Paul’s an expert in Videogames, Star Trek, flannel shirts – in that order. For PCGamesN he covers GTA, Arc Raiders, PUBG, and more.
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Our Verdict
Star Wars Galactic Racer is a finely-tuned beast that finds a perfect balance between breakneck speed and compelling story. Its almost-roguelike elements keep things fresh, and the cast of colorful characters keeps things light – it’s the best Star Wars racing game I’ve ever played, and that’s saying something.
The best Star Wars stories are the small Star Wars stories, at least these days. The constant barrage of tales from A Galaxy Far, Far Away has left me with some major burnout (not that one), and despite the incredible racing pedigree on show for Galactic Racer, I wasn’t sure whether I could get on board with yet another game set in that same universe. Thankfully, I was wrong.
Galactic Racer is a racing game about settling grudges in a world that is most definitely in its rebuilding era – the Empire has fallen, and there are bits of starship everywhere. The player character, Shade, is a reluctant racer, but after being taunted by the insufferable and quite brilliantly smug antagonist, they vow to do everything in their power to put them in their place. We’ve all been there.
The racing is crisp; it’s responsive and fast. Really fast. I can choose between three different crafts with which to careen into the side of a mountain: landspeeder, speeder bike, and skim speeder. The landspeeder was perhaps the most rounded of the bunch, and I stuck with it for most of my time, probably because I’m boring.
Anyone who’s played Burnout (yes, that one) before will know what the objective is here: put the pedal to the metal, and if anyone gets near you, bury them in the nearest vertical surface. It’s suitably aggressive without taking away any of the rewards for piloting my speeder expertly – a fine line that Galactic Racer nails perfectly.
The races I face are set up in a knockout tournament format, and I’m dumped from the competition if I fall out of the top three in a race or crash too many times. If this happens, I start again. This is where it dawned on me: Galactic Racer is a roguelike. Kind of.
At the beginning of each run, I can choose my craft anew. If I earned anything during the previous one, I can spend those upgrade points on my favourite racer. I unlock and equip abilities and temporary upgrades, creating a build that will hopefully see me across the finish line in one piece.
It’s an engaging way of approaching a racing game, and it works a treat. Yes, I’m racing on the same six planets, but each time it’s different because I’m different. Mechanically, there’s always something to aim for, and narratively there’s always something pressing to attend to. The story inches ahead with each attempt, giving me a bit more every time I walk back into that paddock.
Drama is an inherent part of racing games – or any sports game, for that matter – and each time you take to the track, there’s always something to play for. Having to finish in the top three every time means no days off, and playing several races without a break presents the very real chance of burnout (seriously, no, not that one) and extremely dry eyes.
Thankfully, Galactic Racer knows how to pace things. The speed on the track is always at 100; it’s always as fast as possible, but off the track, in the racing paddock, I can speak to some of my fellow racers, my rivals, and that two-headed chap that helps me repair broken parts. It’s a vital reset and a refresh of the stakes before I hop back into the driver’s seat.
Getting out of my racer and interacting with the wider world helps to ground things and expand out the context. That, in turn, gives more meaning to what is essentially the same races against the same racers, and it gives me a constant drive to move forward. Win side bets against a racer a few times, and they might turn into a rival; take a shady deal for a disadvantage now but a huge upgrade later. These are just a couple of the extracurricular activities that fit seamlessly into both the narrative and, you know, the actual racing bit.
One of the few criticisms I have for Galactic Racer is aimed squarely at the tracks on offer – they are often a spectacle, but very rarely memorable. The planets look different, and each of them extends a new and wonderful set of hazards for me to avoid, but the specific areas within all blend into one.
Galactic Racer is unbelievably well balanced, though. The racing is best in class, and the story is better than it has any real right to be. Star Wars adds flavor without overwhelming, elevating the experience for those who are still knee-deep in the lore. Forgettable tracks aside, this is one for racing game and Star Wars fans alike.
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