To start this year’s Racing Month, it seems right to look at something released earlier this year. Indie developers seem to be getting into a groove with racing games recently, and nowhere is that more apparent than with New Star GP. Developed by New Star Games, this Formula 1 through the decades racer has a nice retro feel to its visuals. Which is right at home on the Switch, along with its arcade style mechanics.

To start with, Championship mode. I’d selected this over the career mode so I could immediately jump into some races. Choose an era, choose a driver, then see the cups available on the world map. Some are immediately available while others are locked until a certain number of cups have been won. I chose the first available cup, which presented three short route tracks.

Since this is an F1-inspired game, tyre wear and fuel consumption are things to be wary of. With all the advantages and disadvantages those two things bring. How much fuel do I want to start with? A full tank on hard tyres so I can pit as late as possible? That is the strategy I’d quickly adopted. And it is one that seems to work quite well. Pit stops are easy to navigate, with shoulder buttons controlling fuel, stick and A to select tyres. B to quit from the menu and get back to the track.

As for the racing, it feels great. There’s a nice responsiveness to the controls so that when it comes to fighting for position, I’m the only one to blame should crashes be had. Letting go of the accelerator without touching the brake does seem to slow the car quite fast, but those brakes are still needed when it comes to tighter turns. A boost is available which refills each lap. Very handy for quick acceleration out of a tight turn.

In completing that first cup, and returning to the world map, I noticed something. Creation Mode. This is a very good addition, especially with the options it gives. There’s the usual number of races and laps per race options. Track variant options, with each having a long and short one, as well as whether racing these tracks in reverse. Then there’s options that really change things up. Especially the option to disable pit stops, which also disables fuel consumption and tyre wear.

Once I’d had my fill with Championship Mode, I turned my attention to the career. From first booting the game up, the game had made me create a racer for this career mode. And also have a tutorial drive, which introduced everything I’d previously talked about. So when it comes to start the first decade of the career, everything is set for me to jump straight into it.

The loop of this career mode is simple enough. Each decade represents one championship of ten races. A GP race must be completed to move onto the next track, but before it are a few other events. A player can easily just focus on the GP races without touching the other events, but doing so misses out on extra bux and cups that are needed to develop as a racer.

Those extra events can involve time trials, checkpoint races, or even racing the tracks in reverse. These are good ways to get familiar with the track to the point the test drive event can be ignored. Not like that gives any rewards anyway. Although, if you really want to experiment with pit stop strategies, doing a test drive of a track is the best way of doing so.

And it’s also where you can drive these vehicles to destruction. Just me on the track, pit stop active. Couldn’t help but wonder how damage works. Since these first races will barely see any wear of components to such a critical degree. So, driving begins. Aside from fuel, nothing is touched. Not even tyres. Eventually, I’m seeing failures on the car. Tyre blowouts, gearbox jammed, suspension absolutely destroyed. And the effects of such are as expected. Just not to the point of being out of the race for good.

In terms of development, bux are used to improve components of the vehicle. Each upgrade has a decent effect on the vehicle which can be felt. Each five cups earned will unlock a perk. These perks can provide bonus bux, or have trackside effects such as reduced grip loss when off road. These light management aspects, with three other team members who the perks relate to, provide a way for someone to cater to their style.

There feels a love of the sport here with New Star GP. Even with it being an arcade racer, everything you’d expect from an F1-inspired game is here. Even the management calls and interviews that will affect the happiness of your crew or even rivals. A neat touch I enjoy is the emoticons of other drivers, showing their reaction to things happening on track.

As a racing fan, I’m loving it. New Star Games have provided a lot to enjoy with this one. A nice career mode to get stuck into. A championship mode that can also be played with one other person locally. Retro visuals that are very pleasing to look at, producing a fun vibe for the entire game. For me, New Star GP is an easy recommendation.

Images Taken From:
New Star GP | Nintendo Switch [Docked / Handheld]