Mantis Burn Racing

Genre: Top-Down Racing

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen), 2-8 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online)

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Review:

Mantis Burn Racing is a Top-Down Racing game released in 2016 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and ported in 2017 to Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch release of the game is $5 more expensive, but it includes all post-released DLC, which ends up costing about the same after all is said and done.

This game’s presentation is excellent, with detailed 3D vehicles and environments with some superb texturing that really shows off the different ground surfaces, and some nice lighting. This is joined by some fairly generic techno-style beats while racing, and some oddly subdued themes in menus.

When it comes to the gameplay, the racing mechanics here are simple, but feel excellent. Players only have gas, brake, and occasional boost, but this simplicity allows you to focus on the drift-heavy gameplay. There are also RPG-style mechanics as you progress through the campaign that allow you to customize your vehicles as you like, with a few different vehicle types to choose from.

When it comes to problems, there is the fact that this game’s online lobbies are now abandoned, meaning that if you want to play multiplayer you’ll need to bring your own opponents. However, there is one other issue that’s more a problem of game design than time marching on – this game’s campaign takes quite a while to introduce you to new courses, making you repeat the ones you’ve already raced on repeatedly before moving on. This can make the game seem a bit samey.

However, apart from this issue, Mantis Burn Racing is pretty ideal as Top-Down Racing games go. It may not have any fancy features or complex controls, but the pure racing gameplay is excellent and the presentation is wonderful. If you enjoy this style of Racing game, this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up.

tl;dr – Mantis Burn Racing is a Top-Down Racing game that’s simple to play, but still has strong gameplay with good drifting mechanics, not to mention a gorgeous presentation. If you enjoy this style of game, Mantis Burn Racing is definitely one you’ll want to have in your collection.

Grade: B

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