Futuristic racing is such a fun part of that genre. I can never get enough of a good racing game where you’re throttling over 1,000 km/h. Last year, F-Zero 99 made it on my Top of 2023 list. Earlier this year, I tried Redout II and thought it was cool. So, when I saw Phantom Spark, another futuristic-setting racer, I wanted to give it a go. While it lacks content, it makes up for it with fast and fluid gameplay.
Set a time, then beat it
What sets Phantom Spark apart from other futuristic racers, is that you’re not in racing in the grand prix sense. Phantom Spark is all about setting a time and then trying to improve it. These are not full races. Instead, you’re racing on what they call Pathways. These are all small sections and all part of a larger course, which they call “Domain”
Races on Pathways last around 30-75 seconds. Your first attempt is always on your own with no other racers. After setting a time, the Domain’s owner joins you and the stakes are raised. Now you not only need to improve on your original time, you need to do better than the other racer.
Each Domain has around 12 Pathways to complete. Once you complete those, you open up the Champion Pathway. This is a larger course, which encompasses aspects of the other Pathways. These are much more challenging because every tight turn and obstacle is in your way. If you’ve been racing well on the shorter courses, this longer one won’t be too hard to complete.
Needing a bit more
There are three Domains and around 30 Pathways. It may seem like a lot but it is misleading. 90% of them can take less than a minute to complete and the differences are sometimes minor. Because of that, there isn’t a lot of racing content here.
Outside of the Pathways, there are a few challenge trials. These are 15-20 seconds in length and serve as training guides on how to race in certain environments. I had the most difficulty with these because there is zero margin for error. If you want to beat the target time, you need a near-perfect race.
But that’s about it. There are no true races. You are only doing time trials. The game has some very hard-to-achieve time goals, there is no reason to go for them. Sure, you can get your name on a leaderboard, but you can’t race against others. The game features a leveling system, but it’s there to lock the other domains. You unlock extra colors for your vehicle, but that’s where it ends on the customization front.
One other gripe I have is with the game’s “story”. Throughout your racing, you have small interactions with the Domain Champions. Also, there is an Alien character that serves as your trainer. These feel tacked on at the last minute. There is no proper conclusion, so it feels unnecessary. These were so forgettable and might have been better not included.
The first step towards something even better
When looking only at the racing, Phantom Spark is incredible. The developers nailed it with fun gameplay and fluid racing. The courses are good, but I do wish there was more. The story aspects could have been better developed or completely removed. While I don’t need a proper online mode, I can see people craving that. This is a solid foundation and if the developers are planning a sequel, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.
