by Dan McAlister
Horizon Chase is an arcade racing game that makes competition feel deeply personal.
Available For: iOS, Android, Computer, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
What Is It?
Horizon Chase is a racing game that cuts out the complexity and extras found in other racers. It doesn’t have the random weapons or topsy-turvy tracks of cartoon cart-racers, nor does it have the deep car customization of big budget simulators. The controls are simple, with buttons for left, right, acceleration, and nitro-boost for a quick burst of speed. The game even auto-tilts your steering in the right direction as you navigate turns. This de-emphasizes track navigation; what’s left is your relation to the other racers.
Every race starts you in the rear of a 20 car pack, which lends the experience a tense structure. Races begin with all cars clustered together; as the front-runners pull away, you’re left to fight for advancement amongst your slower competitors. The sooner you can pull away from the dense scramble of cars, the sooner you can focus on acceleration and nitro-boosting. But the penalty for colliding with competitors and obstacles is severe, and playing too aggressively while you’re in the middle of the pack risks putting you much further behind. While you’re contending with your slower competitors, the unencumbered front runners are pulling far ahead. This makes the first half of any race a tense fight for space, and the second half a desperate surge to reach the front runners.
Why I Love It.
I’m used to racing games with wide open tracks. That’s great for a feeling of acceleration and unencumbered speed, but it can sometimes feel like golf, a game where you’re aware of your competitors, but they have a reduced impact on your actual performance. Those racing games can feel solitary; you’re mostly competing with yourself, trying to improve on your own times.
Horizon Chase centers your relation to the competition with narrow tracks and steep penalties. You’re fighting for space right from the beginning, and cars in front will drift left and right to block your progress. The tracks tend to be narrow, forcing you into constant conflict, and the severe collision penalty heightens the stakes; your every move matters, and you always have to consider your maneuvers in relation to the other cars.
See an opening that will let you bypass 2 competitors? Better check to see if it positions you badly for the next turn. Or if it will cause you to rear-end a car two-lengths up. You have limited fuel; should you swerve for the gas pick-up? If your path is blocked by other cars, will you have enough fuel to make it another lap? The cycle of observation and decision-making happens at such a fast pace, I’ll dart my vision across the screen, strategizing my focus, even occasionally unfocusing my eyes to get a blurry, broad-screen view.
At it’s most intense, _Horizon Chase_feels like a resource management game where the resource is my attention. It can be frustrating to find yourself walled off by a group of cars that are _so slow,_but if you can stay calm and keep an eye out for opportunities, you’ll start weaving out of the conflict and peeling away to the front.
Not that it will last. Ease off acceleration too much on a sharp turn? They’ll be right on your tail.
Your First Game.
Early tracks are simple and wide, more forgiving for new players and mistakes. Take the time to get a feel for how each car handles (though you’ll start with just one). When turning a corner, note whether your car drifts into the turn or out toward the edge. Experiment with releasing the gas, then re-pressing it. You’ll frequently unlock new cars: check their stats and compare them to the cars you’ve already driven. This will give you an idea of what to expect before you first take them out to the course.
Going Further.
Now that you hopefully have a better idea of how to circumvent your competitors, the track design that had taken a backseat starts to get nasty. The roads narrow, forcing all cars into close quarters. The turns come more sharply and frequently, complicating your swerves through the pack. Rain, snow and nightfall obscure your vision and force you to make educated guesses on where the road even is.
As the challenges build up, car selection becomes more important. Handling will make it easier to navigate the tracks. Acceleration will help when a competitor’s bumper knocks you back. Cars with lower fuel capacities may struggle to finish if they miss fuel pick-ups on the course.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take time before each race to consider the map. What vehicle qualities will be advantageous for the shape, the distance, the weather conditions? When your competitors are getting into your head, use the calm moments before the action to release that tension. The next race will require your focus.
The opinions in this post are expressly the views of the author and do not reflect the views of their employer(s) or any entities that they might otherwise be affiliated.