LifeisXbox’s Super Woden GP Review | It’s time to race, prove your superiority, and climb to the highest spot in the motorsport world in this new 90s isometric racing game called Super Woden GP. As with the vast majority of games in the racing genre, you will be spending most of your time competing against the computer AI, or friends using the local multiplayer, in an attempt to win every race available to you. Winning rewards you with credits and stars that in turn allow you to buy new cars and unlock further races to participate in. Super Woden GP has been developed by Vijuda while being published by Eastasiasoft Limited in an attempt to use an old-school style to appeal to both newcomers and veterans of arcade racing who seek a more playful and casual game from the genre. Race your way to victory and collect all those sweet rides; become the champion of the racing scenes.
ℹ️ Reviewed on Xbox Series S | Review code provided by PR/publisher, this review is the personal opinion of the writer.
What we Liked!
- Earn to purchase cars | Once you start to win your races, using whichever car you choose to start out with and begin earning credits, you have the option to purchase additional vehicles to compete in higher-ranking races. Obviously, the stats on more expensive cars tend to be beneficial to the player making it a no-brainer to work towards your next improvement. There are multiple dealerships you can search and buy from, depending on what you’re looking for as cars have three stats – power, grip, and handling. I’ll certainly be aiming to have a collection of everything I can afford; whether it’s for the performance or pure look.
- Retro and artistic appearance | I can’t even begin to explain how much I was smitten with the graphic appearance in Super Woden GP. They represent the entire game, from menus to races themselves in an incredibly nostalgic and pixelated style. When I first viewed the before-race menu, the background took me back to my art days at both school and college which really hit home for me and was wonderful. It’s an approach that both presents modern and older qualities and this is pretty much perfect for what the Super Woden GP has to offer. Full of life with the details that matter most. Additionally, there is an option to change the style between normal, arcade, the 1950s, and paper should you wish to try these out but I mostly stuck to the original.
- Awesome audio | To enhance Super Woden GP, there has been an impressive soundtrack and accurate sound effects included to really make you feel at one with the racing scene of video games from the 90s. It creates a fun and enjoyable domain, allowing you to race to your heart’s content with plentiful amounts of excitement; couldn’t stop bopping my head to the music in all honesty. The sound effects are all reminiscent of those you would usually hear at races – the screeching of tyres, engines working away, and collision between barriers and/or cars to add to the authenticity of any racing game. We all love a good engine roar, don’t we?
- Multiple modes | Through the main map interface, you have the choice to play different types of races to suit your mood or playstyle which gives us a hint of variety. Included are the following – Weekend, WGP Championships, Endurance, and Rally. Each still has its competitive edge. It should be known that to unlock endurance and rally, you must obtain a set amount of stars from the other two options available from the beginning. Set races will also have a limit to the engine power your vehicle can have to make the competition even and fair throughout.
- Top-down viewpoint | As most racing games use either first-person or third-person viewpoints when driving, Super Woden GP is a little different and instead uses an angled-birdseye view when controlling your car which may feel a little strange to those who struggle with hand-eye coordination as I did at first. Thankfully, I did get used to this fairly quickly which luckily caused me minimal issues. Personally, I think it gives you a better perspective of how close/far you are to other drivers and also provides a nice view of the track/environment for you to admire as you gracefully speed your way around.
- Effortless controls | As for the controls and mechanics in Super Woden GP, they’re pretty easy and self-explanatory, especially when you compare them to the basics of other racing games. Simply pressing RT to accelerate, LT to break, and the right analogue stick to steer is all pretty common knowledge to those who know the genre. Yeah, the handling can be a little difficult when starting up but that’s because most of the cheaper cars have very poor handling which is to be expected. Easy to pick up and play whenever you fancy a little arcade racing experience.
Mixed Feelings
- Field of view | One option that I think should have been added to Super Woden GP is that of increasing or decreasing the field of view to appeal to each player’s preferences. For me, I felt too close to the action and believe I would have benefited from a larger field of view, allowing me to see more of the track and what is upcoming. Yes, a small map of the race is displayed on the screen so you can see when you’re approaching a bend but I find calculating distances on the track easier. I certainly doubt anyone would want to be any closer than is the default.
- Speed barriers | The one component of Super Woden GP which really annoyed me was what I like to call the ‘speed barriers’. Every time you merely had your tyre on the grass verge or slightly knocked the side barrier, your car might as well have had its engine cut completely. That or your can gets spun around entirely – and not in the “you spin me, right round baby, right round” kind of way either. This had me restarting races left, right, and centre. Maybe because I’m highly competitive and don’t like coming last but still. I could understand a slow-down penalty maybe which I think would be more user-friendly.
- No story, just races | The only element of Super Woden GP is racing. Therefore, if you’re a fan of having a main campaign or story mode included, you won’t be satisfied with this title. I like to have perhaps a rivalry or some cutscenes that suggest a story but this was not to be. I guess, due to this being an arcade title, I can appreciate this is not necessary and the game works exactly as a plug-in-and-play would. I just personally like a little depth to all my games where possible.
What we Disliked
- No introduction | I’m not sure what I expected to be greeted with when I loaded up Super Woden GP but to be just shoved straight into a main-hub area with no instructions or guidance regarding what I was supposed to do was a little odd. No controller map, no small quantity of text explaining anything – nothing. I guess it’s somewhat understandable with it being an arcade game – it’s not like you get an introduction with them usually but with it being slightly more in-depth than one, I would have liked a little guide, to begin with so I knew which direction to take.
How long to beat the story | There is no story included
How long to achieve 1000G | Approximately 4-6 Hours
Please consider supporting us!
Hello, I’m Victoria. I’m from the UK and have been playing video games for as long as I can remember; back on DreamCast. I’ve pretty much fallen for Xbox since I was around eight years old and remember BioShock being my first game on the Xbox360. Although I find it thoroughly enjoyable to not only experience gameplay, I also find comfort in getting lost and engrossed in the online worlds that sometimes differ greatly from what we know. Another side of my Xbox passion would be achievement hunting and gamerscore. I thrive when I hear the little sound of one popping up on the screen and I’m always finding ways to work on my backlog when possible. Horror is my favourite genre so if you have any recommendations, don’t be afraid to send them my way!
