly love it and there are some significant dips in the frame rate. The Switch really chugs, but on the plus side, because your eyes are almost always on the road ahead and your car, the frame drops don't affect your performance — they're just noticeable. The frame rate did hold up surprisingly well in split-screen, though. The dips occurred at the same frequency in and out of split-screen multiplayer.
On the other hand, crashes are a different story. We encountered multiple full-on crashes. While they seem rooted in Horizon Chase 2's frustrating insistence that you log into an Epic Games account, they're still frustrating nonetheless. Clicking on an option that requires the login, like starting the game, and then declining before clicking it again caused the game to crash. In other words, if you have an internet connection, you're all but forced to log into an Epic Games account to play Horizon Chase 2. The almost-always-online nature that comes from the multiplayer itself works well enough, with online play feeling smooth and lag-free. But requiring an Epic login to view leaderboards or start the game takes a heavy toll on the game's otherwise breezy online functionality.
Its UI has a weird bug that seems tied to Chase 2's insistence to be always signed in and online where every button prompt in the UI — stuff like 'A Next,' 'X Retry,' or 'B Back' — all get replaced with a prompt for a button that doesn't exist on Switch: 'RB'. It's a frustrating bug that leaves a lot of the menu navigation up to guesswork. Sure, 'A' to proceed or go to the next screen totally makes sense, but it's still a pretty serious issue that lacked rhyme or reason.
Conclusion
Horizon Chase 2 isn't going to set the world on fire. No matter how fun it is to fly across the highway at blazing speed, no amount of speed can disguise the fairly limited breadth of content available. In fact, that speed only makes courses blur together even more. Ultimately, you're left with a fun but shallow arcade racer that feels disappointingly shaky on Switch.
Comments 40
Ah too bad to hear this about the sequel. Loooove the first game on Switch, such a thril ride!!
Hopefully we get a more stable game in the future with updates. I loved the first game so much but I’ll hold off for now until we get a better game and maybe a physical one.
I love the original Horizon Chase Turbo, and I'll check this one out sometime down the line, but it's a damn shame the environments are so drab.
i felt mixed variously about different asects of the first game, so i needed a ringing endorsement to know if i was going to bother with this one.
thanks for the review!
I think the graphics are fine, it's the simplified driving style that could use some work. Basically just hold down the gas and every once in a while you might have to let off the gas for some turns, not all, and that basically it. Not having to drift or brake at all kills the experience.
As much as I wanted to enjoy the original, I never really did. It felt more like a mobile racer than a console racer. I'm surprised to see the sequel turn out even worse though.
I love Horizon Chase Turbo, it was one of the games I played most at the beginning of last year. But it was a 2018 game that had already received several DLCs, and I bought it during a sale. I'll probably do the same with HC2: buy it when it already has DLCs and a discount on the base game.
So it seems like the qualms are more about the port. It's hard to believe a sequel could be that much worst than the first game, not that it was bad, just basic.
I’m surprised this review doesn’t mention the inconsistent frame rate. I adore the first game and I really like the sequel, but a big part of the appeal of these games is just how smoothly they are able to run with the relatively simple graphics. Unfortunately this one gets wonky pretty consistently. Obviously it’s a little more complex, but I’d like to think they could hit 60fps consistently with an update.
Edit: I’m not sure if I missed the part of the review about performance or if it was added. Regardless, thank you for bringing it to attention. I would really love to see it fixed!
As someone that loved the first Horizon Chase Turbo, it's a shame the sequel doesn't match that illustrious standard. Definitely a game to wait for a 50% off sale, and I bet you won't need to wait long!
Not sure what they're talking about with the environments and tracks looking drab. I mean, not every neon color is vomited all over you during a race, but the color palettes used in each track look great. If you have an iOS device, look at screenshots of it on Apple Arcade tab on the App Store. The tracks are gorgeous.
As someone who found Horizon Chase Turbo to be the best racer on Switch sans Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, I absolutely feel Horizon Chase 2 has taken that spot. It does have some framerate issues, but beyond that, it's incredible.
I've 100%'d it. If you like the first one, you can probably overlook the frame rate issues and occasional crash (it only ever seems to crash when docked). The biggest crime at the moment is that Switch players can't access the global crossplay leaderboards - this has been confirmed by many players on Discord. But under the bugs, for me, the game is an 8 or 9.
I'm glad I bought it but I'm looking forward to doing it all again with a much smoother experience when it drops on the next gens (all but confirmed).
Honestly sounds better than I expected after seeing it in the Direct. Hopefully they'll fix up all the bugs; bad performances is one thing, but actual game crashes from normal usage is inexcusable.
I have tons of upgrades that I can’t do because the game glitches out and listed every button as RB and none of the buttons work but the button to return to the prior screen.
I loved the first game, played it a ton. Too bad to hear that this one is a little rough. Hopefully it’ll get smoothed out with some updates. I’ll wait a bit before purchasing.
A future physical version with some DLC included anf iam going for it, I will wait and see.
Two of my most anticipated games for the year and they both turned out terrible. I still bought Sports Story and Horizon 2, but I will not be picking up another game from these devs.
Now I'm nervous for whatever comes after Celeste... whenever that happens.
I liked the first game a fair bit. I heard about the performace issues of the second game and this review lays it bare. Sounds like a rushed game. I'll still probably check it out but only on deep discount as it is. The fundamental racer is good.
Cheers for the review.
This game could had easily been a DLC for the first game.
Such a shame, but also completely expected based on the Switch reveal trailer. The first game is an absolute banger on Switch. This one? Not so much. They definitely learned the wrong lessons indeed.
There is definitely a need for these more arcade style racers. The first one is ok. Not great. It's not quite a modern take on the Rush series like I want.
But, really, we all want a reboot of Wave Race or Hydro Thunder.
I LOVED Horizon Chase Turbo on Switch, and have been fully enjoying Horizon Chase 2 on Switch as well, despite a few lil hiccups, as mentioned here. I will say the developers are already aware of the button prompt bug as well as performance issues and have already promised patches are on the way. Considering how well they supported and kept updating Horizon Chase Turbo before this, I'm more than happy with my early purchase and I expect to only improve with time. The game is very fun and reminds me of early Need for Speed (1 and 2) titles and other 3D racers from the 90s, and with a fantastic soundtrack to boot!
I'm confident Aquiris will fix a lot of the issues. they're that kind of developer
Yeah the performance is not good especially in handheld, I've been waiting for a proper patch Before going back ,disappointing compared to the first.
The bad performance made me want to get this on a different platform. Glad I checked out a video of it first.
I've enjoyed this game, and still play it fairly often due to the ongoing events. While I personally prefer the first game's graphics, I have found a few levels in this game that struck me as beautiful. As far as performance and the button label bug, those should be fixable with a patch or two. I think the score given here may be a bit harsh - personally I'd go with at least a seven - but then opinions vary, and that's okay.
Overall, I still think this is a decent game. I'm looking forward to a few bug fixes/patches and more ongoing content, similar to what the first game has received. Hopefully the rather lukewarm reception I've seen from several reviewers won't deter the devs from releasing that content. Time will tell, I guess.
Bummer. Guess I'll stick to the first game for now.
It begs you to sign in to the Epic store. Nope.
Seeing the Epic Games login screen hurt my soul. I forgot that Epic bought the developers last year, and I feel that Epic ruined this port's chances of being good since Aquiris probably got put on Fortnite duty. The Apple Arcade version was a delight when I played it on my tablet (an 8th-gen iPad).
I truly hope that Aquiris gets a chance to polish the Switch port and reduce the present of Epic in the game.
I enjoyed the first Horizon Chase - the graphics were slick, the music sublime, the 60fps an eye-opener. And it was pretty fun to boot.
But I couldn't really call it a racer, not really. It's like those old 16-bit games where you can sort of slide left and right. In my opinion, if you look at a racing game and wonder: what would happen if you weren't on a linear track? and realise that the whole engine would fall apart, then you're not really driving a car. I'd say the same about Cruisin' Blast too.
Still arcade fun mind you. Just missing that tangible feel of control that proper racers have.
All these games man. Mediocre. Just get an OG Xbox and outrun 2.
@Baler https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/best-nintendo-switch-racing-games
The game runs fine. It is a nostalgic feel and plays no different than the first one.
It's a dam shame. I love the first one so much I hunted down a hard copy. I may buy a cheap discounted shop version in the future. :/
@TenEighty To each their own, I guess. For me, not having to drift or brake at all makes the experience worthwhile. I want a game like this to be straightforward and simple. If I want something complicated, I'll fire up Gran Turismo 7 on my PS5.
I've encountered multiple crashes since I started playing Horizon Chase 2 on Switch, one of which happened just a few virtual feet before I was about to win a tough race. Fixing that issue definitely needs to be a priority for the dev team. It's pretty bad if I can legitimately say that the game itself cheated me out of a win.
That aside, I think they did a really good job on it. The visuals are way improved over the original game, and the sense of speed is pretty fantastic. I barely noticed any frame rate issues, so I don't know what the big deal is about that. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to it. As for the perceived lack of variety, I would say that expectations probably should have been managed. This is a $25 classic-style arcade racer. I didn't go into it expecting a huge variety of race types.
Personally, I would give it a 7 out of 10. As soon as the crashes are fixed, that'll go up to an 8.
A very fun game. It's a pity that the graphics are very bad.
I love the first Horizon Chase and still haven't finished it.
The forced-online puts me off this version.
I imagine the bugs will be fixed and much more content added (like the very good Senna Forever DLC on the first), but it's sad that it couldn't be right on release.
I actually prefer this to the 1st, but damn does it need a patch ASAP. I've never had a game hard crash this much. Rage inducing.
Anyone know if the games been patched up on Switch? It’s on sale and wanted to give it a try but not if the performance and crashes are still present.
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