Mantis Burn Racing Preview
It’s the final lap, the engine howls its war cry with the finish line in sight. Tires spinning, a maelstrom of furious dust kicking up as you punch the booster and rocket into first place to steal the win. VooFoo Studios has given us this and more in such an impressive package with Mantis Burn Racing and it has completely blown me away. Out now on Steam Early Access it plays almost like a completely finished product so the thought that they’re still going to improve on what we’re seeing now is big plus.
First and foremost I have to say that the details in this game are incredible: the dirt, the road, buildings, even down to the tread marks left in the ground are just phenomenal. This game is a beautifully smooth ride that strikes the right balance between depth and simplicity. I played using the keyboard despite the recommendations of using a controller and I must say that this has been the smoothest driving experience using the WASD keys I’ve come across. With no concerns about gears or E brakes the controls are blissfully simple: Go, Stop, Turn Left, Turn Right, Boost. Do you need to drift the turn coming up? Slam on the direction but keep flooring the gas. Need a tighter turn? Slam on the direction but ease off the gas.
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“You don’t feel stressed about the course, the track itself isn’t where the difficulty lies, it’s your opponents.”
Once you get a feel for the controls – which should only take a race or so to understand the steering and mechanics of the map – there is this almost trance you find yourself falling into. You don’t feel stressed about the course, the track itself isn’t where the difficulty lies, it’s your opponents. There are three weight classes of vehicle (Light, Medium, Heavy) each with their own advantages and disadvantages. On top of that, the vehicles you unlock can be upgraded with parts you find when completing challenges. Parts are locked into available slots on the vehicle, and once all the slots are filled you can pay some cash to upgrade the vehicle, giving it a new look and more available slots. The cars look fantastic and their paint job can be changed at any time for no charge.
The A.I. has just the right level of skill to keep it interesting. With the right vehicle you can get a decent lead on the competition, but one wrong move will still leave you in last place. It’s a game of skill but still easy enough to pick up and just have fun. The original music accents the high speed feel with electronic tracks that drag you into this high-speed pursuit. If all of that wasn’t somehow enough there are a variety of race types to keep things interesting: Standard, Sprint, Elimination, Leader Points, Time Trial. At no point did I feel like I was just doing the same thing over and over again and this isn’t even the full version of Mantis Burn Racing.
There are only two concerns I have: the load times, which feel a little longer than they ought to be, and the minimap which just feels a little too mini. I would like to see what kind of turn is coming up a little sooner, but in no way is it a big issue, just a personal preference. Obviously, the developers are going to depend on the feedback from fans to improve the experience before final release so there’s a great chance both of these issues will be long addressed by then.
VooFoo Studios have nailed this. I found myself unable to take my hands off the controls until I had completed the first round of career mode and even then I was more than happy to keep going. With solid controls, multiple race modes, vehicle upgrades, great music and beautiful graphics, Mantis Burn Racing is absolutely on track to being the next racing title to watch out for.
*** PC code provided by the publisher **
