Super Toy Cars – review

Rev your engines it’s time to relive the days of Mario Kart and table top racing as Eclipse Games release Super Toy Cars onto the Playstation 4. If Micro machines and shooting your mates of the track is up your alley then read on as Super Toy cars may just be the game your looking for. 

Having already released on Xbox One in 2015 Eclipse Games brings over its quirky racer to the Playstation console. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect from the game is it another attempt at making toy cars interesting or a stellar track title in waiting. Having not picked up the title on Xbox One I was open to suggestion from either side.

I skipped the tutorial from the of as well most of us know the mechanics of how a racer works and Super car toys makes not attempt to venture from the norm here either as controls are exactly what you would expect of them. For those looking for a career mode in a racer you’re in luck as the game offers players a single player career mode to work through however depth and structure isn’t something you will find in this title. The career mode is a variation of modes from race to elimination and time trial. Each race type is offered up randomly as you progress through the campaign.

“discovering the top down view which reminds me of the days of playing Micro Machines on the mega drive”

Outside of career you will find the additional option of Quick Race to choose from which offers you the choice of 15 tracks and the ability to pick which one you would like to race on from the of. Thats a great shout as some games will keep game content locked until you’ve progressed further into the game. In addition each of these tracks can be ran on the variety of game modes available whilst also allowing players to select the level of difficulty each track provides.

If players do go searching further into the menus they will find an in depth “extras” menu offering stats and further game tweaks however bizarrely you will also find a wipe progress option which in today’s age of gaming is a rarity, perhaps it will appeal to more of the retro players than me but it seems a pointless inclusion in a game needing so much more.

The lack of online multiplayer is a real downside to the game because hurtling around the tracks and utilising their power ups is made for couch co-op or online play. There is a local online play mode which supports up to 4 players. Its what made games like Mario Kart so successful. It’s clear the game is heavily influenced from such classic titles as this as in most modes the power ups and weapons are available to attack your fellow racers with. Its a great idea and clearly it works but where it’s falling short is on the polish, weapons feel clunky to use and the boxes as you collect them just don’t look great close up with some poor textures.

There’s a fair amount of vehicle upgrade options to choose from and most are unlocked from progressing through and earning coins to purchase the upgrades and vehicles. In total there 16 cars to unlock and test drive it’s a good way of keeping you playing the game but the rewards are purely in game currency nothing more to ride home about. The rewards are fairly substantial and don’t feel too much like a grind. Unlocking and applying upgrades to your cars will give you a noticeable performance boost but beware as handling at times is interesting to say the least. Several times I found myself banging into random corners that felt like sharp edges rather than curved ones.

The polish of the game isn’t all bad up close the textures may not be your triple A standard but the polish on the track floor is something to behold. Its certainly squeeky clean. However the real joy in this game was discovering the top down view which reminds me of the days of playing Micro Machines on the mega drive all those years ago. Its actually alot more fun playing in this view as you get a better view of the track and all the shortcuts to get the upper edge on your opponent.

In summary Super Toy Cars is a fun game but its lacking of an online multiplayer mode is disappointing as im sure this would have been a great feature to add depth to the game that feels a bit shallow in places. Some slight technical issues hold back what otherwise would be a fine fun racer. The top down view however brings back a nostalgic feeling I haven’t had in a while.