Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Trackmania – Review
People often look at the Trackmania series when thinking about fast-paced races and beating high scores. The newest game in this franchise was released in 2020 for PC with its biggest selling point being its free-to-play model. Players could enjoy the core gameplay for free, with the option to enhance their experience with two subscription options. Now this game is coming to consoles to further increase the player base of this racing experience.
Story
A lot of racing games will include a minimal amount of story to give some background to the things you will be doing, and this can range from a narrated tutorial to a short campaign mode. Trackmania is the rare instance where it offers none of this. You’re here to race and that is exactly what the game offers with no time wasted. A small tutorial delivers a few tracks that introduce the different maneuvers and terrains you can encounter, but even this is optional.
Graphics
The game looks as good as it needs to be. The courses offer a variety of colorful surroundings that enhance the energetic feeling of the gameplay. Every time a new season of content is introduced, there is a clear design theme that makes the collection of levels feel like a cohesive experience. While the game does look nice, there are no hyper-realistic designs or effects, but this isn’t missed since the game focuses more on fun and engaging gameplay.
Sound
When a game delivers short bursts of fast-paced racing, you want the music to hit hard and get your blood pumping. This is exactly what Trackmania’s soundtrack delivers. The high energy of the techno soundtrack fits what’s happening on screen perfectly, delivering a great atmosphere together with the bright visual design.
Gameplay
Trackmania is a racing game that focuses on short races, some of them being even less than a minute long. As expected, it’s your goal to try and complete them as fast as possible. You won’t be racing against others directly, but you’re instead trying to beat their fastest times by playing courses over and over again. This is what is most fun about Trackmania, the mastering through repetition. The game controls really well, and the cars feel more floaty than your average racing game. This works well with the courses the game delivers since you’ll be flying through the air and taking loads of sharp turns. To further improve the fast-paced feeling of continuously replaying the same races, you’ll have a quick restart button at your disposal. This will bring you to the start or nearest checkpoint, so you can focus on specific parts that you want to improve.
Trackmania is split into a collection of game modes, often linked to the subscription you have. Firstly there is the free-to-play version of the game, which feels like a demo to see if the type of gameplay is your cup of tea. The core of this tier is a campaign that consists of 25 courses that change every three months. These courses deliver a fun experience but often remain pretty tame compared to the crazy courses the community-created levels can offer. Along with this campaign is a training course that acts as a small tutorial, and a simplified level editor where you can create courses with a limited amount of blocks. This tier is perfect for new players who want to see if Trackmania is their cup of tea or players who want to check out a few races every once in a while.
The second tier of content Trackmania offers, called Standard Access, would be considered the main experience. For a small price a year, players will get access to a bunch of content that makes the game feel like a full package. Aside from the current season, players will also have access to all the previous levels released since 2020. This means you’ll be able to try out hundreds of levels from the get-go, each with its own challenges and leaderboards to beat. While all of these courses deliver a fun time, they again tend to be pretty safe and can feel a bit repetitive after playing that many of them. This is where the core of the second tier comes in: the community-created courses. The expanded level creator offers a lot of options to create fun and unique levels, all thanks to easy-to-use controls and interfaces. Players will have access to thousands of these courses through special cups and a special track of the day chosen by the developers. The final addition is the multiplayer elements. This gives the option to race against others in real-time to achieve the best time and score points, or you can also enter a knock-out race where the fastest racer survives. All of this content delivers an almost endless supply of courses and a lot of variety, making it the best way to experience the racing of the game.
The final subscription, appropriately named Club Access, focuses a lot on the social aspect of the game. With this tier, you will be able to create private clubs and host servers to play with your friends. Aside from this, there is also the option to customize your car and give it a more personal touch. If you want to play with a dedicated group of friends or want to enter a more competitive scene, this subscription is for you. But if you only plan to play casually or alone, it’s best to stick with Standard Access.
Conclusion
Live service games are always a sensitive topic, but Trackmania proves that it can be done well. The fun and energetic gameplay is delivered with constant updates that make even the free-to-play version a great experience. The more community-driven content of Standard Access is what we consider the full racing experience and is definitely worth checking out for the low subscription price. The final tier, however, is only recommendable for people that want to play with an active community, especially since the price is triple that of Standard Access.
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