Star Wars Galactic Racer - PlayStation 5

Star Wars Galactic Racer picks up where Episode 1: Racer on the N64 left off. It is the spiritual successor to intense, high-speed arcade racing games like Wipeout XL and F-Zero GX for the Nintendo GameCube. The graphics put you square in a galaxy far, far away on one of the most beautiful and intense racing circuits you could imagine. The environments, track designs, vehicle designs, and NPCs are top-tier, but the most amazing parts of the experience are the Roguelike difficulty and the sound design, which is the most detailed and immersive you will find in a premium racing title set in the Star Wars universe. Fuse Games has a solid banger on their hands, and with a promise of new planets, tracks, and other content, Galactic Racer is a must buy for any fan of hi-octane, fuel-injected, high-stakes racing.

The first time I clicked the Campaign button, I was dropped into the middle of a mission with absolutely no explanation. Thankfully, this seemed to be some kind of fluke, because exiting and selecting Campaign again properly started the story, complete with cutscenes. Once I got into the actual game, though, I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer number of upgrade options. I was expecting something with the straightforward arcade-racing appeal of a Burnout game, not a system that demanded so much attention to upgrades. Driving itself felt fine, but no matter what I did, I kept coming in second place. Watching the competition closely, I noticed opponents pulling away from me without using Afterburner or Ramjet, even while I was actively using those abilities myself. It made the races feel less like a test of skill and more like the game was artificially handicapping me to keep me from winning. That frustration ultimately soured the entire experience. Between the excessive upgrade systems and what felt like blatantly unfair rubber-banding, I came away disliking the game overall.

It’s been ages since the last Star Wars racing game, and the wait was worth it. Galactic Racer is a thrilling roguelite arcade racer, with brilliant visuals, an entertaining story, solid sound/track/character design, and controls that are easy to learn and hard to master. It is one of my favorite Star Wars games, and one of my favorite racing games. Scrib doon!

So fun! Brings back memories and the whole family enjoys it!