PalmRide

About

"PalmRide" is an arcade-style driving game that brings back nostalgic vibes of classic games with a modern Outrun aesthetic. Explore a vibrant world with multiple unique locations, from 'Future Funk' city streets to 80s retro beaches, while encountering various obstacles and surprises. Play in single-player or multiplayer mode, enjoying the beautiful soundtrack as you drive. The itch.io page is deprecated, visit the Steam page instead for updates.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 67 reviews

music15 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a nostalgic retro aesthetic with beautiful visuals and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Gameplay is enjoyable and challenging, with a variety of power-ups and the ability to import your own music, adding to the fun.
The achievements are creative and engaging, providing a fun incentive to keep playing and improve skills.

The control scheme is poorly designed, making it difficult to shoot while accelerating, and there are no options to customize controls.
Some power-ups are ineffective or frustrating, leading to situations where players can lose due to poor design choices.
The graphics can be muddy and the CRT effect may hinder visibility, making it hard to distinguish objects on the road.

music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
14%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and fitting style, with many users highlighting the ability to import personal tracks, which enhances the overall experience. The soundtrack features a mix of epic, synthwave, and vaporwave elements that create a relaxing yet engaging atmosphere, perfectly complementing the gameplay. Overall, the combination of great music and fun gameplay contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The music is great and the best part is that you can import your own music!”
- “The gameplay is rather intense and the music complements that beautifully!”
- “The music has that vaporwave feel and it's so relaxing.”
- “I got it for the aesthetic but stayed for the music and lore.”
- “80's old school gameplay and exquisite music, what more can you ask?”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The graphics of the game evoke a strong retro aesthetic, appealing to fans of 80s visuals and neon lights. However, some users criticize the pixel graphics as muddy and lacking detail, particularly due to color blending with the environment, and feel that the CRT effect detracts from the overall visual experience. While the retro art style is appreciated by many, it does not fully compensate for the perceived shortcomings in graphic quality.
- “Decided to check the store page since the visuals look dope.”
- “A great game for those who love the outrun/retro scene and art style.”
- “I love the 80's retro aesthetics.”
- “The pixel graphics look kind of muddy, which is caused by the cars having almost the same color as the road.”
- “The neon aesthetic just doesn't do enough to make up for pixel graphics that are worse than most NES games.”
- “The pixel graphics are simple but exciting.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay in the reviewed indie games varies significantly, with some players enjoying the fun and intense mechanics complemented by a great soundtrack, while others criticize the experience as overly simplistic or marred by technical issues that detract from enjoyment. Overall, while some aspects like art style and music receive praise, gameplay quality can be inconsistent, leading to mixed recommendations.
- “I love the look of the game, and the gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is fun, the art style is cool, you can play your own tracks as the background music, but if you don't, that's completely okay because the soundtrack is amazing and you can blow things up with your guns.”
- “The gameplay is rather intense and the music complements that beautifully!”
- “The gameplay in such indie games is terribly banal and differs only in a few nuances.”
- “But when the blurry objects on the road look like absolute crap and affect the gameplay and cause your game to be nothing but frustrating, it's going too far.”
- “Right now as it is, sadly I have to give this game my 'not recommend' because it affects the gameplay and that makes it just not fun.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a notable highlight, with many players drawn in by its comedic elements showcased in the trailer. Additionally, some find the steering controls to have a humorous quality, adding to the overall lighthearted experience.
- “Ultimately bought it because of the sense of humor in the trailer.”
- “The steering controls are kind of funny.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its fantastic music and retro pixel art style, which enhances the overall experience. The combination of engaging gameplay and a captivating atmosphere contributes to a fun and challenging environment.
- “Great atmosphere, fantastic music. Much love for this kind of retro pixel games.”
- “I really like the atmosphere of this game, and the gameplay is really fun and challenging.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game lacks a narrative component, with users indicating that there is no story present.
- “There is no story to speak of.”
- “The narrative is completely absent.”
- “The game lacks any meaningful storyline.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “Grinding takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”