If you combine Mario Kart with Wipeout and a touch of Hot Wheels, you’ll create GRIP. A simplistic lunatic combat racer that’s all about “pedal to the metal”. It’s a simple game with no microtransactions, no complex strategies and no rules. It’s simple but it’s just fun to play, it’s a game that we need in this harsh gaming environment where developers sometimes forget one of the most important rules in the universe, less is more….
After a couple of years of development, the spiritual ancestor to Rollcage is finally here. Grip is a futuristic combat racing game that’s set in a world where cars are built to withstand almost everything that’s thrown at them but most of all, it’s a world where cars defy gravity and can drive on ceilings. This opens up the racer’s perspective during the race as multiple getaways are being formed before his eyes. Different surfaces can be reached and might even help the player in gaining that first place. If you can’t defeat your opponents, be smarter and choose a different lane that’ll give you that extra boost to overcome your opponents.
“GRIP looks like a generic copy/paste racer, but it does manage to set itself apart from other arcade-like games.”
GRIP offers a gameplay that’s equal to the known arcade racing games like Mario Kart or All Fruits Racing. You choose a car that fits your playstyle the most, you pimp it and you start the race. During the race, you’ll be able to pick up different weapons to destroy your opponents and you’ll be able to jump from surface to surface with only one goal in mind, getting that first place! The game offers different modes like Campaign, Single Player races, multiplayer and even split screen co-op which is a feature that’s still “A-OKAY” in my book. A lot of developers have forgotten the main goal of gaming which is getting together and just have a blast with the co-op section. Online doesn’t always have to be better… GRIP looks like a generic copy/paste racer, but it does manage to set itself apart from other arcade-like games. The game offers a wide variety of “ways to win”. You can blast your enemies apart, you can take more convenient routes, you can drive like a maniac with the speed boosts, … It’s up to the player to figure out its playstyle and he/ she can easily change this playstyle when he or she wants to.
The campaign is a mode that consists of different tiers that each have their own collection of tournaments in which the player can participate. Each race will grant the player Experience Points which are dependent on your race performance. Each gained level opens up doors to new vehicles, GRIP tires that’ll boost your vehicle’s performance and eventually more cosmetic items to become America’s next top model, the car version of course. Now all of these items are great to mess around with, especially with the cosmetic items but I do have to mention that these performance items really don’t seem to matter. However, the mechanics in GRIP are noticeable. Racing on the different tracks puts your vehicle really to the test. All of these different environments will slightly influence your racing capabilities. Each map offers its own obstacles and the fact that you can jump from bottom to top doesn’t make the game “Not Challenging”. There are natural objects to avoid like gaps in the floor, icy pillars, … but there are also other obstacles to consider like ledges, bars sticking out of the ground, weaponry … Some of them can be used to your advantage but others will definitely set you back during the race if you’re not careful enough. As long as your driving more than 600MPH, you’ll be able to take on the environment with ease. Just remember, the combination of “High-Speed Moments” and “Gravity” will definitely take you to places and it will get you that win.
GRIP’s setting just opens up possibilities to overtake other racers. You can get passed them just by boosting, push them towards the edge, target them with rockets, … Some racers will even manage to target the environment with weaponry and catch the racers in front of you off guard. The more you play, the more you’ll master the racing tracks. This arcade racer game has more to offer than you might think! The campaign can definitely take some hours to complete, especially after the first couple of tiers. The enemy players become more skilled after each tier, the way the difficulty angle is being heightened is insane. Your adversaries will quickly become more skilled than you and some people will hate it, and some will rise to the challenge.
“GRIP doesn’t deliver anything groundbreaking, but I can tell that the game’s just a lot of fun.”
The races themselves feel fluent and most of the implemented mechanics work as they should but I do find the camera sometimes annoying. Even though, the transition between top and bottom is seamless, the camera has its difficulties figuring out what’s bottom and what’s top. This creates a very confusing camera that can sometimes be the thorn in your side. There’s also this feature where you can get a bit off a speed boost in the beginning when you hit your throttle button at the right moment during the countdown. This can be very helpful when your placing is in front of the others because you have no obstacle ahead of you. However, when you’re placed behind others during the countdown and you successfully engage your boost, your speed is quickly lost because you have to “bump” your way out of the ranks to get ahead. The boost is a nice feature to have in a racing game but make it useful all times instead of “sometimes”.
The game runs on the Unreal Engine 4 and even though it’s not something to write home about, it’s still a very good engine to run these kinds of games. These arcade high paced styled racers need a steady fps and only decent graphics to lower the graphical input the engine has to offer. It’s also a good way to interest players with a low-end type of machine. GRIP looks good and runs smoothly. It’s a game that looks and feels good, that doesn’t need a lot of “juice” to deliver a great racing experience. My FPS was stable during my gaming sessions and I could definitely see this game in 4K as well. Even though the game’s sound is okay, I recommend playing this game with headphones as the game offers a bit of virtual surround sound. You can hear the opponents’ engines at the back of your head when your racing and this gives you a bit of an advantage. You can react to the sound and block the opponent’s passage. The developers also use a lot of electronic songs like drum and bass that fit the game’s atmosphere perfectly. These soundtracks are also not too loud, so you can enjoy the soundtrack on the background while you’re focusing on the racing track.
Conclusion:
GRIP doesn’t deliver anything groundbreaking, but I can tell that the game’s just a lot of fun. The high-speed chases and the choice between different “ways to win” will definitely appeal to a lot of gamers who are searching for a brainless arcade racing game. It’s the speed and the drive-on-ceiling mechanic that sets this game apart from others. The campaign will definitely sink in some play hours, but the journey is challenging and rewarding enough to sink your teeth into. Also, the option to play the game co-op and split screen are just amazing and a great “wink” to the nostalgic past.
