Gear.Club Unlimited

Genre: Arcade Racing

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen), Online Content Sharing

.

Review:

I feel like Gear.Club Unlimited exemplifies one of the reasons I review games so long after they are originally launched. Where some games slip through the cracks and go unnoticed by most for years until I find them, and others have a rocky launch fixed by post-release updates, Gear.Club had a different sort of issue at launch – expectations.

When Gear.Club released on Nintendo Switch in 2017 (a year after its initial release on mobile devices in 2016), Nintendo Switch owners were voraciously looking for anything resembling a Simulation-style Racing game on Nintendo’s hybrid platform, something akin to PlayStation’s Gran Turismo and Xbox’s Forza. And Gear.Club appeared to be perhaps something in that vein.

However, those looking for something like those Simulation-style games was sure to be woefully disappointed by Gear.Club, because despite appearances and some Simulation-style upgrades and trappings, this is a game that plays more like an Arcade-style game.

This isn’t to say that Gear.Club’s visuals are on par with Sony and Microsoft’s flagship racing franchises. The 3D graphics here are mostly pretty good, with some nice car models and sufficiently detailed tracks. However, don’t expect anything even remotely intricately-detailed and polished as Gran Turismo or Forza. What’s worse, races during sunny days make use of an extremely exaggerated lens flare/light bloom effect that pretty much covers the entire screen, making it difficult to see whenever you’re racing in the direction of the sun. Additionally, in night levels the moon is depicted as a bright light in the sky. One wonders if this game’s designers have ever actually looked at the sun and moon.

These decent but imperfect visuals are joined by similarly decent sound, with good car noises and a completely sufficient but forgettable Racing Game soundtrack. Sorry, nothing here particularly struck me as noteworthy.

There is one other element of the presentation I feel the need to address here before moving on – this game’s mobile roots are definitely apparent in its menus and progression, which are unnecessarily confusing and yet also bog you down with static characters incessantly babbling at you through text. It’s far from a deal-breaker, but I feel this could definitely be improved.

However, putting all of that aside, when we get to the actual gameplay itself, Gear.Club is an absolutely serviceable Arcade-style Racing game. There’s nothing here that’s truly exceptional, but overall the gameplay works and is fairly enjoyable.

I do have some issues with everything around it, though. Maps are repeated far too frequently. The Simulation-style “recommended path” indicators during races don’t seem to adapt to your vehicle’s location or current speed, and as a result they’re largely pretty useless. And while this game does include local split-screen, the lack of a real online multiplayer is disappointing – players can only race against ghost data of other players.

There’s one other thing I feel I should address here, and this pertains to value and this game’s place in the Nintendo Switch’s library. Yes, as is well-established now, Gear.Club is not a Simulation-style Racing game, though Nintendo Switch owners did eventually get solid games in this genre like GRID Autosport and Rush Rally 3. So perhaps now it might be easier to appreciate this game as the Arcade-style experience it is.

The thing is… Nintendo Switch owners now also have some solid Arcade-style Racing games to choose from on the console, including the outstanding Burnout Paradise Remastered, and great games like Wreckfest and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered. And compared to those games, Gear.Club simply cannot compete, at least on even terms.

However, since its initial release, Gear.Club saw a price drop to $15, and it regularly goes on sale for $2. It is here that Gear.Club really shines – as a great budget-priced alternative to those Arcade-style Racing games.

In the end, if someone asks me what great Simulation-style Racing game to get on Nintendo Switch, Gear.Club won’t even enter my mind, as it isn’t that. If someone asks me what great Arcade-style Racing game to get on Nintendo Switch, Gear.Club will probably be pretty low on my list of recommendations, as there are just too many great entries in the genre on Nintendo Switch. But if someone wants a solid Arcade-style Racing game for cheap, Gear.Club is definitely worth trying out.

tl;dr – Gear.Club Unlimited may look like a Simulation-style Racing game, but at its heart it’s an Arcade-style Racing game. This game has its fair share of issues, such as a frustrating interface and lack on true online multiplayer, but the core gameplay is enjoyable, and the low $15 price is enticing enough that Racing fans on a budget may want to give it a try.

Grade: C+

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Ben, Ilya Zverev, Andy Miller, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Jared Wark, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}