Retro Drifting with Old School Rally

Channeling the look and feel of late ‘90s rally racing titles, Old School Rally isn’t shy about its inspirations. From the game’s nostalgia-inducing pixelated visuals to its energetic techno soundtrack, Frozen Lake Games has crafted an affectionate homage to the PlayStation era.

If you ever played any of early Colin McRae Rally titles (which morphed into the Dirt series), expect Old School to arouse memories of careening across digital soil and tarmac. A bit of modernization ensures veterans will be satisfied. But there’s also enough accessibility so that newcomers shouldn’t be dissuaded, if they’re willing to practice.

Missing Some of Colin’s Complexities

Any respectable rally game needs a robust physics system, and this is where Old School Rally urges comparison to the early Colin McRae games. Codemasters delivered an unprecedented simulation that communicated handling across different kinds of surfaces, a faithful sense of weight transfer, and even vehicular damage. For better or worse, Old School Rally adopts a slightly more arcade-oriented approach.

Undoubtedly, the cars in Old School Rally are agile and responsive, allowing players to trace winding curves and whip around tight hairpins. But at present, the game doesn’t distinctly communicate differences in grip. As such, snow, gravel, and tarmac mostly offer visual variety; you won’t be adapting your driving style for each different type of surface. For better or worse, the focus is on fast-paced fun. Mostly, mastering the art of handbraking around corners is Old School’s core challenge.

Trickier Than an S Curve

But make no mistake, beating the stage times of your AI competitors is certainly a challenge. A single spin-out or collision with a tree can ruin any hope for a podium celebration. And while rally racing aficionados might appreciate the challenge, others without honed reflexes might wish that Old School had multiple difficulty settings. While I thought the level of challenge was fair, colleagues who weren’t Church of Petrol parishioners struggled.

Despite the game’s arcade leanings, Old School Rally isn’t completely detached from reality. Likely, you’ll notice the weight and inertia of cars. And while the damage modeling isn’t too sophisticated, seeing dents and hearing the breaking of windows contributes a bit of authenticity. That said, the default steering and braking responsiveness seems to be set too low. As such, navigating some of the winding tracks in China seems unfair without a trip to the settings menu. Fortunately, the game does offer co-driver call-outs. They’re not as good as McRae’s pacing notes but are definitely helpful when you’re learning a stage.

A Solid Sprint Toward the Finish Line

At present, the Early Access version already offers 25+ cars, 22 tracks, 4 weather options, and multiple liveries. When factoring in multiple game modes, that range from Arcade, Daily Challenge, Rally, and Time Trial, Old School feels delightfully robust. If Frozen Lake Games can also improve the physics and surface grip systems and reduce the grind requiring for unlocking extra cars, the title could be a serious contender. For anyone fatigued by the abundance of DLC and always-online requirements of modern racers, Old School Rally certainly deserves a look.