JDM: Rise of the Scorpion

About

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion is a single player racing game. It was developed by Gaming Factory and was released on July 18, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"JDM: Rise of the Scorpion" is a free prologue to the racing game "Japanese Drift Master," set to release in summer 2024. This game tells the story of Hatori 'Scorpion' Hasashi, a skilled drifter from a traditional Japanese family, through manga-style panels. Explore new locations and hone your driving skills on various roads. Get a taste of the full game while enjoying the beginning of the "Scorpion's" journey.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,362 reviews

story98 positive mentions

optimization32 negative mentions

The game has a great atmosphere and captures the essence of Japanese drifting culture, with beautiful environments and a unique manga storytelling style.
Drifting mechanics are enjoyable and provide a satisfying challenge, especially after upgrading the cars.
The soundtrack is well-received, adding to the overall experience and nostalgia for fans of racing games.

The physics and handling can feel inconsistent, leading to frustration, especially for players transitioning from more realistic racing games.
There are significant performance issues, including stuttering and low frame rates, even on capable hardware.
Controller support is lacking, with many players experiencing difficulties in binding controls and using steering wheels effectively.

story
322 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The game's story, presented through a unique manga style, has garnered mixed reactions from players. While some appreciate its fresh take and engaging elements reminiscent of classic racing narratives, others criticize it for being generic, cringeworthy, and lacking depth. Overall, the story serves as a light backdrop to the driving experience, with many players expressing hope for more character development and plot expansion in future updates.
- “The manga storytelling for a race/drift themed game is something I haven't seen since Initial D arcade games came out; the graphics are great if you set it to max with a decent PC.”
- “I love the way the story is delivered through manga.”
- “The story is fun and pimping the rides (of which I have driven sound and feel really nice) all looks quite feature-filled.”
- “The story sucks and should be abandoned.”
- “Whole story lacks more context and it's too rushed for us to understand many characters' motivations.”
- “The storyline, I guess if you could call it that, just consists of reading black and white comic book pages, and the drawings are of white people.”
graphics
256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
59%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the stunning visuals and unique art style, particularly in specific weather conditions, while others criticize the overall quality, describing it as underwhelming or reminiscent of mobile games. Many users express concerns about optimization issues, including frame rate drops and blurriness, especially on lower settings, indicating a need for better graphical customization options. Overall, while there are moments of beauty, the graphics are seen as a significant area for improvement as the game develops.
- “I love this game, graphics are stunning!”
- “Love the drift physics and the graphics are stunning!”
- “Beautiful visuals – the rain and storm effects are brilliant, as is the cherry blossom and dappled sunlight.”
- “The graphics are just not good, I've seen Roblox games with better lighting.”
- “The graphics are a bit underwhelming for the Unreal Engine in my opinion, but maybe that's just a prologue exclusive thing.”
- “Graphically terrible, runs poorly, feels heavy and floaty.”
optimization
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
55%
29%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe stuttering, lag, and inconsistent frame rates across various devices, including PCs and the Steam Deck. While some users appreciate the game's potential and fun gameplay, they express frustration over performance issues, particularly on lower-spec hardware, and call for improvements in graphical settings and overall optimization. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization work to enhance the player experience.
- “Additionally, the ability to customize the game’s settings ensures it runs smoothly even on older hardware, allowing everyone to fully enjoy the experience.”
- “It's got potential, definitely the optimization needs to be worked on as well as some bugs that came with the game.”
- “I did run into some optimization issues but it is early access and it was still totally playable.”
- “Optimization feels like it needs a lot of work; it stutters and lags massively no matter which device I pick: PC, laptop, or Steam Deck.”
- “Performance is also a mixed bag, to be honest. I'm usually running around 60fps, which is fine, but it drops into the 50s and 40s every once in a while. As you saw with the specs I have above, I don't have the greatest CPU, but the GPU (while controversial) isn't a slouch.”
- “No one seems to talk about it, but performance on Steam Deck (everything at low) makes this virtually unplayable, with terrible visuals and the most obnoxious ghosting I've ever seen since the first implementation of TAA. The frame rate mostly hovers around 40, which is already bad for a game like this, but I've seen it drop to the low 20s, at which point any game becomes unresponsive.”
music
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
44%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and fitting for the driving experience, while others criticize it for lacking variety and feeling out of place. Some players highlight the audio balancing issues, noting that the music can be muffled in certain views, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong point by many, but there are calls for more diverse music options to enhance the game's atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack is absolutely killer too.”
- “Great soundtrack, fun physics, great tracks, great cars.”
- “Music is just a banger and feels good with the overall game, also the open world is beautiful and appealing to the eye.”
- “- shitty music”
- “- music is also really bad”
- “Idk it doesn't hit the spot for me like night runners does, just feels like a Roblox game made by Supra/GT3rs kids with ugly phonk music.”
gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
66%
12%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of opinions, with some players enjoying the arcade-like mechanics and easy-to-understand controls, while others criticize the drifting and steering mechanics as inconsistent and buggy. Many appreciate the game's aesthetics, story, and multiplayer features, but there are significant complaints about the drifting system and overall driving feel, leading to a divided reception. Overall, while some find the gameplay fun and engaging, others feel it lacks polish and depth.
- “Amazing game, the gameplay is arcade-like on the realistic side. I'm glad that you have improved the compatibility of PC steering wheels, the aesthetics, the music, the cars, and that story told with manga; it makes it unique.”
- “Honestly, the game is amazing, surprised me in every way possible. Gameplay was fun, the story was intriguing (I wished for more information though, too few pages). I was hooked as soon as I launched the game; it was very comfortable to play, very easy to learn, and I had a blast. I completed the prologue, and I didn't even realize the time passing.”
- “Mechanics of this game are easy to understand, graphics are enjoyable, and it has multiplayer mode, so you can enjoy the game with your friends.”
- “I know it's an arcade racing game, but the steering wheel mechanics are broken.”
- “The game mechanics are so bad; even after you get the drifting down, it still feels rough as hell.”
- “The drifting mechanics are horrible and arcade-like, almost like CarX.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while it runs well on platforms like Steam Deck and Linux, many users report significant bugs, including issues with controller bindings and random physics glitches, such as cars floating. Performance can be inconsistent, with some players experiencing frequent freezes and stutters, making the overall experience feel incomplete and buggy despite its entertaining aspects.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “Also: runs great on Linux.”
- “Possibly one of the better demos I've played; other than the somewhat confusing menu (I had to play the entire game before finding out I can rebind controller controls), it's good, runs great, looks great, has good audio and environment, and the physics are a good mix of arcade and simulation.”
- “To start off, trying to use a controller, the defaults are binding to buttons nobody ever uses in a racing game, and binding custom keys was a pain that is super buggy and not all of the keys would even bind correctly.”
- “Also, my car randomly started floating at times; very buggy.”
- “The physics are decent with a steering wheel, and the performance of the game is perfectly fine half of the time, but then you get an unplayable amount of freezes and stutters (Ryzen 5 3600, RTX 2060 on low with barely any background apps).”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the immersive night settings, detailed environments, and dynamic weather effects that enhance the overall experience. The combination of dark, rainy nights and vibrant cityscapes creates a captivating vibe, making driving through these beautifully crafted locations particularly enjoyable. Many players feel that the strong atmosphere significantly contributes to the game's appeal, reminiscent of beloved titles like NFS 2015.
- “The night time is dark and adds to this already beautiful atmosphere.”
- “I love the atmosphere and the lake town, everything is so detailed and nice.”
- “Managed to finish the game in rainy weather during the night and the atmosphere of NFS 2015 kicked in heavily, love the vibe.”
- “The environment, the theme, and the atmosphere are very strong; I think many of us have been waiting for a game like this.”
- “Japan city, atmosphere, and soundtrack really do the job.”
- “Managed to finish the game in rainy weather during the night, and the atmosphere of NFS 2015 kicked in heavily; love the vibe.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the need to return to the shop frequently after races, which disrupts the flow of gameplay. Additionally, there are complaints about the lack of realistic car damage and physics, making the grinding experience feel less rewarding. Overall, while the driving mechanics are enjoyable, the repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall experience.
- “Even though driving's enjoyable, manually going back to the shop after nearly every race became tedious fairly fast.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding against rails because of a bad drift and having a squeaky clean car afterwards just feels wrong.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky mechanics, particularly in grip racing, where players experience exaggerated delays in braking that lead to amusing penalties on their timers. This comedic aspect is reminiscent of 2000s-era manga, adding a lighthearted charm to the gameplay. Overall, players find the humor both intentional and reminiscent of classic gaming quirks.
- “Grip racing suffers the most from this, and trying to brake into a simple 90-degree corner takes hilariously long.”
- “And the funny part about that is, you will get the +2 to +4 penalty seconds to your timer, instead!”
- “Tldr; funny 2000's era manga drift king simulator.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is currently free during its early access phase, with no account creation required and no paywalls or microtransactions encountered by players.
- “Finally, it's a free game right now (probably because of early access), and so far it hasn't asked me to start an account, and I've encountered no paywalls or microtransactions.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the manga features appealing character designs, but they do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development. Overall, while the visuals are praised, the development aspect remains underexplored.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with multiple users indicating that once completed, there is little incentive to play again.
- “No replayability.”
- “No replayability.”
- “No replayability.”

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

2-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion is a racing game.

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing JDM: Rise of the Scorpion.

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion was released on July 18, 2024.

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion was developed by Gaming Factory.

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

JDM: Rise of the Scorpion is a single player game.

Similar games include Traffic Panic in Jakarta, Bus Driving Game 3D, Helicopter Flight Pilot Sim, AFPS Airplane Flight Pilot Sim, Off Road Simulator 3d and others.

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