For those who already liked the first game in the franchise, get ready; the sequel comes with strong new features and maintains those we fell in love with. The nostalgia of the arcades, with clear inspiration from Top Gear, adds to the visual beauty of the current generation. Released by Aquiris Game Studio on September 14, 2023, the new version of the race took many by surprise, as after a period of exclusivity for iOS, it was made available for PC and Nintendo Switch.

Racing fans can certainly get excited; the gameplay style doesn't vary much, but it has new mechanics and the main thing: beautiful new artwork and maps so we can travel the world again. What's more, since it's a Brazilian studio, the maps related to the country show great references to the local culture. For example, in the next image, the famous Olinda carnival But calm down; it's not just that; all cultures go through this time, and in a way that is... beautiful!



The game was designed to be played mainly in single player, following the main narrative of passing through various countries on various tracks and thus unlocking not only a sequence but also other game modes, such as tournaments, which are separated by level, starting with amateur, and are only available after completing a region. You can also play online and compete against other racers.

So for Horizon Chase 2, fans of the first version will love it, as the successful formula of the first game has been maintained, with the main change being the complete abandonment of the mechanic of collecting fuel for your vehicle! Some loved it, others hated it, but the fact is that it makes the gameplay a little easier.



Major developments

I think the first important point is to comment on the evolution from one game to another, as there is great potential for Horizon Chase to become a huge franchise in the racing genre, especially with its unique and charming arcade style. The highly successful modes have been retained, especially the World Tour, where you race through 55 different cities in a very detailed 3D environment, often with climatic features, and the newest of these is the aforementioned Playground, where you play online, as the tournament mode has been retained.

A big point I'd like to mention is the increase in the intelligence of our opponents. Before, I even complained a bit about the low competitiveness of the game modes, but now the drivers are more responsive; they close in on you more and make it harder for you to overtake, not to the point of making the races impossible, but it's already a big improvement in difficulty, especially when you increase the levels in tournaments.

During the main narrative, the logic remains the same: we race on three tracks in each region of a country and an additional one with other rules, such as against time, in which we race intending to get there as quickly as possible and thus winning prizes—wheels that can now be bought as well as won!



Taking advantage of this, the mechanics of car customization will involve some factors: you can change the color, wheel, and even the shape of the vehicle, but only with the XP points you earn by racing the car will you be able to upgrade your equipment to improve its characteristics, including turbo, speed, control, and so on.

So now, in addition to the great interest in traveling and seeing different maps representing different cultures, customizing the vehicle and making it your own is an added factor to keep playing and completing the story of Horizon Chase 2. For racing lovers, keeping what worked in the first game and updating improvements is a great achievement that gives a lot of hope for the franchise.



Exciting challenges

With this need to play to unlock new mechanics, the game's developers have managed to hold players' attention very well, whether it's racking their brains and counting the thousandths in the race against time, in which we collect timers on the tracks that will shave essential seconds off the total time, or competing in tournaments that add up to points against the machine, all just to be able to unlock the next stage and acquire some items.

And that's not all; the smallest details count for a lot too. For example, the lines that have been put into our character, as if we were live streaming the game, were a nice surprise, or being in a place that we know in real life and can visualize during gameplay. In my case, I've already visited the city of Ouro Preto and identified many elements on the track referring to the place.



The mountain peak

Now, for me, let's talk about what made my experience of Horizon Chase 2 so positive and, at the same time, put it on a shelf above many others in the genre. Of course, I could only be describing the game's excellent audiovisual feedback, something that catches the eye.

During this review, I'd already given you a few clues, but playing the game and seeing the beautiful new artwork, especially in terms of the country's culture and the new cars, it's impossible not to like what's been delivered, and with a soundtrack of its own, produced by Barry Leitch (composer of Top Gear), the audio system isn't far behind either. Not only that, but the sound design of all our movements is very well produced. The clearest example I have in mind is when, on the map of Porto Alegre, we pass by Beira-Rio and Arena do Grêmio (the stadiums of the Internacional and Grêmio football teams, respectively). We can hear the sound of cheering fans.

For me, this is the kind of detail that separates an ordinary game from something outstanding, and here, the developers got it very right: the game is beautiful, with good gameplay, and ends with excellent technical details for the player to fall in love with for good and play for hours to get everything unlocked!

Thanks to the Aquiris Games Studio PR Team for making Aquiris Game Studio available and making it possible to create this content.

Horizon Chase 2 is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC.