Cranks and Goggles

About

Cranks and Goggles is a single player and multiplayer casual racing game with a historical theme. It was developed by Play Native Entertainment and was released on December 21, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Cranks & Goggles is a top down racing game set in the roaring 20s. Players find themselves as one of the worlds first auto-racing superstars and placed behind the wheel of a number of historical race cars. The game’s engine utilizes real physics in order to mimic the unstable (and quite dangerous) nature of the period’s automobiles. Gentleman racers will travel across all of Europe in order to com…

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 129 reviews

music24 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and a delightful soundtrack that captures the 1920s racing theme well.
The handling of the cars, while challenging, adds depth to the gameplay and provides a rewarding experience once mastered.
There is a good variety of cars and tracks, making the game enjoyable for fans of vintage racing.

Controller support is broken, making it difficult to play with modern controllers, and the game lacks proper analog trigger support.
The AI is poorly implemented, often getting stuck or failing to navigate the tracks effectively, which undermines the racing experience.
The game suffers from technical issues such as sound glitches and a frustrating camera perspective that limits visibility on the track.

music
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
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 catchy and nostalgic soundtrack, some note issues with sound cutting out during gameplay and express a desire for a broader variety of tracks. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's experience, though a few users suggest improvements in sound design and additional tracks.
- “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
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
42%
6%
The game's graphics receive mixed reviews, with many praising its charming art style and nostalgic 1920s aesthetic, which effectively complements the gameplay. However, some players criticize the technical execution, describing the visuals as low-quality, minimalist, and at times glitchy, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the unique visual presentation and atmospheric elements are often highlighted as standout features.
- “Really though, you want to play it for the aesthetics, which are delightful.”
- “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.”
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
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 theme are well-received, the gameplay experience varies significantly among players, with some finding it promising and others feeling disappointed.
- “Great art style, good gameplay.”
- “Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay.”
- “Very nice driving mechanics, cool theme, fun and enjoyable racing experience.”
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 game's stability is inconsistent, with some players finding it fun despite the flaws.
- “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.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Cranks and Goggles" is derived from its chaotic racing mechanics, where players can hilariously crash into rivals for revenge, leading to amusing moments on the track. The game's exaggerated physics and quirky polygon graphics contribute to its lighthearted atmosphere, making the experience both fun and entertaining despite initial control challenges.
- “Kinda hard to control at first, but it's so funny.”
- “Funny enough, the real physics does not consider the cars' inner workings, so you can drive as fast as you like without breaking the car.”
- “The polygon graphics are funny and give a great atmosphere to the game.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting that the graphics and overall presentation create an engaging and enjoyable experience. The polygon graphics, in particular, contribute to a unique and humorous ambiance that enhances the game's appeal.
- “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.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
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.”
- “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.”
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's optimization is praised for delivering good performance even on older hardware, such as a 2011 MacBook Pro. However, players note that switching to a new car resets their learning curve, requiring them to adapt to different handling and performance dynamics.
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game manageable, with the 100% achievement taking around 5 hours to complete. However, some express frustration with the grinding needed to acquire all cars, particularly for those aiming for the "collect all cars" achievement, while others note that money grinding is minimal if players perform adequately.
- “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).”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of the game's driving mechanics, noting that the overly sensitive controls and lack of traction lead to a frustrating experience reminiscent of 1920s racing. This design choice detracts from the enjoyment and immersion, leaving players feeling disconnected and irritated rather than engaged.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not provide specific insights into the monetization aspect of the game, focusing instead on the nostalgic art style and overall aesthetic. Therefore, no clear conclusions about monetization can be drawn from the provided text.