Star Wars: Galactic Racer has a lot going for it. Alongside the built-in fanbase of the sci-fi epic/ IP juggernaut, developer Fuse Games includes people who gave us Need for Speed and Burnout, the latter being my favorite racing franchise ever. And yes, there are slow-mo podracer crashes and explosions—plenty of them.
I managed to play an extended demo that introduced me to multiple vehicle types and an early foray into the core single-player campaign, which centers on a runs-based structure where you try to make it through a season of racing and beat a well-funded antagonist in the process. While I focused on the campaign mode, there are four game modes in total. Scenario mode forces the player to race under specific conditions, and there are also Challenge races and Versus for racing against other human players.
The three vehicle types have different handling styles and quirks. I was instantly drawn to the blade, the middleweight option that can be drifted and tilted until the entire vehicle is speeding along on its side edge. The challenge is balancing the tighter cornering (and having less real estate to slam into walls) with lower top speeds,
There’s also a more typical, car-shaped Landspeeder which can handle racer jostling without spinning out and is better able to maintain speed. Then there is the skimspeeder, which gains a burst of speed when accelerating out of tight corner turns.
Across all the vehicles, boosts come in two types. The safe (and mild) Afterburner boost gauge gradually refills as you race, while Ramjet is a riskier (more powerful) speed boost. Using it will heat your engine, eventually bringing it to “Redline”. Linger in that phase too long, and your ride explodes, despite your flawless driving.
Race basics are further fleshed out with shields, hacking abilities and even status effects that can knock out boosting abilities and more. Through the campaign, you’ll earn and unlock parts to upgrade your racer, increasing stats like cornering and top speed, or extra Ramjet oomph. You’ll win components when placing in the high ranks, but installing them will still require credits (also earned through successful racing). A season of races will include solo time trials and other stages with a twist. Each league is set up as a flow chart, so you can attempt to pick the most effective run of races (or bonuses).
I ended up switching up my rides often, depending on the race’s location. Many planets (It’s called Galactic Racer for a reason) will affect your approach. Some tracks have acidic rivers that require shielding, while icy planets allow the high-risk ramjet booster system to be used for longer. Conversely, planets with molten lava demand far more judicious boosting. Some races stipulate that you can’t crash (and explode) even once, while most races offer you three chances. In Burnout style, you’re returned to the track at speed.
On that point, while the Star Wars characters, races and locales add some texture, Galactic Racer is addictively fun even if you’re checked out of Disney’s sci-fi juggernaut. For those who do care, you might appreciate the addition of some plot. The game is set after the fall of the Empire, as the New Republic takes hold. You play the campaign as a mysterious helmeted pilot named Shade.
To embed the player in the story and its characters, each race is bookended by a brief exploratory walk from your spaceship to your garage. And that’s after every race. Occasionally, a rival racer might initiate a conversation or invite you to a special kind of race, but even during my demo, having to walk from the same A to B each time could have been easily replaced with a “skip to next race” shortcut. I didn’t dive deep into customization, but it was straightforward, and I like being able to funnel upgrades into my driving style.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer will be released on October 6. It’s coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
