We've been waiting a few years for another truly great Star Wars video game post-Jedi Survivor, and then two show up at once. First there was the addictive tactical battles of Star Wars: Zero Company, and now Star Wars: Galactic Racer has also arrived into the GOTY conversation.
I felt this arcade racer was in danger of slipping under the radar, lost in the ludicrously packed sea of new releases landing in September and October as every publisher under the sun tries to get new games out before GTA 6 arrives. I was wrong. Galactic Racer is making quite the splash, and after getting behind the wheel (yoke?) of a speeder myself, I totally see why.
This racing game set in a galaxy far, far away offers a white-knuckle sense of speed that few racers can rival. Skimming through the deserts of Jakku, the frozen wasteland of Ando Prime, or the lush jungles of Lantaana is a joy. Of course, it helps that the game looks and sounds phenomenal while doing it — even if you don’t have time to stop and admire the views.
However, it’s not the tight controls, authentic audio and visuals, or even the chance to try my hand at pod racing that has won me over. Star Wars: Galactic Racers' best aspect is its surprisingly engaging single-player campaign, which is, in a nutshell, a Star Wars racing rougelite. And it's as awesome as it sounds.
Galactic Racers’ single-player is super special
Galactic Racer’s sci-fi story is a simple one: you play a lightly customizable character named Shade, who enters the dangerous Galactic League not seeking glory, but revenge. You have beef with the league’s top dog, Kestar Bool, and plan to humiliate him on the track by taking his champion crown.
In a conventional racing game, this story might play out over a series of races and events, each victory giving you some form of XP or currency, slowly accruing enough to upgrade your garage and take on more challenging races, and repeat until you unlock the big showdown with Kestar Bool.
While in Galactic Racer, you do indeed earn rewards after each race — the higher your placement, the bigger the spoils — but progress isn’t quite so linear. That’s because its single-player campaign is built around a roguelite structure. Flame out of an event (and I mean that literally; the crash animations are quite explosive), and you have to start over at the bottom.
All your vehicle upgrades and unlocks are stripped away, and you start again in a whole new league season. It’s a wonderfully compelling loop that makes each race and event feel like a desperate sprint not just to the finish line, but to keep your run alive. Failure doesn’t just mean a quick restart; it could mean your run is over, and you have to start again at the bottom of the ladder.
Successful roguelites do have to walk a delicate balance between giving every encounter (or race, in this case) stakes and not demoralising the player by forcing them to pound a brick wall for hours only to make minor progression. But Galactic Racer walks this line nearly perfectly.
The story is split into three individual acts, with a major showdown race capping each. Once you complete an act, it’s finished for good. You only restart back to the beginning of the act you’re currently playing. And even in failure, there is still reward, as you are given the chance to unlock permanent upgrades that tip the odds of success in your direction next time around.
Runs are also kept interesting with randomised upgrades dished out after each event. This adds an element of build-crafting; for example, in a recent run, I found myself constructing a speeder that was slow off the mark and couldn’t take tight corners, but it was a total speed demon in the straight. In my next run, the vehicle I create will likely be different based on upgrades.
This rougelite structure is a great way to make players experiment with different racing styles and vehicle configurations, and ensures that no races feel unimportant or only necessary for XP grinding; every time you’re out on the track, you’re just a wrong turn away from losing (almost) everything.
I typically find in a racing game, the real excitement comes when racing online or competing with friends in split-screen, but Star Wars: Galactic Racer has found a way to make playing alone feel just as intense and high-stakes as competing against other human players. That's worthy of the podium.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
