Sunrise GP

I hate to start this review by stating the obvious, but we’re in the middle of a real drought when it comes to arcade-style racing games. If you’re a fan of the over-the-top genre, then you’ve no doubt noticed that many of the biggest names in the arcade racing scene have either run out of gas or spent the last decade trying to find a new personality. Thankfully, the indie studios have been keeping this style of racing alive with games like Sunrise GP, a back-to-basics racer that feels like something that would have come out on the original PlayStation or Saturn. It’s a cel-shaded speedster that scratches a very specific itch, all while offering a surprising amount of content and cars. But is this arcade-style racing game too simple for its own good? Find out now when I review Sunrise GP, out now on Switch.

There’s no story or setup to Sunrise GP. You’re not some wannabe racer trying to break into the industry or a speed-loving teenager with a death wish, it’s just a game about going fast and coming in first. There are no famous rap stars, celebrities or even licensed cars, because this is a throwback racer that evokes a time where none of that mattered. In a lot of ways, this is a game that completely bucks the conventional wisdom about what gamers expect in an arcade-style racer, and it excels for that very reason.

The core of Sunrise GP takes place in the Grand Prix mode, which acts as a rudimentary campaign. We’re not entering tournaments, but rather taking on single events at twenty different locations with names like Sunny Beach, Frozen Fiords and the Dry Lake. If all you want to do is continue the story and move on to the next race, then all you need to do is place in the top three. However, coming in first does not guarantee that you’re going to earn the three stars (and three-hundred credits), because in order to earn those, you’re going to need to meet or beat a set time limit.

Although it’s tempting to want to earn the max stars and credits in every race, the game does a good job of rewarding the player for moving on and not getting stuck on any one track. You’ll earn one of the twenty-one cars simply for coming in first, some of which will be better suited for taking on those out-of-reach times in earlier stages. And there’s a nice selection of vehicles here, too, including a jeep, limo, sports cars and all kinds of funky designs from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

One thing that I really like about the design of this game is that any of these cars can win a race. This is not one of those racing games where you have to select the fastest car to stand a chance, because Sunrise GP will tailor the competition around the vehicle you choose. This means that you’ll have just as much of a chance of winning with a slow jeep than you do a fast sports car, which allowed me to test out all of the cars without worrying about making the wrong decision.

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While it might not be as flashy as the Burnouts and Ridge Racers of the past, this is an arcade-style racing game that gets a lot of the fundamentals right. For one thing, there are a lot of surprisingly interesting tracks to race. Obviously, each location has its own terrain and theme, but the tracks go out of their way to show you as much of that location as possible. You’ll speed through tunnels, narrowly avoid falling off a mountain and then say hello to everybody in the city, all in the same track. It helps that the courses are created with a stylish cel-shaded look and vibrant color palette. And with airplanes, helicopters and even UFOs flying around, there isn’t a boring track in the entire game.

It also helps that Sunrise GP handles well. Although the cars feel a little light, I was impressed by how they maneuvered on the course. They are good about getting around tight obstacles and barreling through traffic, and I liked that the handling was tight with just the right amount of looseness you expect from this style of racing game. This is the kind of game that expects that you’re going to ram a few cars off the road and maybe slam into the wall a couple times, so don’t feel like you need to be a clean driver. I found that the dirtier, the better.

It's worth mentioning that the computer A.I. is not cheap and never resorts to rubber-band tactics, which is certainly a good thing. The problem is that the computer-controlled racers are, well, kind of terrible at their job. They’ll routinely slam into things and cause multi-car pile-ups. The beginning of every race resembles a demolition derby, what with two-thirds of the cars getting taken out within the first few seconds. If you can avoid the mass destruction at the start of every race, then you’re almost guaranteed to shoot into first place.

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And there’s the rub. No matter where the difficulty is set, Sunrise GP is far too easy. With the rest of the racers constantly getting into wrecks, I had no problem lapping the competition. The most challenging part of the game comes in trying to earn three stars from every stage, but that has more to do with choosing the right car than overcoming the pathetic A.I.

I was also frustrated with the different modes, none of which included anything resembling multiplayer races. The challenge mode sounds promising at first, but that excitement quickly evaporates once you realize that it’s a bare-bones time trial mode. There’s also a quick race mode, allowing you to customize the level, laps, competition and cars. I get why it’s in the game, but I doubt anybody will ever use this mode. What should have been included in this game is a multiplayer mode that allowed split-screen action. Without real people to race against, you’ll likely drop the game the moment you’ve earned all the stars and cars, which will only take a few hours.

Still, despite missing a few key ingredients, Sunrise GP nails the excitement of arcade-style racing games and does so with style. I love the cel-shaded look and the interesting color choices made throughout the many great locations. This is a fun game that gets enough right to be recommended, but it would be nice to see the first-time developer return to this series with a bigger, more robust sequel with multiplayer fun.