Death Rally Review

Death Rally (Steam)
Developed By: Mountain Sheep Inc., Cornfox & Brothers Ltd.
Published By: Remedy Entertainment
Date of Release: August 3, 2012
Price: $9.99

Back in September of 1996 Remedy Entertainment took the PC racing world by storm with their smash hit destruction derby styled racer Death Rally. Featuring an overhead view similar to games such as Micro Machines and RC Pro AM, this balls-to-the-wall racer also had intense combat mechanics previously unseen in the genre. Fans were pleased by the high-octane carnage they were able to wreak with their gloriously upgradable death machines. Now fast forward to the present day. Hot on the heels of an impressive iOS remake, Remedy Entertainment has released a majorly overhauled version of Death Rally on Steam with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a PC title!



The first thing that stands out form the original Death Rally is the revamped control scheme. I'm not one to normally toss about tired and cliche terms such as "intuitive control", however Death Rally fits that description perfectly. Rather than having a gas button, and steering with the stick/keys, your car moves in the direction you press/hold on the stick. Between the keyboard and my Xbox 360 pad, I preferred the pad. Any joystick you connect to your PC will do however. The game also takes care of firing your primary weapon, leaving you free to handle the steering, and the decision of when to fire your secondary weapons, boost, or drop mines. At first you may feel like you have been robbed of a certain degree of interaction, however you are going to need every bit of concentration you can muster. So truth be told the new control scheme is a definite blessing.



Of course it wouldn't be Death Rally without customization, would it? Thankfully Remedy has seen to it that the full stable of customizable powerhouses have returned from the classic title, with a few nice surprises thrown in for good measure. Just as in the classic Death Rally your hard earned prize money can be used for repairs, and to upgrade your weapons, armor, speed, and more. As you race along the tracks be sure to pick up upgrade parts and tokens to unlock new tracks. Speaking of tracks, most of the original tracks make an appearance, so if you've memorized those twists and turns then you have an advantage right out of the gate. The new content included is definitely up to the quality of the original game, and doesn't feel tacked on at all.



The original Death Rally was famous for it's solid multiplayer, despite being limited to IPX networking. Of course as the remake is a modern title, the clunky network interface has been abolished, and the internet reigns supreme! All the classic gametypes are here such as racing and deathmatch, so get ready to reach out and frag someone. Online leaderboards will soon be added, so you will be able to try and beat your friends scores, while bragging about your own. With all these additions, not to mention the upgraded visuals and soundtrack, Death Rally really stands above all recent vehicular combat games. It definitely is worth buying at it's current price of $9.99.