I'm loving this game. I've always been a huge fan of arcade racers like Wipeout, Extreme-G, BallisticNG, TrackMania, etc, and never felt like weapons and collision with other racers were necessary to my enjoyment of the first three. I just liked the cornering, the lines, the speed. Phantom Spark has the same feel as those games I've mentioned, distilled down to their most fundamental essence.

The game looks beautiful, first of all. It's pleasant to watch the scenery go by at speed, and the tracks are really well communicated, so I never feel like I was cheated by questionable level design. Speaking of the tracks, they're meticulously designed, not only in terms of how they're communicated, but also how they're paced. Arguably some of the most satisfying courses that I can recall playing, honestly. They have the perfect amount of emphasis on balancing control and speed, with a few different terrain types to adapt to that keep things exciting throughout.

With regards to the audio, the game sounds fantastic. The 'engine' audio is really satisfying, and the chill drum'n'bass soundtrack is perfect for the vibe I want from a cathartic, high-speed, arcade racer. I'd happily sit and just listen to it if playing the game wasn't so compelling.

Most importantly though, it feels incredible. The controls and the physics are so comfortable and responsive; it's an absolute joy to play. I feel genuinely relaxed while racing, despite the seriously difficult gold medal times that I'm chasing.

I will mention that, while it's tagged as Multiplayer, it only has Local Multiplayer and the ability to race against other players' ghosts as far as I can tell, which is in no way a deal-breaker for me, but it's worth knowing before you buy it.

I'm incredibly fond of this game. Respect to the devs for polishing the game-feel so well. Phantom Spark is wonderful, and I can see many hours of my life being spent chasing 100% completion, as this is definitely the kind of game I would happily boot up when I'm not sure what I want to play. It's so comfortable, so cathartic, and so easy to pick up and put down. I'd absolutely recommend it to any fans of the genre.

For the short time that it lasted, I was completely consumed by this game. The realisations I had along the way were really satisfying, and at no point was I stuck to the point of frustration. It strung me along happily from beginning to end. Would recommend.