Fast, frenetic, fun, and only occasionally frustrating

TrackMania Turbo

Fast, frenetic, fun, and only occasionally frustrating

colourful arcade racer/physics puzzler crammed with tight controls, smooth and crisp looks game, and a genuinely surprising amount of solo and multiplayer content. More than that, it’s compulsive. Trackmania Turbo is a fun, fast, andracer/physics puzzler crammed with tight controls, smooth and crisp looks game, and a genuinely surprising amount of solo and multiplayer content. More than that, it’s compulsive.

I’ve also enjoyed the F1-inspired open-wheeler, which feels planted and grippy. It competes in an entirely different set of courses, the ‘International Stadium’, which is packed with futuristic elevated raceways, massive stunt objects, and supercross-style dirt sections.

The huge number of national flag liveries for these are a cute touch.

I’m less enamoured with the two remaining vehicles – a Baja-style Beetle racer and a stubby dune buggy – both of which I found a bit too fussy and twitchy to enjoy as much, even after several days to get used to them. The dune buggy, in particular, feels like a slot car on the magnetic, gravity-defying stretches of raised track at Turbo’s ‘Rollercoaster Lagoon’ but I grew to truly dislike how it copes with sand or polished timber decking, both of which might as well be ice. I certainly concede varied grip levels are a carefully designed part of the challenge but there were several courses I eventually found more frustrating than fun as a result of this.

The Verdict

A brilliant and beautiful stunt driving masterclass, Trackmania Turbo is fast, frenetic, fun, and only occasionally frustrating. If this generously proportioned and highly engaging arcade racer gets its talons into you the way it did me, it’ll have you compulsively chasing ghosts for ages.

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