Parking Garage Rally Circuit is a tightly-designed arcade racer that delivers a nostalgic shot of PS1-era graphics and ska music straight to the veins. Developed by Tim “Walaber” FitzRandolph, this game has been hailed as the best arcade racer of 2024 and potentially the most enjoyable driving game of the year. The game offers four graphic options based on 90s consoles, PC ports, and emulation.
Opting for the traditional 32-bit visuals celebrates the era beautifully. Players are taken on a grand tour across the U.S., featuring eight circuits for three classes of cars: Light, Heavy, and Ultra. Despite the grandeur of the locations, the race action humorously takes place in drab parking garages.
Famous sites like Mount Rushmore, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Space Needle merely set the scene before the action shifts to mundane concrete structures. True to its 90s arcade roots, the game includes an off-the-line boost essential for achieving gold times. Quirky mechanics, like cars being locked in first gear and unable to exceed 37 mph without boosting, add to the fun.
The game features a cartoonishly responsive drifting mechanic, critical for navigating tight hairpin bends and sequential turns. Boosting becomes a central element of the game, using a chain boosting mechanic that raises car speed incrementally through successful drifts.
Nostalgic arcade racing enlivens gameplay
This mechanic, while adding speed, also requires players to balance it against tight tracks where slow and steady often wins the race. Players compete against three medal-colored ghosts in single-player mode, which serve as helpful guides in early races. Successfully competing unlocks ghosts from other Steam accounts, enhancing the challenge.
Even after clearing all 24 races, the game maintains its appeal by encouraging players to improve their times and find new shortcuts. The game has a few quirks, such as front-heavy cars that can affect landings or chain boosts. Additionally, unpredictable gravity can cause cars to flip, although a self-righting mechanic mitigates this issue quickly.
Respawning tends to be problematic on bigger tracks with fewer checkpoints, and the initial music settings keep an excellent ska-punk soundtrack from The Holophonics too quiet. For $10, Parking Garage Rally Circuit delivers a fantastic retro experience, offering tons of replay value and a challenge for completionists. Walaber has pledged to bring the game to the Switch if it sells 50,000 copies and to release a Sega Saturn version at 100,000 copies.
This indie gem combines simplicity and complexity into one of the most enjoyable arcade racers available. Don’t miss out.
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