Releasing on the eShop for under £20, Fast RMX is the only racer to hit the console at launch. Regardless of that fact though it delivers one heck of a package and a racing experience that will hit gamer’s right in the nostalgia. You can tell as soon as you boot up your first race, which doesn’t take long due to quick loading menus, that the game is taking influence from the likes of Wipeout and F-Zero. It’s also delivering an experience that stands on its own two feet.
The main objective is to win a race, like it normally is in a racing game. You win a race by going faster than other drivers and when you go fast in Fast RMX, YOU GO FAST. A steady framerate and some lovely screen effects really help give a sense of speed when you hit the boost button and you’ll be wanting to do that for as long as possible. You can boost by gliding over the coloured strips on the floor, hitting a button to make sure you’re matching the right colour so not to slow you down, or by collecting orbs. You’ll also want to make sure that you land from jumps correctly, so not to lose your momentum.
The issue with going fast though is there’s more of a chance that you’ll misjudge a turn or crash in to something that you won’t recover from. In the normal cup mode and multiplayer this is fine, as you’ll re-spawn and carry on with the race, but in hero mode it will mean the end of your race. Hero mode is interesting in that your boost bar also acts as a health bar. You’ll have to be careful not to boost too much but, at the same time, if you don’t finish first it classes as a failure. It’s all about weighing up the gamble and whether or not it’s worth it.
There are 30 courses to race on, over 10 different cups in the main mode. Most have alternate route as well, helping to add variety on your race as you make last minute decisions to go left or right. Some courses are definitely better than others, but that is down to how unforgiving some of the tougher courses are. With speed being one of the most important things in the game twitch reaction speeds can be needed. If you’re not quick enough you’ll see your vehicle in a ball of flames whilst the other racers lap you.
To make sure your reactions are quick enough you need to make sure you’re comfortable with the controls. I found the game easy to play in three of the four options available to me. In the Joy-Con grip and in handheld the game felt perfectly natural and I found that it ran fine on my TV and on the tablet. I also found the game fine to play by myself with the Joy-Cons out of the grips with one in each hand. It was when I tried same couch co-op that the controllers felt fiddly for the buttons that needed to be pressed in the game, but this is a minor gripe. Especially as there is the option to play the game online if you wanted to, although it is very basic at the moment.
You vote on the course you want to race on with other racers and a winner is chosen at random. You then race on the winning course and attempt to finish the race. As long as you finish the race you get points. Your score keeps adding up, with more points for the higher you finish in a race. It’s a real shame you have no way of playing against someone on your friend list, but this is something the developers have already stated they are planning to address. If you do want to play with people you know, then there is a four player split-screen option and a two to eight player local communication option.
If you’re after a racer to play on the Nintendo Switch that won’t break the bank that feels a bit different, then give Fast RMX a shot. It’s a lot of fun and has a lovely style, which is matched by its gameplay. Even with some missing elements of online there’s plenty to do to entertain you. Whether that’s trying to beat your best time or just trying to beat others online.