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[nikos]

Been following this game for a while, and it was just released on iOS! From what I've played so far, it's great. Seems like something GAF would enjoy, so I figured I'd share. I'm in no way affiliated with the game. If you like retro style arcade racers, such as OutRun or Top Gear, definitely check it out!

This is a premium, universal app with no IAPs.

App Store Link ($2.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/horizon-chase-world-tour/id991018252?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4

Official Launch Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQDVSRmhiP0

Gameplay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cggbgZF_aFg

• A LOVE LETTER TO RETRO GAMING FANS
Horizon Chase is a racing game inspired in the great hits of the 80's and 90's: Out Run, Lotus Turbo Challenge, Top Gear (SNES), Rush, among others. Each curve and each lap in Horizon Chase recreates classic arcade gameplay and offers you unbound speed limits of fun. Full throttle on and enjoy!

• 16-BIT GRAPHICS REINVENTED
Horizon Chase brings back the graphic context of the 16-bit generation and creates a style that is inspired in the past without letting go of its contemporaneity. The apparent polygon and secondary color aesthetic accentuate the visual beauty of the game, resulting in a unique and harmonic atmosphere. You'll feel the retro soul of the game on a completely modern body.

• A TOUR THROUGH THE WORLD'S HORIZONS
Horizon Chase is a race around the world. With each new cup you'll pilot your car through extraordinary places, watching the sun setting, facing rain, snow, volcanic ashes and even severe sandstorms. Be it day or night each track takes place in beautiful postcards from across the world.

• BARRY LEITCH, SOUNDTRACK COMPOSER FROM LOTUS TC, TOP GEAR AND RUSH
Horizon Chase presents Barry Leitch, the musician behind the soundtracks of classic arcade racing games Lotus Turbo Challenge, Top Gear (SNES) and Rush. As you play the game, you'll be hypnotized by his charming tunes that compliment the graphical ecstasy of each horizon.

• 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD GET HORIZON CHASE
- Classic Arcade Gameplay
- 16-Bit Graphics Reinvented
- Barry Leitch's Soundtrack
- Compete Against Friends
- No In-App Purchase
- 16 Unlockable Cars
- Car Upgrading
- 8 Cups, 32 Cities, 73 Tracks
- Diverse Weather Changes
- 7 Input Methods (MFi Gamepad Compatibility)

EDIT: Available November 19th on Android. Thanks for the heads up, infiniteloop. Also coming to Steam at some point. Mods, feel free to update the title!

this is out 19th Nov. on Android:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrfuIKYrfyQ

 

[Komo]

It looks pretty good!

Not a fan of Outrun myself due to its game play but I'd definitely try it out if it was released on Steam

 

[Daigoro]

It looks pretty good!

Not a fan of Outrun myself due to its game play but I'd definitely try it out if it was released on Steam

what on earth?

 

[Emperor Bohe]

I would check it out, but I no longer have any ios devices =(

 

[Alchemy]

Looks pretty cool, will have to check it out at some point. Hate gaming on my 5C though, too small :/

 

[Rizzi]

It's pretty cool.

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

Was this/is this still coming to Steam? Was sure it was mentioned in one of the earlier trailers or something.

 

[JPeeples83]

Final Freeway and its sequel are great mobile Outrun clones - never hurts to have more though. Hopefully it gets an Android/Amazon release with gamepad support by default - I'd love to play it on my OUYA.

 

[Frostinferno]

Is it ok for them to use actual looks of real cars? They aren't named, but they're carbon copies visually.

 

[Shig]

Is it ok for them to use actual looks of real cars? They aren't named, but they're carbon copies visually.

Yeah, that stood out to me, too. There's no way they can just call a licensed car some other name and have manufacturers be okay with it, and there's no chance the manufacturers would dissuade them from using real names if they had signed off on their use. Delisting imminent.

 

[Noisepurge]

Yeah, that stood out to me, too. There's no way they can just call a licensed car some other name and have manufacturers be okay with it, and there's no chance the manufacturers would dissuade them from using real names if they had signed off on their use. Delisting imminent.

a LOT of mobile games do, they just hope the car companies don't bother suing. And probably have contact offices in China where copyright really isn't a thing.

 

[DonMigs85]

It's got a Delorean

 

[CrAzY FiNgErS]

Going to keep an eye on this as they are planning an enhanced version for Steam. I would double dip if it makes it to Android as well.

 

[More_Badass]

a LOT of mobile games do, they just hope the car companies don't bother suing. And probably have contact offices in China where copyright really isn't a thing.

I doubt indie devs like these have the money for that

Yeah, that stood out to me, too. There's no way they can just call a licensed car some other name and have manufacturers be okay with it, and there's no chance the manufacturers would dissuade them from using real names if they had signed off on their use. Delisting imminent.

Broforce gets away with it, because the character are parodies. Same thing probably applies here

 

[JailDesigner]

It's finally out?? Thanks for the warning. Downloading right now

EDIT: uurgh, can't download with 3G

 

[Teknoman]

Does the soundtrack carry the torch though? That's the real question.

EDIT: Its no Splash Wave, but its not bad at all.

 

[Fularu]

I'm confused as to why the claim it has "16 bit graphics" and is retro... Since when are flat polygons "16 bit retro"?

If anything it looks more like early 3DO/Jaguar/PSOne aera

 

[drotahorror]

I would check it out, but I no longer have any ios devices =(

Pretty much this.

 

[deathkiller]

I'm confused as to why the claim it has "16 bit graphics" and is retro... Since when are flat polygons "16 bit retro"?

If anything it looks more like early 3DO/Jaguar/PSOne aera

While it uses polygons it simulates Outrun 2D graphics.

 

[Muchacho]

Looks really cool. I kinda get an Auto Modelista feel from the cel shaded style.

Wonder if it is coming to Android.

 

[Dizzy-4U]

Barry Leitch is a God! I want that soundtrack!!!!

 

[JailDesigner]

Barry Leitch is a God! I want that soundtrack!!!!

YES! I'm crying hearing to that soundtrack. More Top Gear 1 style than 2. Amazing. Brutal. A dream fulfilled

 

[Komo]

what on earth?

I find it too static compared to other racing games. Control-wise, at least. I feel that this 'issue' is exclusive to 2D racers

I still enjoy it, but I'd rather play something more dynamic like Gran Turismo, Daytona USA, etc.

Does that even make any sense?

 

[BocoDragon]

I find it too 'static' compared to other racing games. Control-wise, at least.

I still enjoy it, but I'd rather play something more dynamic like Gran Turismo, Daytona USA, etc.

Does that even make any sense? I feel that this 'issue' is exclusive to 2D racers

OutRun 2 though ;_;

 

[Dizzy-4U]

YES! I'm crying hearing to that soundtrack. More Top Gear 1 style than 2. Amazing. Brutal. A dream fulfilled

https://soundcloud.com/barryleitch/horizon-chase-race-2-bleeding-fingers-snippet

 

[Always-honest]

Looks like fun. Probably better than the original.
Nice that they used Gran Turismo sounds for the cars.

 

[haxamin]

Came in expecting a robo-dino-racer

 

[Daigoro]

I find it too static compared to other racing games. Control-wise, at least. I feel that this 'issue' is exclusive to 2D racers

I still enjoy it, but I'd rather play something more dynamic like Gran Turismo, Daytona USA, etc.

Does that even make any sense?

pretty much. makes more sense when you explained it anyways!

obviously its a preference, it was just worded oddly originally is all.

 

[JailDesigner]

https://soundcloud.com/barryleitch/horizon-chase-race-2-bleeding-fingers-snippet

 

[jett]

This looks pretty nice, I dig the overall Top Gear influence, especially the music! Too bad it's only on iOS.

 

[Azzawon]

This looks like a great game to sink some time into, but I really don't play games on my phone enough at all. Definitely tempted, but I'll wait for the Steam version.

 

[Phoenix Fang]

I'm confused as to why the claim it has "16 bit graphics" and is retro... Since when are flat polygons "16 bit retro"?

If anything it looks more like early 3DO/Jaguar/PSOne aera

Ever played Star Fox on the SNES or Silpheed on the Sega CD? There are other examples of 16bit games that uses polys but those are the first 2 that comes to mind.

16bit doesn't mean its only 2D.

 

[Celine]

This looks pretty nice, I dig the overall Top Gear influence, especially the music! Too bad it's only on iOS.

Yeah, Top Gear influence seem strong.
Watched the gameplay video and it seems very shallow.

 

[Fularu]

Ever played Star Fox on the SNES or Silpheed on the Sega CD? There are other examples of 16bit games that uses polys but those are the first 2 that comes to mind.

16bit doesn't mean its only 2D.

Yes, I played the shit out of both and various other 3D games on my Amiga

They looked nothing like this. You can't achieve that look on a SCD, SNES or Amiga 500.

 

[Aaron D.]

And bought.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Would be great to play on a pad. I backed Drift Stage and eagerly await that release.

 

[Aaron D.]

So yeah, I played a few cups and this game as legit as f.

 

[infiniteloop]

will pick this up

works with MFi controllers too unf.

 

[Bloodrage]

Does it run ok on older devices? I still have a 4S, but I'm upgrading to the 6S next month. Just didn't wanna wait to buy this.

Edit: Went ahead and bought it. They've optimized it so well that it seems to be running at 60fps even on my launch day 4S. Hats off to these guys, this is surprising.

It looks amazing, controls are tight, speed is ridiculous, and my god that soundtrack.

If you're interested, just buy it. It's really good.

 

[h0ly]

I'm loving this game so far. The graphics are not "literal" 16-bits, but rather modern renditions of the same concept. Soundtrack is awesome. I can't judge the gameplay just yet, other than it feels very arcade-y (just like Top Gear and OutRun, which is great in my book) and I would really like to be playing this on a traditional controller instead of the touch screen.

 

[infiniteloop]

I would really like to be playing this on a traditional controller instead of the touch screen.

It supports MFi controllers.

 

[MrCunningham]

Looks cool, though it looks more like an OutRun 2 knockoff than a throwback to the 16bit generation. I was expecting to see large pixalated scaling sprites.

Ever played Star Fox on the SNES or Silpheed on the Sega CD? There are other examples of 16bit games that uses polys but those are the first 2 that comes to mind.

16bit doesn't mean its only 2D.

None of the SuperFX chip games could produce polycounts or run at frame rates like this. And Silpheed for the Sega CD used FMV video to simulate the look of polygon environments. Though it did use very low poly models for the tiny ships and enemies. There's nothing 16 bit about this at all. Not even early 32bit machines like the Panasonic 3D0 could produce models like this.

I'm not slamming the game, but it is misleading when they call it a tribute to 16bit games.

 

[Karish]

Great game

 

[Komo]

OutRun 2 though ;_;

I wish Outrun 2006 was still available on Steam so I could play it

 

[Mobius 1]

https://soundcloud.com/barryleitch/horizon-chase-race-2-bleeding-fingers-snippet

Just put it all together. Game was made in Brazil, Top Gear was hugely popular there in the SNES era. This is it, someone wanted the same thing we did all along and actually made it happen.

 

[Dambrosi]

Did someone say Outrun?! I'll have to check this out.

Though I'm one of the lucky bastards who bought Outrun Online on PSN while it was still available (due to being a huge Sega nut), so I could go play that, but it's good to hear about all these retro-styled racing games in development these days - though their names escape me for the moment. Good times.

 

[h0ly]

It supports MFi controllers.

Thanks for the tip! Too bad I don't have one, though.

I played a bit more, and things start to get a bit more difficult right on the 2nd cup. The game demands that you control your fuel, and it makes it more challenging to collect it by placing the fuel containers more to the side. But it still fun to play, even if I keep fighting the touch controls.

The game is more inspired on Top Gear than on OutRun, so instead of continuously driving and choosing paths (like OutRun), you play cups on different countries. Instead of keeping within the time limit, you must avoid running out of fuel.

One big difference is that it doesn't have manual transmission (actually, there is no concept of transmission at all, you just need to press the accelerator). Maybe that's because it would be complicated to implement with the touch controls. For the PC version, it would be very nice to have that option.

Some of the locations are really great. The one that stood out so far is the 1st Vilarrica circuit in Chile. The track is full of colors and transitions, it is amazing to look at. I keep playing just to see what the next track will look like.

 

[Wonko_C]

Does the soundtrack carry the torch though? That's the real question.

EDIT: Its no Splash Wave, but its not bad at all.

You're looking for the wrong torch here. The music is influenced by Top Gear, it's even done by the same composer.

 

[RM8]

Well, I wasn't expecting this to be so awesome. Gameplay is super solid and challenging, with superb music and visuals. It also gets pretty challenging, I'm really glad I bought it :]

 

[Krejlooc]

This looks like it takes much more inspiration from Lotus Turbo Challenge than Outrun.