The point of all racing games is to be the first one to cross the finish line. That's it. It doesn't matter how you do it to get there, or whether you're tossing red shells or avoiding crashing planes, you need to beat your opponents to the end of the race to win. That basic concept may get lost in some of the glitz and glamor of today's high-end racing titles, but Nintendo's latest WiiWare release in the Art Style series, "Light Trax" proves that you don't need to go heavy on graphics to make a compelling racing title.
The Basics
In 2006 seven games were released in Japan by Nintendo under the collective "bit Generations" moniker and were some of the most unique and simple Gameboy Advance releases to ever hit the market. Unfortunately, those games never made it to the United States in their original form, but they are being slowly remade and released via Nintendo's download-only platforms, WiiWare and DSiWare. "Art Style: Light Trax," is the updated version of the very Tron-esque "Dotstream," both of which have you playing as a stream of light, racing against other streams. Keeping the same overall minimalistic aesthetic and gameplay of the original, "Light Trax" keeps the races as simple as possible without losing the competitive elements.
The Highs
Dotstream Plus
Anyone who played the original GBA release may have a good idea of what's in store for you with "Light Trax," but they should also be pleasantly surprised that the game's developer, skip Ltd., updated the title enough that it should feel like a fresh experience. "Light Trax" adds to the racing experience by taking the player off of the single plane that the GBA release offered and creating faux 3D courses for the player to go in and out of. The game still essentially remains on one plane, but you can take "corners" which change your perception, or even race from behind your stream of light.
It's Just Lines
It's so simple and basic that, aside from the colors, this title could have probably come out on the original Gameboy, and in a world where the number of polygons that are included in a car model is a point of discussion this devolution is a welcome display. It should remind fans of the racing genre just what is fun about racing games; the actual racing part. This game consists of little more than colored lines on a black background, meaning everything else is what you make of it.
Part Puzzle Game/Part Racing Game
What "Light Trax" lacks in graphics it makes up for in difficulty. While it may seem like your just trying to get your dot to the end of the race, there's actually quite a bit of skill required to win, and it is going to take some practice. Outside of learning the courses themselves, skills like learning to take sharp turns and how to block out your rivals will be essential if you have any hope of winning.
The Lows
25 MPH Speed Limit
If you're a race fan that's used to going Mach 1 in your car as you cross the finish line, "Light Trax" might not be the game for you. The game starts out almost painfully slow, while you get used to the gameplay, but then never really ups the speed too much, at least not in the regular races. Later levels in the game do offer you more opportunities to speed up (offer lots of speed boosting power-ups), but they also feature numerous obstacles that you need to avoid. The game's "Freeway" mode is the only real option if you're looking to see just how fast this game can go.
Just What Am I Doing?
While I am of the thinking that the less tutorial your game needs, the better, "Light Trax" takes it a little too much to heart. There's no tutorial, and it only offers a "demo" mode, which is basically shows you what happens when you press different buttons. It's like trying to figure out how to race from an Ikea catalog.
The Freeway
"Light Trax" isn't easy by any means, but once you finally manage to place first in a circuit, it throws another challenge at you by making you go and "find" the next set of races. In order to fully unlock each of the next stages of the game, you have to take the right exit off the freeway before the time runs out. The freeway gameplay isn't drastically different from the standard races, but it offers more of an isometric view, as opposed to a side-scrolling/top-down perspective, and it also offers upgradeable gears to drive in to help you get to the next area faster.
The Verdict
"Art Style: Light Trax" is a hard game to put into words, and may be even tougher to sell to the general gaming audience. Trying to pass off minimalistic graphics, and basic gameplay in today's gaming world is challenging when going up against flashy titles like "Split/Second" and "Blur" which offer an almost comparable experience. However, anyone that does take a chance on "Light Trax" will be pleasantly surprised to find that it is satisfyingly deep and challenging, even though it may not offer much in the way of graphics.