Neodori Forever Review

Low poly meets high speeds with the release of Strobetano and Crescent Moon Games’ Neodori Forever. Should players get to cruising this good ol’ world of windmills and thrills, or is it more of a wipeout?

Neodori Forever Review

For those expecting something on par with the low poly 32-bit action of Hotshot Racing, dial those expectations back – a lot. Neodori Forever takes things back a few decades with a game that manages to be even simpler than SEGA’s 1986 OutRun.

In this title, players are given a slick ride (one of 27, in fact) and are tasked with making it from one point to the other without running out of gas. No need to worry about the clock running out; as long as there’s some fuel in the tank and you don’t cause too much damage to your car, you’ll be able to make it to the next zone. Be careful though; those that peter out will explode in a fiery blaze set to a copyright-dodging version of Toto’s Africa.

If anything, Neodori Forever is a downgrade to SEGA’s Ferrari loving classic. It’s not just the overall structure; there’s no alternate paths or even alternative songs to choose from. Rather, it’s the handling that ultimately does this title in; the 1981 Cyanus is simply far too stiff with its steering. There is a designated drift button, but that too is a bit borked, with it overcompensating with a drift that is downright manic. Not even the boost can get people out of a pickle; there’s simply no reason to break out the nitrous. This isn’t a goldilocks situation; Neodori Forever just can’t get things right.

There are a few things to spice up the overall gameplay though. A number of coins await players throughout the track, which can be collected as players race by. There’s also a number of speed traps and rival racers that one should be mindful of; one comes across any one of those and they’ll have to contend with an officer of the law or speedster looking to cause damage and get you off the road or make you eat their dust.

All of these features are nice gestures, but there’s simply no urgency to everything. Neodori Forever wraps up each level in just a few minutes, and there’s no continuation between each level, so one simply needs to get to the end of each stage to progress. New levels are unlocked after the previous ones, which is nice, but the entirety of the game can be wrapped up sooner rather than later.

That’s not inherently a bad thing; titles like SEGA’s Daytona USA managed to make an impact with just three tracks to its name. However, there’s simply no challenge here; there’s some curves and cars to contend with, sure, but it’s just a bit too lackadaisical and low stakes to prevent people from giving their all. It’s almost as if all of the care went into the graphical design than the content of the game itself.

Neodori Forever might look the part, but the stiff driving quickly gives away the fact that this racer is a poser. Those pining for days gone by best stick with the tried and true.

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This review of Neodori Forever was done on the PC. The game was purchased digitally.