Fuse Games' Star Wars Galactic Racer delivers a frantic, high-speed sci-fi racing experience that blends addictive twitch gameplay with a risk-reward campaign structure, earning a 4/5 verdict.
The title evokes strong 1990s Wipeout vibes from the moment it boots up, placing players in a world of hovering race craft where they battle rivals. Set in a Star Wars universe where the Empire's grip has broken, the New Republic's rebuilding fuels a booming underground of gambling, entertainment, and speed.
Fast-Paced Gameplay and Brutal Rivalries
The game runs with silky smooth graphics on PS5, offering a frantic pace across alien terrains. Players take on the role of professional pilot Shade, hired by charismatic alien Darius Pax to legitimise pod-racing amid the growing influence of the Bool family. Pax wants Shade to dominate and secure a winner over rival Kestar Bool, who is determined to retain his League Champion status.
This sets up a James Hunt vs Niki Lauda-style rivalry on the track, and it is brutal. The gameplay is twitch-responsive and simple but hard to master, requiring players to complete ever-harder courses across vistas like Jakku and Tatooine. Players must twist through branching paths while boosting to the edge of speed without blowing up their craft, which happens frequently. Knocking rivals into walls and avoiding rock faces leads to epic slow-motion explosions, often causing frustrated groans. However, nailing a perfect run and soaring to a first-placed win provides a fantastic rush.
Risk-Reward Campaign and Vehicle Builds
Galactic Racer offers a unique take on racing through a runs-based campaign where players balance risk and reward in every race. The story campaign is structured around a Galactic Tour in three acts, taking players through a series of events across planets. Progression is secured by completing escalating events including Races, Eliminators, Field Tests, and Mystery Encounters.
Event finish positions or meeting success criteria offer rewards to create an ideal vehicle build, allowing players to kit out their craft uniquely to complement their racing style. The vehicle build system provides depth and creative opportunity, defining both the look and feel of the craft and how it races on different courses. Getting on a roll starts races with distinct advantages, but messing up stalls progression.
Additional Modes and Final Verdict
Fuse Games has delivered a super-fast title that looks the part and feels right in the world of Star Wars pod racing. The dual use of boost mechanics in Ramjet and Afterburner is an endlessly tricky art to master, layering on difficulty as players avoid smashes or being kicked off course. Beyond the campaign, players can try longer-form challenges in Scenarios and take on all comers in Multiplayer, either in quick races or all-out tours.
The amount of planets is somewhat limited in the opening build pre-DLC, which can make it feel a little same after many goes. Overall, this is a racing game that is brutal, fast, and full of risk and reward at every deadly turn. It fits well in the Star Wars universe and sets out a stall for a resurgence in sci-fi landspeeder racing.
