Cranks and Goggles

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"Cranks & Goggles" is a top-down racing game set in the 1920s, where you compete as a pioneering auto-racing superstar in historic race cars with real physics. The game features 26 racecars, 16 tracks, and multiple game modes including career, time trials, and online multiplayer. With avatar creation and a nostalgic soundtrack, players can experience the thrill of early auto-racing across Europe.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews

music24 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and a nostalgic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
It's easy to learn but hard to master, providing a satisfying challenge as players improve their skills.
The variety of cars and tracks adds depth to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for fans of racing games.

The AI is poorly designed, often getting stuck or failing to provide a real challenge during races.
The car handling can be frustratingly difficult, with many players experiencing issues with control and physics.
Technical problems such as crashes, sound glitches, and limited resolution options detract from the overall experience.

music
59 mentions
41 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's music, inspired by the 1920s, is generally praised for its charm and authenticity, effectively enhancing the overall aesthetic and ambiance. While many players appreciate the nostalgic soundtrack and its fitting vibe, some express disappointment over the limited number of tracks and occasional audio issues, such as music cutting out during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing positively to the game's character despite some calls for more variety.
- “When you turn on the game, you're greeted with very polished logos, fancy menu, and a really nice soundtrack.”
- “The music is beautiful and doesn’t disturb if you play long.”
- “I enjoyed the game's music - it fits the time period and has this classic funky oldies feel to it.”
- “Some things I did not enjoy: heavily lagging on the port track and the music and engine sounds cutting out completely during a race, only getting fixed by restarting the game.”
- “However, sometimes the music or the sound effects would cease to work, only restoring with random chance or by restarting the game, somewhat breaking the immersion.”
- “The soundtrack and sound design are repetitive; there is one track in Wales where you hear the same sheep sample about 12 times a lap.”
graphics
53 mentions
51 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have received mixed reviews, with some praising its charming 1920s-inspired art style and nostalgic aesthetic, while others criticize the low-quality, minimalist visuals that resemble outdated 3D games. Many players appreciate the cohesive blend of visuals and music, which enhances the overall atmosphere, but some feel that the technical execution falls short, detracting from the intended experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a defining feature, with a strong emphasis on style over technical prowess.
- “The game has a great art style and is really well made for such a small indie title.”
- “Absolutely love the visuals, and the soundtrack, while slightly limited, is the perfect ambiance.”
- “A lovely 20s art style with cell shaded cars and music from the era all help to give this game a lot of character.”
- “The game has a 1920's racing theme, but apart from the classy music, completely fails to attain the aesthetic due to the sloppy, lackluster, phoned-in technical delivery, especially the woeful visuals.”
- “The lack of textures is a method that lazy developers often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose', which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
- “At first, I was a little disappointed; the 2D graphics were underwhelming and I had some difficulty controlling the car.”
gameplay
15 mentions
40 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its enjoyable racing mechanics and artistic presentation, while others criticize it for being lackluster and plagued by control issues. Many appreciate the easy-to-learn yet hard-to-master aspect, suggesting a fun experience despite a perceived lack of depth and progression. Overall, while the visuals and sound design are well-received, the gameplay itself has received varied feedback, with some players hopeful for improvements through future updates and mods.
- “Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay.”
- “Very nice driving mechanics, cool theme, fun and enjoyable racing experience.”
- “Beautiful artwork and unexpectedly promising gameplay.”
- “Unfortunately, what hides behind all this confetti is some of the most lackluster gameplay and annoying controls I've ever seen in a racing game.”
- “So you basically have a nice artsy indie game with terrible gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is pretty thin, really.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by various issues, including poor handling, unresponsive controls, and frequent glitches in sound and graphics. While some players report occasional freezing and minor visual bugs, these do not significantly detract from the overall experience for everyone. Overall, the stability issues contribute to a less enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “The handling model is poor, the controls are horrible (for some reason, half the time you brake, it appears to activate turbo boost), the AI is atrocious, the top-down view doesn't give you enough visibility to see ahead, I experienced glitches with the sound... and, more important than anything else, the game just isn't very fun.”
- “Sometimes it doesn't crash but just freezes for a second.”
- “There are still some glitches and visuals/sounds are limited, but Crank & Goggles is still worth its price tag.”
atmosphere
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting that the graphics are well-crafted and contribute significantly to the overall experience. The polygon graphics add a humorous touch, enhancing the game's unique ambiance. Overall, the presentation and atmosphere are considered outstanding.
- “The presentation and overall atmosphere is awesome.”
- “The polygon graphics are funny and give a great atmosphere to the game.”
- “Graphic and atmosphere were well-made.”
humor
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky physics, allowing players to drive recklessly without consequences, which adds to the comedic experience. Additionally, the polygon graphics contribute to a lighthearted atmosphere, enhancing the overall fun. Players find the game amusing despite initial control challenges.
- “Kinda hard to control at first, but it's so funny.”
- “Funny enough, the real physics do not consider the car's inner workings, so you can drive as fast as you like without breaking the car.”
- “The polygon graphics are funny and create a great atmosphere for the game.”
story
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is seen as lacking depth, with players expressing a desire for a longer narrative and more engaging elements such as rivalries and world-building. While the races are enjoyable and replayable, the overall storytelling feels underdeveloped, leaving room for improvement in future releases.
- “In short, there's lots of promise, but it feels too easy (for now). The ambiance produced by the graphics could be complemented with a few storytelling aspects.”
- “In short, lots of promise, but too easy (for now) and the ambiance produced by the graphics could be complemented with a few storytelling aspects.”
- “For future releases, I'm looking forward to an open drive mode, more races, and a storyline about rivals, world news, car makers, etc.”
- “Would love a longer story mode, but the races are very replayable as you try to improve your time and get money for better cars.”
optimization
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, performing smoothly even on older hardware like a 2011 MacBook Pro. However, players may find that switching to a new car resets their progress in mastering the game's mechanics, requiring them to relearn the gameplay.
- “I’ve played this game on my 15” MacBook Pro from 2011 on both macOS and Windows 10, and the performance was very good.”
- “You can 'perfect' your performance with one car, but as soon as you buy and start using a new car, it’s like you’ve completely started over and you have to learn how to play the game again.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game manageable, with the 100% achievement taking around 5 hours to complete, though some may struggle with time trials. While acquiring all cars requires significant grinding, those who perform well can minimize the time spent grinding for money.
- “I did not like the grinding required to buy all cars.”
- “Not a lot of grinding for money if you don't struggle too much, unless you're going for the 'collect all cars' achievement.”
- “The time trials might be hard for some people, but the overall achievement difficulty is easy and takes around 5 hours to complete.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, focusing instead on the nostalgic art style and overall aesthetic. Therefore, no specific insights on monetization can be derived from this review.
replayability
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the races highly replayable as they focus on improving their times and earning money for better cars, though there is a desire for a longer story mode to enhance overall replayability.
- “I would love a longer story mode, but the races are very replayable as you try to improve your time and earn money for better cars.”
- “The variety of challenges and different paths to take make each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple endings and unlockable content, I find myself coming back to explore every possibility.”