Synopsis:
Circuit Superstars is a top-down racer “built by racing fans, for racing fans,” combining easy to learn but hard to master arcade gameplay with in-race strategy.
Music and Sound Design: Plasma 3 Music (Pascal Michael Stiefel)
Publisher: Square Enix Collective
Reviewed on: PC (With PS5 DualSense Controller)
Also available for: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Developer: Original Fire Games
Created By: Carlos and Alberto Mastretta
Development Team: Alberto Mastretta, Carlos Mastretta, Carolina Mastretta, John Werner, Phillip Wardlaw, Ciccio Campbell
Circuit Superstars is a glorious throwback to top-down isometric arcade racers like Rock and Roll Racing, Micro Machines, and Super Off-Road Racer. Sure, retro-inspired racers may be a dime a dozen on Steam and other gaming storefronts across the years, but none have stood out and found an audience in such a spectacular way like this game. Developer Original Fire Games describes Circuit Superstars as “a game built by motor racing fans, for motor racing fans”. Although such a bold statement usually comes with a certain level of expectation and pressure, Original Fire Games not only delivers on their promise, but they come out in pole position. Superstars not only fills a niche, but it blows it wide open.
Racing games usually fall into one of two subgenres: arcade or simulation. The thing that makes Circuit Superstars stand out is that it nails the look, feel, and accessibility of an arcade game whilst still appeasing the devout motor racing fan with a plethora of modes and gameplay elements to scratch the simulation itch. Controls are quite simple. Throttle, brake, steer and reposition back to track. There are twelve different categories of vehicles representing different racing disciplines like Rally Cars, Euro Trucks, Muscle Cars, Porsche and F1 (represented by 60s, 80s and current GP cars). Each vehicle has its own Grand Prix, which can be played across five different difficulties. The difference between how each vehicle drives and handles is unique and impressive. Mastering each discipline relies on alternating when to brake or take your foot off the pedal to feather and drift around a corner, maximising every inch of the courses and lap times. My personal favourites include the Panther and Brusso (Porsche like cars) and the Storm, Mantra and Osprey (Old and new F1 cars). The way the GP like cars grip the track mirror the downforce of such vehicles in real life.
The other big appeal of Circuit Superstars is the arcade implementation of pit stops and strategy. A few cups in the Grand Prix mode require pits stops, but they can be applied to all classes in free play races or custom tournaments if enough laps are selected (the limit is fifty). Car, fuel and tire health meters are displayed at the bottom left of the screen, making fuel consumption and tire degradation a critical factor to pay attention to in each race. Too much oversteer or hard drifting into corners depletes your tire wear quicker, making it harder to nail corners and hit every apex. Same with having your foot full throttle. Although you can still drive, running out of fuel brings you to a crawl and will cost you massively. Thankfully pit stops aren’t too complicated. Pit lane speed limiters are automatic, and stopping in the correct box until your tires are changed or refuelled to your preferred level is as easy as stopping then taking off again. The perfect undercut or overcut is just as powerful in this arcade racer as its sim predecessors and just as satisfying when you time it right. The option of a warm-up lap and one-shot qualifying also adds fun realism. Can you imagine no item qualifying in Mario Kart!?
On the track, there is a clever penalty system implemented to punish those attempting to cut corners. Each tight guardrail-less corner has an elastic-like orange pole, and deviating on its inside or over it will slow you down and give you a temporary speed penalty. It will also temporarily make your car transparent so others can drive through you to overtake you. These can be punishing to lap times and holding track position but are a great essential feature. The ghost feature also applies to cars that are about to be lapped, making backmarkers less of a headache and having little impact on race results at the front of the pack. There is also a subtle racing line in the form of tire marks that can be turned on or off in the settings. These are cleverly only used after lap one and dynamically hidden in the shadowy part of the tracks or shine based on the sun’s reflections beaming down.
The use of shadows, lighting and overall visuals of the nineteen tracks across thirteen locations and car details look stunning. I predominately rotate between three to five different classes, so the tracks can be a bit repetitious in look and feel, but it’s nothing too major. Online or offline, it’s the variation and unpredictability of each race that is the appeal. My only criticism of the two modes is that offline difficulties ramp up to the degree that each corner has to be picture perfect and that even the slightest error will punish you, and you’ll be unable to recover from it ruining your race. These modes are more suited for hardcore sim players. Sadly, I feel stuck between two modes where I’m guaranteed to win or jump up to the other where it is too difficult (drive better, Buddy!). Online is good fun, but lobbies only allow between three alternating playlists that get voted on. It needs more customisation options as this even existed in a private lobby between my friends.
Circuit Superstars has also teamed up and recreated the world-famous Top Gear Test Track for the Top Gear Time Attack mode. Here you compete against the ghost times of top-tier world-famous Formula 1, Formula E, W-Series, Xtreme-E and eSports stars. Nothing like beating Lando Norris or top of the leaderboard, Romain Grosjean. The only downside was that once you finally best the F1 legend and current IndyCar racer, there is not much to do other than best your score. Adding a friend’s leaderboard or scores here would add some more longevity, replayability and fun. This mode also unlocks the famous Stig costume to be used in the garage, where you can customise your driver and livery from a host of designs and colours.
Circuit Superstars truly is built by motor racing fans, for motor racing fans. It effortlessly blends the appeal, controls and fun of arcade racing with simulation strategy involving tire degradation, fuel consumption and pit stops. The wheel-to-wheel racing and feeling of nailing a perfect corner, lap or pit stop timing is just as exciting as hitting someone with a green shell or timing the best power slide in Mario Kart. Finally, a game takes the best of both arcade and sim genres, filling a niche in the racing game market.
