Why is a racing game so talky?

The game begins with a quick race to help teach the controls. The goal of the race is to keep the music going, and if you don’t hit the gates fast enough, you’re out of time and the music stops. It’s a fun mode to help you figure out which button does what.

When it ends, the game kicks you out to a map and a narrator who helps you know where to go next. They bring you to a car dealer, and a cafe, and and and. At each spot, there are lines and lines of dialogue teaching you a very simple concept. The dialogue is all text-based and goes on for far too long.

When the game finally gets back into race mode, it gets interesting—learning the lines to get around the track as efficiently as possible, learning the delicate balance of gas and break, learning just how close you can get your car to a competitor without wrecking both of your cars. The whole experience was meditative and satisfying. I’d love to check out a few more tracks before putting the game down.

As well, the game is PSVR2 accessible, so I will be interested to see how the experience changes in virtual reality.

Verdict: A satisfying experience (except for the talking) that I will return to.