"Retrowave is fine" will probably be your first impression of the game. "Retrowave is fine" will also be what you think after playing for a while. Eventually, when you will have played for the last time and before you forget about the game, your last thought about it will likely be "Retrowave is fine".

The cool futuristic 80s style is the main appeal of the game, and the reason you'd consider playing it. It's also a "racing" game that's very easy to pick up and play for a few minutes.
Three cameras at your diposal : a classic view, an interior one and an unplayable one. Pick a car and one of the many available environments, decide what kind of traffic you want and you'll be set to drive in a long straight line, dodging cars, boredom and vans until you reach the end of the road, or crash trying. You'll be accompanied along the way by synthwave music that fits well, even though you'll probably switch to your own music after a few hours.
Racing will reward you with money, that you spend on buying new cars, upgrades and a couple of customization options.

Unfortunately, those upgrades and bonuses are either barely noticeable, or have no effect. Why even implement them ? This almost feels like a last-minute addition, to justify putting a price on a product that could be a free flash game.
There's a leaderboard filled with the same one or two cars, that shows the other issue with the game. Because you see, not all cars are created equal. You'd expect the smaller cars to have a smaller hitbox, but that's not always the case. Worse, even when they do have a smaller hitbox, the collision detection for near misses with other cars, which is the way to score points and combos, leaves a lot to be desired. So only a few of them actually "work".

Once you're done with your little drive, whether you were going for high scores or a relaxing time... Well that's pretty much it. No story, no missions, no challenges... You better set your own goals, because the game won't do it for you.
As a last side note, it's one of those games you have to cap your fps for, unless you want to listen to an actual engine right beside you.

I haven't made it to the end of the road. I probably won't (and I have a feeling that no one ever will), but I've had an okay time with Retrowave. There isn't much to do and some of the bugs are annoying, but if a casual drive in the 80s every once in a while sounds appealing, you should be satisfied.
A 5, because it does the job, but not much more. Retrowave is fine.

Is it a tech demo or a game? When I was a little jaguar I had a really cool handheld LCD lane changer game called race 'n chase. Look it up if you want. Despite (or because of ) the tech limitations in the 80s, race 'n chase was completely absorbing, even though it was just a lane changer racer /cross/ space invader thingy. But the fairing was cool af and all my fellow cubs were well jel.

I wanted to write this review as a purposeful spite to another similar game I recently reviewed which did it all wrong. This does it all right. On the face of it, it is JUST a 4-lane endless racer with an 80's aesthetic. On the face of it, all you will do is race a completely straight, endless track dodging cars (or not) while buying and upgrading new cars (which are purely aesthetic and for maintaining interest - almost all are completely unnecessary to how the game is played.) There are also a few different game modes, but honestly - while appreciated - they are just fluff too

But this is how you focus on what your game is and what is meant to be, and don't deviate. Our simplistic gamer brains quickly work out that's all it is, but it is good and numbers go up. And it is so well implemented. Devs note - this is what art-design / art style is compared to pretty graphics without design. This is what focussing on the game design is to make it work for a player no matter how simple, and making people want to play it. And come back to it. And remember, I am talking about a simple 4-lane straight road dodge cars endless chaser. That really is it.

I've put 6 hours in, clearly others have put in dozens, based on the online leaderboards. Sometimes, Race 'n Chase is all you need at a certain time, as long as the game is honest that...that's all it is. Just done really, really well.

It is a perfectly formed simple video game. But the answer to my initial question is that, actually, it is a brilliant tech demo. A demo for a game that is now out. Not for this review to say how good that game is, make up your own mind. But this one is a brilliant reminder to what the word 'development' means when we talk about game dev. If the love that went into this simple, basic game goes into a bigger, better, stronger development then I support how this dev works and what their aims are 100 %

(which is why I chose to buy the extra tracks for a measly £2 but you absolutely don’t need to)
A simple, effective, focused rewarding unashamedly old-skool arcade racer with great production values

---{ Graphics }---
🔲 Awful
🔲 Bad
🔲 Will do
🔲 Decent (Nothing special)
✅ Stunning
🔲 Visual Masterpiece

---{ Gameplay }--- 🔲 Bad
🔲 Okay
🔲 Nothing special
✅ Good
🔲 Very good
🔲 Try not to get addicted

---{ Audio }--- 🔲 Bad
🔲 Not too bad
✅ Decent
🔲 Good
🔲 Masterpiece

---{ PC Requirements }--- 🔲 Potato
🔲 Decent
✅ Fast
🔲 High-end PC
🔲 Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }--- 🔲 Just press a bunch of buttons
✅ Easy
🔲 Significant brain usage
🔲 Easy to learn / Hard to master
🔲 Difficult
🔲 Dark Souls

---{ Grind }--- 🔲 Nothing
✅ Only if you care about 100%
✅ Average grind level
🔲 Too much grind
🔲 Insanity

---{ Story }--- 🔲 None/Not important in this game
🔲 Bad
✅ Average
🔲 Great
🔲 One of the best I've had the pleasure of playing

---{ Price }--- 🔲 Free
🔲 Cheap
🔲 Underpriced
✅ Acceptable price
🔲 Overpriced
🔲 Complete waste of money

---{ Bugs }--- 🔲 Never heard of
✅ Minor bugs
🔲 Can get annoying
🔲 Bugpocalypse: Proceed with caution

---{ Length }--- 🔲 Very Short (0 - 4 hours)
🔲 Short (4 - 10 hours)
🔲 Average (10-30 hours)
✅ Long (30-50 hours)
🔲 Extremely long (50-100+ hours)
✅ For 100%: 60 hours
🔲 No ending

---{ ? / 10 }--- 🔲 1
🔲 2
🔲 3
🔲 4
🔲 5
🔲 6
🔲 7
✅ 8
🔲 9
🔲 10