Rims Racing Review

A few months back, I was able to sit in the preview event for Rims Racing. (To give my Shift key a break, Rims Racing will be now be called Rims Racing). I couldn't help but feel impressed by the concept. RaceWard Studio representatives stated that their debut game was meant to appeal to bikers and not just racers. They didn't intend to make a game where players jump from bike to bike just for the fun of it. They wanted to create a game in which players could choose their favorite bike, one they might have kept in their garage, and then stick with it. It will get used to you. You can tweak it. Customise it. It will win.

When this idea was being presented, I couldn't help but think of my Dad. My only real experience with a motorbike was when it crashed into a tree. (True story). So, I often turn to my Dad, who has been a rider for over 30 years, to check the authenticity of two-wheeled racing games. Although he is a skilled racer, he has never found the time to play them. He likes watching Moto GP but he doesn't want to play it. He would rather ride on the country roads of Wales, than do laps on a track. You'll find him riding his bike to the truck stop for a cup o' tea on any dry day. RaceWard's designers made me realize that Rims Racing may finally be the bike racer my Dad chooses to ride, and not me forcing him to do so.

I was right.

Rims Racing PS5 Review

Rims Racing is a different kind of racing. Rims Racing is not like Ride, MXPG, or any other racing games. Everything, except the racing aspect of things, will require explanation. It's not intuitive and it isn't comparable to other racers. This means that the game starts with a lot of tedious and lengthy tutorials. Although it makes a bad first impression, it is short-lived. These tutorials are invaluable once you get into the game.

Rims Racing only has 8 bikes - the Yamaha YZF–R1, Suzuki GSX–R1000R and the 2019 MV Agusta F4 RC. Although this may seem like a small selection, it's actually a deliberate choice. These bikes are very different in stock and offer a wide range of bike brands that you will find in biker friends groups. You can view the statistics of each bike from the menu. Although there are likely to be some arguments among friends over which bike is fastest, there are plenty of bikes that suit each play style.

Rims Racing Bikes

Rims Racing's core experience is the career mode. You will need to choose your bike from the available 8 and begin your journey towards two-wheeled dominance. This mode is unique because everything is consistent, customized and personal.

Which bike do you prefer? It is a permanent entity. It's not like every other race title where you get a new bike at every start. The bike you chose at the beginning of your career will still be the one you use for every race, at least until you unlock 7 more bikes later in your career. Components will eventually wear out. Tires will get worn down. The body may get scratched.

Rims Racing's most distinctive feature is its ability to customize and replace any part of your bike. You can swap out the stock parts of the bike for thousands of components made by real manufacturers. Every new component will have a direct impact on how the bike rides and handles. The condition of each part is represented by a percentage and a traffic light score. This allows you to easily identify and feel it while racing. You can open the tyres up when the bike is in a corner to allow it to stand up. You'll notice the bike fighting back when the tyres begin to slip away as you accelerate out of corners.

Rims Racing Components

It is much more complicated than just pressing a button to change the components of the bike. This applies whether you are in the career menu, or at a pit stop. Every part that needs to be changed has a sequence of QTE-esque button presses that must be completed to swap it. To loosen bolts, spin the left stick. Tap X to attach a tire to a rim. To remove the bar, hold down L1 and press the left stick right. You'll be able to see the actions taking place on screen as you go through these sequences. Although I can see this part of Rims racing being divisive, it was enjoyable and informative for me. It was a lot of work to change the break pad on a Kawasaki Ninja. Now I know. My dear Dad, who is a collector of Haynes Manuals was also impressed.

Rims Racing is a career that involves maintaining your bike. You can compete in a variety of events. There are 1 and 1 road races, manufacturers events, where you can try out new bikes or win parts for your current one, championship weekends that include practice sessions and qualifying, and academy events with time attack sections. It is a varied mode. These events are held at fictional locations, as well as on a variety of real-world racetracks like Nurburgring and Silverstone. This gives the game an incredible amount of variety.

The career experience is underpinned by an RPG styled progressions system that's akin to the career mode in WRC 9. The player will be rewarded with a skill point, which can be used in many places around the headquarters. This will provide permanent improvements in things such as inventory space, component prices, and race research. However, it does not affect the bike's performance.

There are many other activities that you can do outside of your Career. Single player allows you to race or practice on any track, with any bike. You can also participate in academy events. You will also find multiplayer very interesting. Split screen local racing with full customization options is available. But it's the online part that offers something special. Online Challenges offers a variety of timed events. Each of these events can be completed separately, but they are all compared on a leaderboard. You'll receive a reward depending on how you stack up against others at the end of each month. This mode is a great option for those who want to have a heated debate.

You can also jump in to an online race if you just want to. Rims Racing's online modes are lobby-based. I haven't seen any connection issues or bugs in them.

RaceWard is a relatively new studio, but many of its members have been involved in other bike racing games so the action on track doesn't feel like a first title. As I mentioned, the handling and bike performance are excellent. However, because the track changes so dramatically during races, it is unlike any other experience. Rims Racing feels like it is trying to be both accessible and deep. You don't have to use a second thumbstick to adjust your weight. However, you will need to learn the differences between riding a bike and other vehicles. The game's AI won't make any mistakes, no matter how difficult it is set at. However, it will push you around corners and not just ride through you at the harder settings.

Those rays sure are tracing…

Rims Racing is mostly a visual display. Each of the 8 bikes has been faithfully reproduced digitally. The exact parts and components that you will be changing and switching between have also been meticulously recreated. You can see the majority of the tracks in the game. The road races in the game are not perfect, but I would say so. You won't notice those rough edges if you have any skill in the game. You'll see them if you spend significant time on your first track attempt watching a crash camera as your bike glides through the air and the rider glides across the ground. You'll also notice a bit of visual pop-in - something you rarely see on my PS5 - especially on tracks with large gravel traps. For example, you can see the guard railings phasing in to existence as you approach Laguna Seca's first corner. Although it's not experience-destroying, you can see that this game was designed for next and last generation consoles.

Rims Racing has put a lot of effort into its DualSense controller features. You'll feel the exhaust crackle on the bike. When you brake at speed, the triggers will push back. The controller's speaker will notify you when your tyres become too loose. These features make for an even more engaging race.

Rims Racing 2 is coming soon, but there's one thing that I would like to see improve in the sequel. It's the feeling of speed that the game gives off. This is something that many other bike racing games have worked hard to perfect over the years. It can be as simple as the sound of wind increasing with speed or blurring in the peripheral without making the game WipEout. This is not something that this title highlights. It doesn't matter if you are going 175 km/h or faster. This is a minor issue, but it's something I noticed after many years of playing quality bike racing games.

Also, Bloody Beetroots provided the soundtrack. It all. Each song is provided by one artist. BB has a varied and eclectic back catalog. Many of the biggest tracks by artists, including 2 new tracks, have been included.

Rims racing is a bike race game for bikers. This game is different from all others in the genre because it focuses on owning, maintaining and customizing bikes as well racing them. The bikes featured in this gallery are comparable to the vast array of racers and bikes available. There will be some hiccups and some rough edges. However, there is a unique focus that will appeal to my Dad and other gamers like him. After a decade of trying to force my Dad to race his bike racing games, this is the first time he has asked for one. It was worth it, even if it was just for the time I spent racing with my Dad in this race.