Super Woden GP 2 PS5 Review
Summary: A fun and surprisingly deep racing game that pays homage to titles like the early Gran Turismo games.
4
Nostalgic
The main menu of a game rarely makes me excited to play it. Super Woden GP 2, is one of the rare titles that managed to do that. The isometric racing game proudly displays its influences from the very start.
Upon booting into the game, we’re greeted with a bright and colourful map screen, icons are scattered around displaying the logos of various fictional car manufacturers hailing from different parts of the world.
Front and centre is the garage icon, with the option to race and modify cars in a nearby workshop. This will sound familiar to anyone who’s played a Gran Turismo game in the last 20 years (apart from GT Sport, but we don’t talk about that one.)
The basic setup of Super Woden GP 2 is similar to that of the GT games. The only thing that differs, aside from the perspective, is the lack of a licensing system. Players start with a low sum of money and have to buy a cheap car to go race with. Taking part in and winning races grants money which in turn is used to buy performance upgrades and purchase new vehicles.
Upgrades are simplistic compared to Gran Turismo’s, six types are available that broadly cover all aspects of a car, brakes, suspension, engine, etc. Each one of these categories has up to three upgrades that can be purchased and applied, improving the various aspects of the car.
Along with money, winning races, and championships awards between one and three stars. These stars are used to unlock more events to take part in. It’s an incredibly standard method of progressing through a game, but it works well enough and ensures that there’s always something new to do.
Now, the obvious difference to traditional racers is the angle the game is viewed from. A top-down, isometric angle, as seen in titles like Micro Machines and the more recent Circuit Superstars is used. I’ve never been much of a fan of racing games viewed from this angle, almost all suffer from the same issue, where it’s not always possible to accurately determine what’s ahead due to the limited visible distance.
Super Woden GP 2 isn’t much different in this respect. It isn’t much of a problem due to the good use of corner icons, co-driver calls, and a circuit map, but it isn’t perfect.
Cars themselves are heavy and feel like they’re actually on track. At the same time, the handling is responsive and it’s easy to drift around corners and slalom through chicanes, all the while maintaining full control. Most of the cars, despite being unlicensed, resemble a real-life counterpart. Often being instantly recognisable as to what it’s supposed to be.
Along with circuit racing, there’s a series of rally championships to take part in. These all take place over different surfaces, from tarmac and gravel to snow and dirt. Rallies are also front and centre in Super Woden GP 2’s arcade mode. This mode closely resembles arcade racing titles of old such as Outrun and SEGA Rally. Point-to-point dashes against the clock.
Visually, Super Woden GP 2 doesn’t stand out in any particular way. It isn’t bad-looking by any means, it’s simplistic by design. Most of the game is relatively low poly, cars and objects that adorn the tracks are chunky and textures do what they need to do and little more. The audio, however, and the soundtrack specifically, is great. It’s a mix of uplifting electronic, chiptune, and synthwave-esque beats. My first thought when diving into the game was along the lines of ‘this game has nailed the vibe’, and the soundtrack goes a long way toward making that a reality.
Final Thoughts
Super Woden GP 2 is a fun, deep, nostalgic racer. There are hours of content to get stuck into. With satisfying gameplay and handling, and an awesome soundtrack, all at a budget price, it’s an easy recommendation for racing fans.
Super Woden GP 2 is also available on PS4, Switch, PC, and Xbox consoles.
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