‘Horizon Chase 2’ Review – The Best Mobile Arcade Racer Takes a Victory Lap
Horizon Chase (Free) by Aquiris, a great arcade racer, has been on the App Store for seven years. Since then, the game has been on its own tour, going to a lot of different platforms and adding new things to play all the time. We finally got a sequel when Horizon Chase 2 () roared onto the Apple Arcade service about a month ago. The game will be released to a wider audience in 2023. Since then, I've been playing the game nonstop, so I thought I'd write a review in case anyone needs a push.
Horizon Chase 2 is a lot like the first game, which was a tribute to classic arcade racers like Gremlin's Top Gear/Lotus and SEGA's Out Run. Races are high-speed events with lots of sharp turns, nitro boosts, and crashes that hurt. The colors are bright, the music is loud, and the physics are more about having fun than being accurate. Horizon Chase 2 is a good racing game, but as a sequel, it also has to do something else. It also needs to show what it has to offer that the first game didn't. This can be hard to do when the first game just got new updates a few months ago.
If you just start playing, the first big difference is clear. The simple, flat-shaded, low-poly look of the original game, which was nice, has been replaced by something a bit more impressive to look at. There are more things along the track with more detail, better visual effects, and a more complex look all around. The tracks go up and down a lot, and you'll go to places that the first game didn't bother to take us. Surprisingly, the game hasn't lost any of its charm from when it was first made. It reminds me a little bit of how Out Run 2 was able to make the graphics much better than the first game without losing its "blue skies" energy.
On the other hand, the sound track sticks to what works. That means Barry Leitch is coming back to give the game a bouncy, early 1990s-style synth sound. I wouldn't say it's better than the original, but it fits right in next to it. Definitely a good reason to play with the sound on. I can't believe how quickly and easily Leitch can set the scene and stakes of a race in the first few seconds of each track. Like the best video game soundtracks, it's as important to the game's personality as the graphics.
The online multiplayer is the other big change that stands out. In theory, the new Playground will let you race against other people in changing events. I have to say that in the month I've been playing this game, I haven't always been able to find other people online. Most of the time, I race against AI bots, which means I probably don't need online play. I guess this is the price to pay for the game being temporarily only available on one service on one platform. At least for now, if you want to play against other people, you'll probably have to make plans with your friends or use the game's official Discord server.
But hey, even if you never go to the Playgrounds, there's still a lot to do. The World Tour mode is back, and it takes you to a whopping fifty-five new courses in five different countries. The variety of these courses is great, and when you add in the improved graphics, it's easy to get distracted by them while you're racing on them. The difficulty curve is the same as in other games. The first few races are easy enough for anyone to win, but as you go on, the races get harder and harder until you're sweating bullets. I think the tracks in this game are already better than the ones in the first, which isn't easy to do.
Horizon Chase 2 plays like a lot of other games in terms of how it works. Like the music, this is something that didn't need to be fixed. You get the same heavy-yet-light feeling as in the first game. This is a system that veterans of Top Gear and Lotus are used to, but it is now used on much more difficult course layouts. It's just as exciting as ever to weave between your opponents, hit the nitro at just the right time to fly to the front of the pack, and narrowly avoid crashing into a signboard as you lean like hell into a tight curve. Horizon Chase 2 is just plain fun to drive, just like the first game. What could you want more of?
Of course, you also need to think about the unlockables and upgrades. As you race, you'll unlock new tracks, cars, and customizations, and you can use the currency you've earned to tune your favorite car to your liking. When you use a car in a race, it gains experience, and when it gains a level, you can change its stats. At the start of the game, you can choose from five very different cars. You'll be able to play ten more, and if the first game is any indication, I'm sure that number will keep growing. Still, the way the upgrade system works gives you a reason to stick with a car you like. Well, if you want to, you can always grind up another one. It just means there will be more races, which is fine.
Is there something else I need to say? This game's touch controls feel a little better than the first, but that could just be because the user interface is set up better. You can, of course, use a separate controller if you'd like. I found that there was a little more lag when I played that way, but it wasn't too bad. This is just how Bluetooth devices work. You can now try to get some new Achievements, and some of them are pretty smart. Oh, I forgot to talk about the Tournament mode, which can be unlocked. It's just a way to play some quick challenges when you don't want to get into World Tour. More scoops of ice cream on top of a mountain of sweets that was already teetering.
Horizon Chase fans will enjoy Horizon Chase 2. Even if you haven't played the first game, you can jump right into this one and have a lot of fun. In some ways, it's a natural follow-up to the first game, but I don't see what's wrong with that when the first game was so good. I had actually stopped paying for Apple Arcade, but I signed up again right away for Horizon Chase 2. It did not disappoint me. Now all we have to do is get people online to do a little more. We hope that problem will get better on its own over time.
