Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Fuse Games‘ Star Wars Galactic Racer is bold, spectacular, and offers incredibly satisfying gameplay chops in single player and multiplayer alike. It’s high difficulty and relentless intensity might scare some casual Star Wars fans who just want some spectacle, but if you’re looking for a killer track-based arcade racer, you’ve found it. The force is strong with this one.

It can sometimes feel unfair, its balance needs work and I don’t agree with every one of its design decisions. That volatility is going to drive some players mad, but I’d rather play a racing game that occasionally makes me furious than one that never makes me feel anything at all. Galactic Racer makes racing feel dangerous again, and I fucking loved it.

Galactic Racer is those absolutely perfect 10 minutes expanded into a full game. Every moment feels joyfully fast. Every decision carries the weight of tension. And every run is a rewarding chance to learn, improve, tinker, and adapt, whether it ends in success or failure. I can’t wait to keep playing what’s been my favorite racing game in years.

Twenty hours later, with the campaign behind me and plenty more time sunk into the other offerings, there’s still so much Galactic Racer left. I spent 45 minutes on one track yesterday not for the gold medal, which I already had, but for the chance to beat a fellow reviewer’s time on the leaderboard, and I don’t regret a minute. Galactic Racer is a Star Wars game, and that might be enough for some, but not for me. Fortunately, it’s an even better racing game, one filled to the brim with courses, vehicle builds, and characters that keep me coming back to the track for one more race.

And for my fellow Episode I Racer lovers: Galactic Racer’s marketing has kept the podracers in the background, but don’t let that fool you. By the time I was done with the campaign, I found myself happy and whispering one thing to myself: Now this is podracing.

Galactic Racer is a lot more than just a racing game set in the Star Wars universe. Fuse Games has been bold enough to put itself out there on its first outing in a game using an IP that has fans who are incredibly quick to criticize if something doesn’t feel right. From its runs-based racing and compelling new characters to a multiplayer mode that will keep you playing long after you’re done with the campaign, Galactic Racer is another example of a studio taking some well-educated risks with the Star Wars IP to create something truly special.

I honestly have little to complain about. This is exactly the kind of racing game I’ve been salivating for the past decade or two. Star Wars: Galactic Racer manages to convey the feel of the classic Episode I: Racer game, as well as Burnout, with improved physics, a somewhat engaging story, a ludicrous amount of content, brutal but rewarding difficulty curve, and a roguelite campaign which won me over in an instant.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer exceeded my expectations to the highest degree and provides a dream combination of Star Wars Podracing and Burnout. With an engaging Campaign Mode, an interesting usage of Podracers, plenty of characters to meet and interact with, tons of customization, cross-platform multiplayer, and beautiful visuals and music; this game is everything I could have hoped for and more! Star Wars: Galactic Racer did more than bring racing back to the Galaxy, it made me believe there’s nothing faster or more dangerous than Podracing.