Review by Jon Donnis
Turbo Sliders Unlimited is an ambitious and engaging modern take on classic top-down racing games, offering far more than just a nostalgic return to form. Its vast array of game modes and robust customisation options make it a standout title on the PC (Steam) platform. The game thrives on its community-driven ethos, where players have near-limitless freedom to create their own levels, vehicles, and game modes. Whether you want to race, battle, or invent entirely new ways to play, Turbo Sliders Unlimited offers the tools to make that possible. Its flexibility caters to a wide range of players, from competitive esports enthusiasts to casual gamers seeking a creative sandbox experience.
One of the game's strongest aspects is its multiplayer options. With support for up to 20 players online and local split-screen for up to four players, the possibilities for social gaming are expansive. The option to create custom servers and set unique rules adds even more depth, ensuring that each game can be as structured or chaotic as you like. The inclusion of non-racing modes like sumo, capture the flag, and weapon battles helps to diversify the experience, making this a truly multifaceted title. Additionally, the in-game level and vehicle editors are impressively feature-rich, allowing players to share their creations via the Steam Workshop, further extending the game's lifespan through user-generated content.
Visually, Turbo Sliders Unlimited boasts clean and well-crafted graphics that complement its varied gameplay styles. The tracks and cars are visually sharp, with a degree of polish that makes everything feel cohesive and professional. However, the game does stumble in certain areas. The menu system is needlessly complex, which could easily alienate more casual players. Navigating it feels like a chore, especially when you're just eager to jump into the action. Another drawback is the lack of a simple control guide, a noticeable omission in a game that would benefit greatly from clear button-mapping visuals, particularly given the number of possible game modes and control schemes.
For those prone to motion sickness, the third-person camera may be problematic. While the classic top-down view is functional, the third-person viewpoint, which is more in line with typical racing games, triggered motion sickness for me, making it difficult to enjoy the game from the perspective I preferred. It's an unfortunate downside, especially considering that this view is likely the one many players would gravitate towards for an immersive experience.
Turbo Sliders Unlimited succeeds in being a fun and feature-rich game with a strong community focus. Its extensive customisation options and variety of game modes ensure it can be enjoyed in countless ways. However, issues like the overly complicated menu system and camera-related motion sickness dampen the experience slightly. Despite these flaws, it's an enjoyable game with immense potential, particularly if some of its rougher edges are smoothed out in future updates. I'd rate it 7 out of 10, with the potential to reach 8 if these issues are addressed.
Released on September 12th
FYI the latest game version has a better Help option in the in-game menu to help with camera and other controls. It also fixed a Time Trials progress issue which may have caused confusion.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, there are a huge amount of options in the game, including related to tuning the camera. If any of the 8 main camera presets are not good enough, there are many ways to tune and create new presets. It would be interesting to know what exactly is causing motion sickness for you and if any of the presets make you feel better. Feel free to answer here in the thread you started: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1478340/discussions/0/4422059016573852113/
About the complicated menu system — with so many options, it is understandable it can be a bit overwhelming to newcomers at first, but once you know what you want, it is very powerful. It is hard to have a simple and easy menu for everything when there are so many things to do, but at least the simple things like playing campaigns and joining existing games should be easy already. The philosophy of TSU is to give players more freedom than what other games allow, more about that topic here: https://www.turbosliders.com/press-kit/what-is-it