Octane Remix

Michishige is my waifu, and so is Ludwig and Akash.
Idk how i did it, but i manage to drive into every single stationary sawblade, yet when there was a 100,000,000 Lazers, i never get hit. But honestly here is a good review for the game.
Music / 10
i give it a solid 7, its never annoying or distracting like some other racing games i have played before (cough cough need for speed for the ps2) One of the songs gave me jetpack joyride vibes, and since i used to nerd that game, it was a pleasant suprise.
Gameplay / 10
i would stick with the solid 7. It has its quirks here and there (especially with falling off the map) but there is nothing but good gameplay elements, it works and is fun, it gives me heartattacks when i try dodging 100 flying objects at the same time. I enjoy it
Skill / 10
8, Hard to Master yet easy to get into.
I was thrown into the game, understood what i needed to do and then proceeded to die twice, then i figured out what i did wrong an survived for 30min, before exploding into bits, Did i fuck up a lot of driving? yes!, did i drive way to fast? YES, Did i enjoy learning when to drive fast and when to slow down? Yes, Can i drift? y...yes? honestly i drove through a lot of things, because i was invinisble. (<3 Akash)
Visual Design / 10
8, there were some smaller elements here and there that left me confused or that i wished i had, like a camera backwards so i can see the firewall. But i never get lost, everything is shiny and bright but the important stuff still sticks out enough i can make decisions in good time.
Overall.
7.5 / 10

I enjoyed the controls with it feeling very, very satisfying to control. ending up with me zoning out to a podcast for quite a bit of time and for the developer's first outing, I would say it was interesting.
But I would also warn that Prices set expectations. and the expectation of a £20 game is far too high for what is delivered. (I paid £18 with the 10% Introductory offer)
While a lot of the obstacles in the track are fun and fair some (mainly the Rocks in the Road) are more arbitrary punishment, they will often show after a jump in a way you can not dodge or make you take sharp corners the controls do not lean into either destroying the pace of the game or just making you take damage through no fault of the player.
Similarly, the missiles feel more like RNG than something you can avoid a rear-view mirror pops up when they are inbound but even then on a 4k monitor, I feel it helped in no way.
Instead, I would advise the missile passes the player and then the player will have to dodge where the missile will impact. thus not slowing down the game-play loop and fairly challenging the player.
I like the art style is serviceable with an honourable mention to whoever did the level portals, which were un-ironically very cool. Though the art clashes in places with 2d over 3d in the main menu (but I feel that is more the team dealing with limitations)
The UI in the menu feels a bit lifeless and overheating needs to be made more clear than a translucent warning, as there is a lot for the player to be paying attention to. I would also advise a pe-overheating warning.
The goal or purpose is not clear. when you boot up the game. What you are doing and why is very unclear.
(I can only assume they had no play-testers going in blind so they did not have to deal with people who did not know things the other devs did not, or the play-testers were friends who were too afraid to give criticism when needed for fear of offending)
When I went into what I assume is "the campaign" it drops you into a star fox-style map and I assume I have to get to the other side, but why and for what reason, lord knows.
and what things on the map are is not clear, I feel like the UI should give tool-tips on what things do when you hover over them when in the over map.
On the point of things not being clear, when in a race what I must assume are AI's pop up out of the void, Why? I don't know, as nothing about the narrative or why we are doing what we are doing is clear. I feel like it is meant to make you feel like you are not alone, but in reality, they spawn in you kicking you off the track and both kill the flow of the game and punish you for no reason.
It would be cool if these were no-clip ghosts of some other players/friends on the same track with their Steam ID visible. (But I do not know if that is in the dev's scope)
If nothing else the AI's needs to start when the player does so they do not kick the player off the track for no reason. (and maybe keep a permanent rear-view mirror)
If nothing else there needs to be an overarching narrative even if as basic as "they get a wish granted if they win" (like in the Twisted Metal and Micro Maniacs Games for the PS1) so there is purpose to everything.
I know it seems like I am just ragging the game, but I see an Indi game pushing for a hardly catered-for arcade racer niche that used to be very popular in the late 1990's and early 2000's and despite its many, MANY flaws. if the Devs work hard they could turn this into a very good game that scratches the itch that niche needs scratching. But for now, I would say it is over-priced, and in need of major Narrative, UI, and game-play changes.

(I know the devs.)
This is a stylish and pleasing racing game.
The game feels cohesive in its visuals, its sound design and its overall game feel. It has a very clear vision and it shows. It's a fast, flashy neon racing game and it's felt throughout.
While the game is fun, it isn't quite as difficult nor punishing as the description had lead me to believe. To me it's not a game that requires much intense focus most of the time, but rather a game that'll allow you zone out in its atmosphere. I played a lot of it while talking to a friend. It's not necessarily a criticism as I still enjoyed playing; it depends on what you're looking for. Note that this review is written before the upcoming release of the level editor, which may allow you to better tailor the difficulty to your preference.
The core game plays and feels great and the different cars feel meaningfully distinct and quite balanced. Some upgrades are definitely felt more than others, my main example being that sideways dash which I'd choose over just about anything else. A few overarching things beyond the core game do lack explanation and there are a few rough edges which do make themselves apparent on occasion. That said, I value the core gameplay above all, and this game gets the feel just right. This game is a few adjustments away from a cool, streamlined experience and I'm hopeful we'll see those last few hiccups ironed out in the near future.
Vroom vroom!
PS. I award bonus points for the very detailed and responsive controller rumble

I had a good time getting all the achievements :)