Recent reviews by YIAMAS

Firstly, Wow.

It's no secret that racing games have been in a SLUMP for a while. Devs of mainstream titles really don't seem to listen or have a proper grasp on what once made their games so great. The trend seems to be LOOK HOW BIG OUR MAP IS, and then you play the game for an hour, realise there are no characters, no rivals, and no reason to play other than to just drive around a big, yet soulless map for a bit. This game absolutely leaves anything else I've played in the last 10 years struggling for a bad excuse at best. No micro-transactions. No battle-pass type gig. No fluff. You get a proper game that you paid for and it has been the LONGEST time since I've seen that.

Jammed full of lore for EVERY single character, not even just the big bosses. Everybody has a story.

The physics feel great and the progression is enticing- I WANT to progress for the story, not just because I've bought the game now and I might as well as has been the case with the last like 3 forza horizon games I've played. Speaking of progression the upgrades have been paced quite nicely throughout what I assume is the earlygame. It really irks me when I hop into a racing game and after 5 races I can just max out whatever car I'm driving and that's that- no, I actually had to grind for parts with a car that I'd invested into & then even upgrade car when that wasn't enough & then repeat. Thank you for actually giving players something to play for.

This all being said- I do worry a little for the full release- I've completed early access and where does it go from here? I've already got the best car fully upgraded so I wouldn't even be mad at a fresh start at this point, I don't want to hop into full release and just win everything but I'm sure you have this planned out so no need to worry.

In terms of things I disliked / would like to see improved, first off I must admit the sounds are lacking. Engine noise isn't very realistic, backfire seems random on full throttle when typically it would be on lifts or shifts and I can't hear the turbo for the life of me in any camera view. The car also sounds the exact same in open air as it does in tunnels which is a shame. I'd love to see this particular area get some love for the full release.

Also, specifically when the wheels leave the ground (or think they do over the little strips in the road) throttle input cuts completely which is quite annoying- I did some tuning to alleviate it but it does still happen occasionally which can be annoying when you lose distance due to it.

Would be nice to have some options when it comes to forced induction- boost settings, anti-lag single, twin, supercharger so on.

I played night riders prologue recently and managing the engine temps was a great little element which I'd love to see added here- it's just another thing to manage alongside tyres which makes the gameplay a little deeper.

Some kind of phone could be cool to keep track of hints you've gotten for specific rivals- lost count of how many times I'd pull up and know there was some kind of condition to racing but had long forgotten the specifics- perhaps this could be supplemented with some kind of messaging to arrange races and so on and be another opportunity for dialogue.

I don't really have any clue what importance the day tracker has to the gameplay itself- perhaps this is planned to come but now it's cool I guess but seems a little redundant.

The setup menu is cool but it'd be nice to have some kind of explainer on what the benefits of tweaking each setting actually are such as toe in/out, camber and so on.

Customisation is nice but is a little lacking currently with only a couple of options. I have no doubt this will be expanded in the full release but some more name brands would be nice if possible. It'd also be cool to be able to customise the boost gauge, speedo, etc.

Unsure of what effect the win counter has- it'd be neat if it were some kind of multiplier but I think the only impact it's had was on racer appearances so far.

Unsure of what impact the level system has for the player- seemingly for opponents it's an estimate on how fast they are?

Some kind of maintenance/ repair system would be nice- wall slamming is punishing in terms of SP already but 9 times out of 10 you're going to get the win anyway with a bit of dirty racing- what if you lost performance for it until you could repair at the end of the night?

The auto drive at the start of the race sometimes places me right at the top of 1st gear which immediately puts me at a disadvantage which can be frustrating sometimes.

Finally the music. The tracks are nice BUT listening to the same two on repeat while driving has been doing my nut in- they seem to just cut between sharply and loop on end. Music has the potential to make the gameplay so much more emotive but it's definitely missing the mark right now for me personally. A bigger track-list with some more variation would be a great addition.

Overall a fantastic title and has a great amount of potential to be a game I willingly sink a bunch of time into. Thank you for the early access and for all of the hard work and passion that has very clearly been put into the game so far- I'm eagerly awaiting the full release!

Absolutely ram packed full of passion & a love letter to the japanese car culture!

This game is single-handedly putting massive development teams to shame- from the expansive customisation available to the nice little touches such as actually being able to put the parts on your car after buying them & a nice little shop to buy them in to even considering how upgrades would effect engine cooling, which can be troubling if you choose to only upgrade power! You can even customise your interior to your liking which can come with performance benefits if you choose to do things like remove passenger and rear seats and gut the interior.

The sense of speed within this game is sensational. Had me sat up in my seat and needing to lock in only doing 120mph- the way the music fades in as you start driving and the way the engine sound fades away once you're almost maxed out & the speedometer on your GPS is almost completely blurred & your camera tilts on each corner really add to how engaging even doing a modest speed is.

I really love how the gameplay functions, having the night to win as many races as you can racking up your multiplier, while keeping an eye out for fuel levels. The most convincing lead can be lost in an instant after just one single crash which kept me on the edge of my seat.

The soundtrack is absolute gold- you could not have put better songs in the game and there isn't a single one I've found myself wanting to skip. It's already been added to my spotify and is awaiting some real life spirited driving.

Obviously, yes- this is an early stage of development so I won't comment about the wish for more cars or races or locations because I'm sure these will be added in time, with the former already available in early stages for patreon subscribers. However I do have some hopes and wishes for the game in its full version!

I'd love to see more punishment for wall-riding. I understand this is an arcade racer, however players who wish to cheese races should be punished more severely either in loss of speed or some kind of engine or handling damage, or repair costs to both their car and the opponents, or maybe even some kind of respect metre that fills based on different parameters for each opponent or crew- somewhat similar to how the respect system in Juiced operated. All opponents collectively lost respect for dirty racing and respected their own unique parameters which progressed the game with their crew in different ways.

Furthermore some kind of tyre wear could be cool! We already have to manage engine temps, oil changes and fuel so this feature would be a welcome addition.

Pink-slip races could be cool too- perhaps it could work similarly to how (sorry yes i am referencing it again) it worked in Juiced. The only gripe I had with the system for pink slips in that game was that it was too each to abuse for easy cars and money.

I'd also love to see the cameras improved. To clarify I'm not talking about the chase cams which are fantastic- I'm talking about the player camera when in the garage and the drivers seat view. Both feel particularly stiff, and with specific regard to the driver seat view I wish I could see more of what is around me while driving, it's like I'm driving with my hands open either side of my face.

When entering a parking area it would be a nice little touch if we didn't just teleport inside- it'd be so cool to park up at an assigned spot based on your rating and then leave the car in a little cutscene which would then transition to the walking and betting phase.

Surprisingly the only thing I've found missing in terms of customisation is accessories such as Tsurikawa hanging either in the interior or Omamori pouches & a functioning livery editor, or perhaps some preset options. You are able to import your own liveries but how you'd go about making one is currently beyond me.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this game- it's not even a full version and already it's the most fun I've had playing a racing game since I was a kid, not to mention this being free to play! Need for speed wishes it had this handling model and Forza could never dream of replicating the amount of modifications or genuine soul the game has.