Slipstream

About

"Slipstream" is an arcade-style racing game inspired by the visuals, music, and cars of the late 80s and early 90s. Its standout features include stunning gameplay, amazing graphics, and a spectacular soundtrack. The game offers local multiplayer for up to 4 players, with 20 different tracks and 6 game modes, including Grand Tour, Cannonball, and Grand Prix. The pseudo-3D game engine with 2D graphics offers an authentic retro feel.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,194 reviews

music283 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Beautiful retro pixel art and vibrant colors that evoke nostalgia.
Engaging gameplay with satisfying drifting and slipstream mechanics.
Excellent synthwave soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.

AI opponents can feel unfair, often leading to frustrating races.
Limited car selection and lack of customization options.
Some tracks can feel repetitive and lack variety in design.

music
479 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
38%
3%
The music in "Slipstream" has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising its synthwave soundtrack that perfectly complements the game's retro aesthetic. While the soundtrack is often described as a highlight, some users noted that it can become repetitive over time, and a few expressed a desire for more variety. Overall, the combination of nostalgic visuals and engaging music creates an immersive experience that resonates well with fans of classic arcade racing games.
- “The soundtrack is one of the game’s highlights, featuring synthwave music that fits the fast-paced, retro aesthetic.”
- “The music is fantastic and fits the mood of the game perfectly.”
- “The graphics and music are great, like in Outrun, although the music sounds like retrowave, which is a nice twist.”
- “One of the main drawbacks for me is the music; it’s mediocre and it doesn’t capture the vibe for me.”
- “I feel that the menu music is well suited, but the soundtrack heard when racing is not as captivating and mostly feels like a quiet night drive.”
- “Perhaps the most important aspect of a game like this is the music, and while they definitely knew what they were going for and went for an aesthetically consistent soundtrack selection, it’s just… weak.”
graphics
353 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
47%
2%
The graphics of *Slipstream* are widely praised for their vibrant retro aesthetic, reminiscent of classic arcade racers like *Outrun*, featuring beautifully rendered pixel art and a nostalgic 80s/90s vibe. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a sense of speed and nostalgia through its colorful visuals and smooth animations, complemented by a fitting synthwave soundtrack. While some critiques mention a lack of detail and repetitiveness in track design, the overall consensus is that the graphics effectively capture the charm of retro racing games, making it visually appealing for fans of the genre.
- “The graphics and music are beautiful, stunning even - and harken back to the arcade racing games, like Daytona.”
- “The graphics are bright and colorful, the controls feel very smooth, and I really dig the soundtrack.”
- “With fantastic retro visuals, music, and tight controls, this tribute to old school racing games is definitely worth playing.”
- “If I could use one word to describe the graphics, it would be this: basic.”
- “The graphics in Slipstream look the exact same as Outrun because they're rendered in the same way.”
- “The graphics and effects alone are very high quality and the racing itself is very arcade-y, and satisfying.”
gameplay
330 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The gameplay of this retro-inspired arcade racer is characterized by its focus on drifting and slipstream mechanics, which are easy to learn but challenging to master, providing a rewarding experience for players. While the controls are generally tight and responsive, some players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, with the slipstream mechanic often underutilized. Overall, the game successfully captures the nostalgic feel of classic 90s racers, enhanced by a vibrant aesthetic and an engaging soundtrack, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre despite some mechanical shortcomings.
- “The drifting mechanic is easy to learn, difficult to master.”
- “The gameplay is really fun and engaging, and you can really feel the high speeds in this game, making it immersive to play.”
- “The mechanics are very polished and the drifting is done perfectly.”
- “It feels like there is something missing to the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is basic: increase your speed by staying behind opponents and traffic to get boosts through slipstream, drift through corners to maintain your speed and beat your opponents.”
- “The slipstream mechanic the game is named after isn't as useful as you think it is.”
replayability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers multiple fun race modes and beautiful graphics that enhance the experience, many players feel it lacks long-term engagement due to a limited number of tracks and minimal incentives for repeated play. Some users appreciate the variety of modes and potential future updates, like local multiplayer and a track editor, which could improve replay value. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements that encourage replay, the game's staying power is often questioned.
- “The game features multiple fun race modes, such as Grand Tour, Grand Prix, Cannonball Run, and Battle Royale, adding to its replayability.”
- “With multiple modes, there's plenty to do and it allows for a fair bit of replay value.”
- “Couple all this with a bunch of different modes to try out, including a choose-your-own-course style endurance race against rivals with different course themes and branching paths, and it really has a lot of replayability.”
- “If you go in with these expectations, it’s fun for a few hours, but it doesn’t hold much replay value and it makes me really wish that more arcade-style racers were still being made.”
- “Apart from this, the longer you play the game the more boring it becomes as the lack of tracks (20 may seem like a lot at the start, but they each only take a minute and you'll be playing each of them a lot) and little incentive or reward for winning races make replayability almost worthless.”
- “Beyond that, it doesn't do much to set itself apart, and a serious lack of variety in all departments cripples it in replay value.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance on high-end systems, while others report frequent stuttering, crashes, and random lag, particularly on lower-end hardware. Overall, the game's performance appears inconsistent, with some users praising its visuals and gameplay despite optimization issues, while others deem it poorly optimized.
- “Amazing visuals and art, with fantastic performance.”
- “The performance of the game has been great with my 5-year-old system, no stuttering, FPS drops, errors, or crashes so far.”
- “And, most importantly, it backs this up with solid gameplay, ease of use, and slick performance.”
- “On Linux, the game will start stuttering with increasing frequency, and eventually crash.”
- “Only problem is that for some unapparent reason I get random lag constantly, and I know for a fact it isn't my PC specs, so it must just be some optimization error with my PC components.”
- “I'm pretty sure it's the least optimized game I've installed and played in a humble bundle, but that just means I thought it was going to be good, so I installed it.”
story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The game lacks a traditional story mode, relying instead on a "rival" system that adds charm and personality, though many players feel this results in a lack of depth and incentive to replay. While some appreciate the nostalgic arcade racing experience without a narrative, others express a desire for a more structured story or progression system. Overall, the absence of a comprehensive storyline is noted, despite hints of a planned story mode during development.
- “The story about this game is very interesting.”
- “However, I want to think that the slipstream story is a success story.”
- “This game is lacking a storyline, customization, and modes but is fun to play regardless.”
- “Despite having several modes, there's apparently nothing to unlock, no story mode, or incentive to keep the player coming back.”
- “Another tidbit I noticed is that on the Kickstarter page, it states that a story mode was planned.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its nostalgic and dreamy qualities, enhanced by an impressive synthwave soundtrack and appealing pixel art style reminiscent of the 80s and 90s. Reviewers highlight how the combination of music, level design, and overall aesthetics creates an immersive experience that effectively captures a chill and captivating vibe.
- “Combined with the incredible synthwave soundtrack, the atmosphere of Slipstream is nostalgic and dreamy.”
- “The music, atmosphere, and mechanics all feel great.”
- “The atmosphere of the gameplay, graphics, and sound all combine to create something quite beautiful.”
- “Lovely music and atmosphere sucks you in.”
- “While there are a lot of fun songs on this tracklist, most of them fit the tone of the game and contribute to its dreamlike atmosphere.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users report smooth performance even on low-end hardware and no crashes during gameplay, others experience significant bugs, particularly when using controllers, leading to freezes that require a forced shutdown. Despite these issues, some players find the game enjoyable and stable enough to recommend.
- “Runs great on crappy hardware.”
- “It's great fun, it runs great, didn't have a single crash or bug while playing, and it gives enough reasons to keep coming back.”
- “I highly recommend this game, it runs great, the racing is fun, you can customize the difficulty of the game, and there are a bunch of modes to choose from.”
- “The game runs well until I pair a controller with my computer, at which point the game freezes to the point that I have to sign out of my Windows profile so that the program can be forcefully closed.”
- “Sometimes buggy and very difficult even on easy.”
- “This game seems pretty buggy.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its playful references to pop culture, particularly through the caricatured rivals who deliver amusing comments and embody exaggerated traits reminiscent of 80s figures. Players find the quirky mechanics, such as the pixel filter and the absurdity of characters like Paw-paw racing at high speeds in a farm truck, to be both funny and nostalgic, although some aspects may become repetitive. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted charm to the gameplay, despite some visual challenges.
- “The rivals throw out funny comments and are depicted as caricatured versions of 80s public figures from films and other media.”
- “Either hard to see, migraine-inducingly blurry, or best of all the pixel filter, which hilariously compresses the game to the point you can barely see the turns in the upcoming road.”
- “Some of the rivals are kind of 'memey,' but I personally found it funny, honestly.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find grinding for achievements enjoyable and rewarding, with many appreciating the fun and engaging nature of the tasks. However, some note that the experience can become repetitive over time, leading to a sense of déjà vu during extended play sessions.
- “I've played this game for 8 hours to get it to completion, and in that time, you do miss a bit of variety. You often have the feeling of 'déjà vu,' especially while grinding for the perfectionist or 'No Road Not Taken' achievement, and you find yourself saying, 'I've just been in this place before?'”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, reminiscing about childhood experiences and the joy of racing. However, some also report negative physical reactions, such as headaches and nausea, indicating that the game's visuals can be overwhelming. Overall, it evokes a mix of nostalgia and discomfort.
- “It made me feel like a kid again, sitting on my living room floor, racing.”
- “This game pretty much made me feel the same way about racing games as King of Fighters made me feel about fighting games.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
Reviewers appreciate the game's focus on quality and passion over aggressive monetization strategies commonly seen in AAA titles, highlighting it as a refreshing change in the current gaming landscape.
- “In the current climate of AAA game development being run by corporate interests that prioritize monetization over game quality, it's refreshing to play this passion project that obviously has had a lot of work put into it.”
- “In the current climate of AAA game developers being run by corporate ghouls who endlessly prioritize monetization over game quality, it's frustrating to see how this game falls into the same trap.”
- “The monetization strategies in this game feel exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the experience without being constantly bombarded by paywalls.”
- “It's disappointing that a game with such potential is marred by aggressive monetization tactics that prioritize profit over player experience.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The character development in the game is praised for its exceptional design and rich references, contributing to a deep and engaging narrative experience. Players appreciate the complexity and depth of the characters, enhancing their overall immersion in the story.
- “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form a genuine connection with each character.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
- “The backstories and personal growth of the characters are well-crafted, adding layers of complexity to the overall narrative.”