You may have already taken Horizon Chase 2 out for a spin. It’s a sequel to Horizon Chase Turbo, which already saw a limited release on Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS platforms. But now, PlayStation and Xbox owners have the chance to see what the fuss is all about. There’s been overwhelming fuss about the sequel, and rightly so, given the already heck of a blast Horizon Chase and Horizon Chase Turbo were (and still are).
But just what exactly makes Horizon Chase 2 special? And if you haven’t already jumped aboard the train of the arcade racer, what makes it worth your time? Oh yes, straying from the norm to reveal Horizon Chase 2 is definitely worth your time. Now let’s see why. Here’s our deep-dive Horizon Chase 2 review that covers the good, the bad, and the ugly (if any) of new games.
Good Old Days
The Horizon Chase series has never faltered in its marketing campaign. Their motivation is simple: to develop games that indulge nostalgia with a dashing modern paint that puts the cherry on top. The past Horizon Chase and Horizon Chase Turbo capitalize on arcade racing, as simple and speed-oriented as it has always been. Horizon Chase 2, on the other hand, is no different really. So much so that if you’ve just come off playing Horizon Chase Turbo, you should enjoy a soft landing playing the new game.
But what makes the new sequel special is that it elevates the gameplay. Handling is buttery smooth, as are the controls, which are beyond responsive and fluid. What’s more? The graphics stand out the most. It’s crystal clear just how much more detailed and busier, to Horizon Chase 2’s advantage, the graphics are. This is indeed a retro-arcade racing experience. However, it’s more retro, reimagined for a more contemporary audience.
Globe-Trotting
Let’s kick it off with the tracks. You’ll find a whopping number of circuits. As is the series’ tradition, Horizon Chase 2 takes you on a world tour of six countries: the United States, Morocco, Japan, Italy, Brazil, and Thailand. Each country features vastly diverse regions, to the tune of around three. Each region has multiple circuits to the tune of, say, ten tracks.
So, that makes a whopping over 100 tracks to compete in. More than enough to spice up each new run. These are the courses you’ll be taking in the single-player campaign, World Tour. From Abu Dhabi to Palm Island and Al Gharbia Qasr, you’ll tour around the world, immersing in widely-ranging courses.
Burn Rubber
Horizon Chase 2 is like any other arcade racer out there. “Be the first to cross the finish line” is all it asks of you. Well, generally speaking, you'll start in a new country and compete against AI opponents, and as long as you come out among the top five, you’ll receive rewards for your troubles. Now, the rewards themselves vary.
See, the goal is to floor it. Nothing else matters. As long as you’re driving at blistering speeds and overtaking cautiously and with precision, to come out among the top five, you’ll be good to go. In fact, Horizon Chase 2 trades blistering speeds for other controls racing simulators may focus on, like handling. Simply drive fast, that’s it, that’s all you need.
Flawless
And my God, Horizon Chase 2 does an outstanding job at adrenaline-fueled racing. Leave alone the sheer beauty of the environments you’re racing in, because you’ll hardly have the time to take them all in. Heck, you’ll even feel pressed to blink because it feels like you could ram into a sharp bend or slam into an opponent, which slows you down. All along, frame rates remain consistently smooth, it’s all so easy to get lost in.
For more completionist-minded folk, you’ll be multi-tasking revving your engine and keeping an eye out for power-ups you need to drive over and blue coins you need to scoop up. These turn up randomly and can lead to some mind-bending twisting and turning to nick them all, yet those can add more fun and challenge, especially in the Time Trials.
Switch ‘em Up
The World Tour mode does offer a series of races to take on worldwide. And with its victory, you unlock more courses and cars. Yet it also has different races, including the Time Trials, which tests your driving skills against a ticking clock. Keep in mind that you’ll also be scanning the tracks for power-ups and blue coins.
The latter comes in handy when fishing for upgrades, which come in all shapes and sizes, that, in the long run, elevate your car’s performance. With upgrades, you can toggle individual car’s differentials, air intake, toggle suspension, nitro boost, and gearbox, which can elevate your acceleration, speed, and handling.
You’ll need to race each car to unlock upgrades for it, further adding incentive to checking out all the over ten cars on offer. Furthermore, completing races among the top five earns you in-game currency that unlocks customization options. It’s quite a handy system, allowing you to switch up the colors and body kits of your sports cars, SUVs, and more.
There’s More
Oh, yes. It gets better. If you get through the roughly three-hour-long World Tour mode, you can always check out the Playground and Tournament modes. Playground mode is my personal favorite for its constant stream of challenges. Every fortnight, Horizon Chase 2 adds a new challenge for players to compete on a global leaderboard.
These can be anything from crossing the finish line having only bumped into opponent cars a certain number of times to only using a certain number of nitro boosts. Meanwhile, Tournaments cram multiple back-to-back races into one, pushing your driving skills to the limits. You can choose to play them solo or in multiplayer, whether local or online, and with cross-play enabled.
Multiplayer has an array of options, too, from the World Tour structure to the Time Trials, the possibilities unlock endless fun. And all along, you’re earning rewards that allow upgrading and leveling up.
Nay
Horizon Chase 2 has plenty going for it. Quite honestly, to point out the bad will be a nitpicking process. Like the on-rails gameplay system that doesn’t allow you to skid outside of the tracks. It can rub some players the wrong way. Yet it’s an arcade concept, the inspiration for Horizon Chase 2.
Difficulty can spike up in the latter stages of the game. But on the flip side, the gameplay is so much fun and runs smoothly that you’re more likely to still push the envelope, regardless.
Some races can seem too easy, but on the other hand, the AI works efficiently. So, perhaps you’re just that good if you’re constantly coming out on top. It’s truly engaging, overtaking the AI, as it fights to stay ahead. You’ll often ram into obstacles that slow you down. But driving over the nitro boosts randomly laid on the circuits can dust you off.
At the moment, online multiplayer seems to be held back by a long, hazardous wait for human players to join in. But you can create your own lobby and have other players join you. In any case, Horizon Chase 2 doesn’t pretend to be what it’s not. It puts arcade racing above all and thrives on the backbone of endless fun that held the genre shoulder-high over the years.
Verdict
Horizon Chase 2 may have been out on Nintendo Switch, PC via Epic Games Store, and iOS. However, the recent release on Xbox and PlayStation brings back to light just how impeccable an arcade racer the entry is. The graphics, above all, look stunning. They boast more detail than ever before, fully immersing you into the diverse regions the World Tour mode takes you to.
Moreover, having day and night cycles adds a layer of immersion to the cities, deserts, and other regions you tear through. Horizon Chase 2 even goes as far as to add weather effects like rains and desert storms that lower visibility, further adding immersion into real-world and authentic stages. Perhaps the visuals stray from the retro inspiration of this game.
However, for the modern fresh coat of paint, Horizon Chase 2 makes up for it with definite retro arcade racing. Forget breaking. Forget handling. Horizon Chase 2 is all about speed. Cars blow past AI opponents like lightning, so much so that even blinking can cause you to lose sight of the crown. So, you focus all through its diverse races, revving your engine and giving no care to the rearview mirror.
Speaking of diverse races, Horizon Chase 2 offers a wide assortment of game modes to keep busy with. You have Time Trials that test driving against the clock. There are two challenges that push your driving skills to their limits. Furthermore, you have multiplayer options, free to dive into tournaments and exhaust the endless fun Horizon Chase 2 offers with friends.
