Developed by the small team over at Canadian studio Original Fire Games, whose previous releases Circuit Superstars and Kart Superstars, iRacing Arcade follows in the same mold, delivering a pretty, beginner friendly racing experience that is a step above your usual arcade-styled offering. Going against the norm set by its ambitious and demanding bigger brother, this one is quite easy to get going with, but thanks to a very decent career mode and progression, it not only appeals to newcomers to the racing genre, but those looking for something quick to throw a few minutes into now and then.
Not to say that iRacing Arcade is a throwaway experience in any way. First and foremost, it’s a very good looking game that isn’t at all heavy on resources. It has a surprisingly great lighting model for starters, and even though car models are simple, they are decently textured in a way that makes them look good, although not entirely realistic. The tracks themselves are also less detailed and gel well with all the action that goes down in them while also feeling very lived in, better yet, raced in.
When it comes to modes, there’s nothing particularly outstanding about what’s available here. Aside from the aforementioned career mode that has you slowly climbing up the racing ladder earning new and better cars along the way, as you are able to perform in more demanding leagues as with the usual racing game. Outside of that, you get to play in – unsurprisingly – arcade, as the game’s title suggests, and time trial.
What makes iRacing Arcade stand out from the rest, much like Rally Arcade Classics, which I reviewed last year, is its racing model. It doesn’t skew the line between realistic and arcadey controls, keeping an equal distance in the middle of the two, allowing for some skill to develop while not being inherently too easy. It’s a little more down to Earth than say Super Mario Kart, but not quite to the point of a Need for Speed game. You won’t have trouble getting into this one at all, and it’s just deep enough to keep you wanting to come back for more after apparently mastering it in the first few hours of play.
For what it is, iRacing Arcade works. It’s not meant to be as demanding as actual iRacing, working as more than a distraction thanks to its more laidback approach and delivery. Thanks to its engrossing progression path, it ends up getting addictive enough for you to keep it around your hard drive for those moments when the racing itch can be scratched by a few minutes of going around a track without much commitment. In that, it works brilliantly.
