Riptide GP: Renegade

Riptide GP: Renegade may be a small title, but it delivers a surprisingly engaging jet ski racing experience with a few cons to consider
Short Info:
Content & Value
It took me seven hours to complete Riptide GP: Renegade and earn all the achievements. For those interested in achievements, the game is not easy to complete if you're a casual gamer because of the difficulty curve. You actually need some gaming skills towards the end
Mode
Single Player & Multiplayer
Controller Recommended?
Yes
Is it worth buying?
Yes, I got it in a Fanatical bundle with Riptide 2 for €0.50 each, and at that price it's definitely worth it. Check out the prices of keys from official sources to get the best value for money
In-Depth
You're sitting in your car, driving across the asphalt and overtaking one opponent after another. You might think: "Why is this so boring?".. Yes? Then you're just like me. The more realistic the simulation, the more I start to yawn. However, there are two things that can quickly wake me up again: Either we delete the word "simulation" and replace it with "fun" (Mario Kart sends its regards), or we leave the road and head for the water (like in Wave Race on the N64). I've been hooked on jet ski racing ever since I raced my first laps over waves in Wave Race 64. But other developers are struggling to recreate this feeling in their games. So, is Riptide really that good? Spoiler: yes, but be prepared for a steep difficulty curve and a repetitive racing track experience that may prove challenging for some.
Story
The setting is the first surprise for us and got me hooked immediately. Instead of tropical beaches with dolphins and steel drums, we find ourselves in a rather bleak future. Illegal hydrojet races are held in flooded ruins, and you must navigate one of these until you are caught by the police. Having been betrayed and expelled from the "Riptide GP" league, you must race one race after another to restore your reputation and build a new crew. You will face both human and robotic opponents, as well as waves and police officers who will also get in your way.
Gameplay & Stunts
Sometimes we glide smoothly over calm waters; at other times, huge waves fly us into the air, inviting us to perform spectacular stunts that you can unlock for SP (Level ups). In some places, choosing the right route through the ever-changing landscape is crucial. Should we glide smoothly along the wave or let it slow us down to perform stunts? Although it's not as varied or old-fashioned as the genre's role model, Wave Race, it definitely gets the job done. There, forward and backward movements also influenced the sharpness of the turns or the position of the jet ski in the air. In Riptide GP: Renegade, the controls are more" two-dimensional", not bad or unsuccessful, but not perfect either.
You can also discover shortcuts to help you gradually master the routes. Occasionally, police officers will try to block your way or slow you down with their jet skis. However, this is only a minor annoyance, as they won't be able to stop or handcuff you unlike in Need For Speed: Most Wanted. Furthermore, when you come into contact with your opponents, you won't fall into the water, that's one big exception at least. Usually, you'll feel a slight "bump" in the battle for position, but it won't stop you completely. I really like that because it's not easy to reach the top of the field later on anyway. A fall can set you back, but the risk of this is particularly high with failed stunts.
When you are launched into the air by high waves or ramps, you can perform stunts using different combinations of the two sticks. These take varying amounts of time to complete. The crucial question is whether you will complete the stunt before landing back in the water. Depending on your speed, the height of the waves and the environment's design, you will have different amounts of time to complete the stunt, so you should think carefully about whether to attempt one. In some familiar spots, it's a sure thing, but in others, where the environment changes dynamically, it can be a gamble. You may realise while in flight that an even more complex stunt would have been possible. Or you may realise before landing: "Whoops, this isn't going to work" If you are successful, your turbo bar fills up – more for complex stunts than simple ones that take less time. With the push of a button, you get extra speed until the bar is empty again.
Pacing & Variety
The gameplay is ultimately successful and enjoyable, albeit not perfect. In career mode, it is spiced up with a variety of challenges. Sometimes, you compete against seven opponents in classic races, most of which consist of two or three laps. However, there are also slalom courses where your mistakes are added to your overall score, as well as your time. In freestyle races, you must perform as many different stunts as possible within a set time to earn the most points. You will not be rewarded for repeatedly performing the same stunt, as this results in you losing points. In elimination races, the countdown runs repeatedly until the last driver is eliminated. Finally, there are "boss battles" where you have to race against a special character. You are simply challenged to a one-on-one duel and must use all your skills to be the first to cross the finish line. One mistake could cost you the victory.
Criticism
Your turbo is a one-use item, no matter how full the bar is. You can't control it, and once activated, you'll use it until it's empty again. The "mobile" implementation is definitely noticeable in many areas, as it would be much smoother if you could control how long the boost lasts. The difficulty curve in the middle of the game is also rather steep for some reason. It feels like a mobile game without microtransactions. At some point, it feels as though you're forced to spend money or grind in order to get a faster jet ski and improve your speed enough to win. This might be problematic for some people who aren't "gamers" like me and prefer a more casual approach. My third and final criticism is the lack of variety in the tracks. I played this game for seven hours and only saw eight tracks in total. Yes, eight. Players have to complete these eight levels a hundred times in different challenges to finish the story mode. To be honest, if the game were half the size with the same variety of eight tracks, it would be an objectively better game. It's tedious and unnecessarily long, with the same thing repeated over and over again.
Conclusion
Riptide GP: Renegade is a relatively small title, but it's a fairly successful jet ski racing game. While it doesn't quite measure up to the legendary Wave Race series, it's highly recommended for fans due to the lack of alternatives.
Up to four players can compete against each other via split screen. There is also an online mode which suffers somewhat from a small player base and uneven duels due to players having different jet skis. However, the upgrade system works much better in single-player mode, providing challenging yet motivating tasks. The lack of variety in the courses and repetitive elements is somewhat offset by spectacular events on the tracks and the successful jet ski feel. If you're ready to face a variety of challenges in choppy waters, give Riptide GP: Renegade a try, especially since it only costs 0,50€ / 1,00€ on a sale.
Final Verdict: 7/10 - Short & Sweet, but flawed in some areas
If you want another good alternative, feel free to check out Wave Break:

Super fun game, especially multiplayer. My remarks are pretty much what all the other people before me commented on. My biggest gripe about playing this game in single player is the difficulty. If you are playing on PC, once you get to the Firewater cop race, just give up. It's a really fun game up until that point. My friends and I have easily spent 10 hours on that one race and, even with the shortcuts and at the easiest setting, the best we've done is come in second (once). What is the point of having a difficulty selection?

Keep in mind this is a mobile port.
But it's very well optimised and thoroughly enjoyable on PC.
Def scratches the wave race nostalgia feeling.

Really fun game, even if it gets a bit repetitive with the relatively low amount of tracks the game has to offer. Really reminds me of games like SSX, Wave Race and Jet Moto... (please bring back Jet Moto I am BEGGING you, I am on my hands and knees.)

I picked this up for like $3 USD and it was money well spent. Haven't seen many water racing games that are any good for years. Pick it up on sale, it is well worth the money.

I haven't played a ton of aquatic racing games, and for any that I have, it's been too long to know how they compare to Riptide. What I can say though is that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's got 10 different transforming watercraft to unlock and upgrade throughout the career mode, and although I wasn't too interested in it, seems offer the player a fair bit of customization. As you level up you will gain money and skill points to upgrade your craft and unlock increasingly stylish tricks to be used in the 4 different event types: Race, Elimination, Slalom, and Freestyle. Each track has a lot of personality, and although you end up playing them multiple times, they never feel stale. What I enjoyed most about this game are the times you get sent soaring into the sky by massive boosts and discovering the shortcuts in each level, which become quite useful during the endgame boss challenges. I should also mention that I played this almost entirely on Steamdeck and it works flawlessly.

if you have ever played hydro thunder then you know what the game is about
the graphics are great for the era this game was made
the audio is good although somewhat repetitive
where this game fly's is the sheer fun you get racing about in the water stunting
if you love racing and jet-skis you will love this
recommended 9/10
wish modern games were half this .
controllers tested
xbox one perfect
playstation 3 perfect
xinput really good with some small confusions on buttons
steam deck .. totally fantastic runs and plays like a dream