A dual review, from Ultan and Bens perspective.
Part 1, Ultan’s perspective.
Race Jam is a love letter to the golden age of arcade racing, bursting onto Steam with the vibrant energy of a 90s Saturday morning cartoon. Developed by DiffGames, this indie gem channels the spirit of classics like Sonic R and Mario Kart, delivering a high-octane experience that’s as exhilarating as it is nostalgic. While it’s not without its flaws, particularly some rough edges around its water mechanics, it’s a thrilling ride that’ll have you grinning ear to ear.
A Nostalgic Masterpiece
From the moment you fire up Race Jam, you’re transported back to the days of clunky CRT monitors and Sega Genesis soundtracks. The tracks are a visual feast, drawing heavy inspiration from Sonic’s iconic loops, ramps, and checkered landscapes. One moment you’re blazing through a neon-lit cityscape reminiscent of Sonic Adventure’s Speed Highway, the next you’re drifting across a desert track that feels plucked from Sonic & All-Stars Racing. The cartoonish, anime-infused 3D art style pops with bold colors and exaggerated designs, making every race feel like a victory lap through your childhood. The soundtrack (though not detailed in previews) pulses with retro beats, perfectly syncing with the adrenaline of chaining boost cancels and soaring over ramps.
The game’s Tour mode, with over 99 missions, is a standout, weaving a single-player campaign that’s both challenging and rewarding. Unlocking new vehicles and discovering track secrets feels like cracking open a fresh pack of Pokémon cards. Multiplayer modes recapture the chaotic joy, while modes like Chase (evading cops) and Stunt (pulling off air rotations and grinds) keep the gameplay fresh. The “fire meter,” which boosts speed after flashy moves, adds a layer of skill that rewards showboating, making every race feel like a performance.
Rough Around the Edges
For all its brilliance, Race Jam stumbles in a few areas, most notably when you veer off the track into water. The water effects are a letdown, rather than splashing or rippling, the water simply disappears beneath your vehicle. It’s a jarring glitch that feels out of place in an otherwise polished package. These rough patches are forgivable given the game’s indie roots and ambitious scope.
Why It Shines
What elevates Race Jam is its heart. The absence of microtransactions, every cosmetic and vehicle part is earned through gameplay, feels like a warm hug from an era before loot boxes. The “Dad mode” ensures casual players can enjoy the ride, while advanced techniques like boost cancels and flawless boosts give veterans plenty to master. The Gauntlet mode, where you tackle every track consecutively with random perks, think of it like a rogue-like mode.
The utter beauty of Race Jam lies in its ability to make you feel like a kid again, joystick in hand, racing against friends while a cheesy 90s pop song blares in the background. Tracks inspired by Sonic and other classics aren’t just a gimmick, they’re a time machine, blending modern mechanics with retro soul. Whether you’re ramming opponents to knock them out, repairing your ride at the cost of speed, or building custom “RaceKits” to flex your style, every moment feels crafted with love.
Final Lap
Race Jam is a must-play for anyone who grew up on arcade racers or craves a fresh take on the genre. Its nostalgic tracks, inspired by Sonic’s timeless charm, are a visual and emotional triumph, even if water hazards and minor bugs occasionally stall the engine. DiffGames has delivered a near-masterpiece that’s as fun to play solo as it is with friends. Wishlist it on Steam, crank up the volume, and get ready to drift back to the 90s.
Part 2, Ben’s perspective.
Well what more can I say other than it really does Jam? Review over. Only kidding! A retro racer which brings an old school vibe back to life, racing into your library as it should! It gave me a sense of nostalgia and really gave me that feel as if I was in an arcade, playing on a machine with those little toggles again!
Time to dive into the Engine of the review and really get to shifting the gears, I enjoyed the music which gave me that hip hop upbeat feel of those retro racers, where you’re hitting 100 mph, a flock of seagulls playing in the background and a blurred vision in front of you of the racetrack ahead, or in this case a plethora of tracks which are all vibrant and colourful alike.
Speaking of Tracks – the events you race in on tour mode are awesome, each with their own unique twist and background, each with their own textures and comic book, retro style vibe which give you a feel of an arcade game that you’ve just slotted a coin into!
Me personally, I feel like every race is a challenge and it’s not just a blow away race like many other racing games feel, the CPU in the game is actually good and they battle you all the way, not just that they try to actually blow you away, take to much damage? Goodbye car as you blow into a puff of smoke and the opposition race away!
The options of vehicles you have also! It gives you a feel of Simpsons Hit n Run with the choice from a standard muscle car to an ice cream truck! Each with its own style and each with its own unique name! None of this “ice cream racer” they have their own name tags to suit the vehicle and I think it adds that personal touch from the developer that they really care about what they are putting out!
Gameplay is pretty solid! Touch screen (on the steam deck) can be a little unresponsive sometimes however aside from that i couldn’t really pick apart the game in terms of how it plays. It’s a solid racer that doesn’t feel out of place next to those big name racer games you know, and I feel that this game holds a candle to those for sure!
I highly recommend the retro racer that is Race Jam, it could easily become your new favourite and it’s super easy to get used to! I played this on Steam Deck and it should be verified out the box, get your hands on this! My personal rating for this would be a solid 9/10! From the steam deck, again touching on the touch screen (pardon the pun) if that was optimized slightly it could easy be touching 10s!
Both of us agreed upon a 9/10
