Super Toy Cars Review

Super Toy Cars released on Nintendo E-Shop back in 2018 and developed by Eclipse Games. This is an arcade tabletop racer, pitting innocent and plastic-clad vehicles into a flurry of competitive events, straight out of a child’s imagination. Please be advised we have covered a review for the sequel, which is available on our website. Let’s take a look and see how the original fairs, shall we?

I’ve seen many people compare Super Toy Cars to the likes of the old Micro-Machine titles. It does offer a birds-eye view which is reminiscent of this style, however, it is also similar to the likes of Toy Commando that was available on the Sega Dreamcast. In light of the default camera perspective, 3D environments, and use of scenery.

The core of the package is of course the campaign mode. There are eight sections consisting of six different events. Ranging from standard races, time trials, elimination, and special elimination challenges. Naturally, a score per section is implemented for progression and a drive for completion focussed gamers to chase. 

Local coop, online multiplayer, and a ranking system are also featured here. This is a budget title requiring low storage (612MB) and does pack a punch. You can find plenty of unlockable content available, mostly revolving around new vehicles and upgrades. 

Graphically this is far from a bad looking game. It stands up really well and there’s a solid amount of detail gone into the tracks. What is somewhat distracting is how reflective the wooden surfaces are, they’re pristine clean. You’ll be racing around five different environments, which offer a variety of variations between them. They’re made up of household goods and toys, which again, reminds you of similarly themed racing titles of the past.

Similar to the levels, the soundtrack is limited, only offering five different songs. All performed by ‘The Spin Wires’. A couple of these tunes are rather catchy, I must admit but does feel are a little out of place at times. The typical in-game audio is standard at best, nothing to fault nor anything that really stands out. I think props must be given for using a band to provide the soundtrack and is ambitious for an entry title in a series.

How does it play? Well, notably the developers have drawn inspiration from Mario Kart to an extent. There are pick-ups available to help gain an advantage. The only problem is they’re not half as interesting. A boost mechanic is in play, which requires a full bar in order to make use out of it. To fill, you need to make small jumps and drift, which is a second nature mechanic to most racing enthusiasts.

The first problem I encountered was the drifting mechanic. I’ve played racing games for donkey’s years and this really didn’t bode well with me. It got to the point I purposely didn’t utilise this and discovered I never really needed it at all. Gaining first place and the fastest time in a trial didn’t prove particularly difficult for the most part.

Unfortunately, the physics in Super Toy Cars is twitchy, this is amplified when faced with the elimination game modes that involve mines. The prospect in racing along with explosives; filled me with enthusiasm but turned into an absolute mess for myself and the AI. I’m a fan of destruction, but, this looked messy. 

Another take away is certain segments involve jumps, where you become automatically reset on the track. I found this an extremely annoying gripe. Not only does your car stop, but you’re also set back a few paces before you can continue the race. I must point out that higher and lower levels do require attention to speed in order to avoid significant loss in time. In the same breathe, minor miscalculations can prove illogically punishing. 

With any racer, the most important factor is whether you can really sense speed. Super Toy Cars does hold up in this regard and well. On the other hand, the mash-up of racing elements and twitchy mechanics does take genuine enjoyment away from the experience. As a purchase, this warrants patience and perseverance. This doesn’t seem as fun as it should be.

In closing, this is a perfectly even-leveled showing.  A mixture of positives and negatives that form an average showing. Among the downfalls, a younger audience will look beyond these flaws and embrace the fun-themed concept with open arms. With that said, it is certainly worth a little scouting before committing to a purchase, though do note, it is frequently available on the Nintendo E-Shop at an attractive price.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Nintendo Switch code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.