Switchcars is a roguelike arcade game that plays like a side-scrolling racing game. Your main goal is to outrun the monsters chasing you. Early in the game, it is quite easy to finish a stage without even seeing one of the monsters, but as you progress they start showing up more often.
The visuals are great, with every vehicle looking distinct and being easily recognizable. The sound design is equally good. Sound effects are fantastic, although the soundtrack is a only slightly above average. The overall presentation of Switchcars does a good job of complementing the game loop without becoming the main focus or upstaging it.
The gameplay primarily involves you switching between different vehicles depending on the environment you are in as well as the condition and fuel of your vehicles. There are over 1000 vehicles you will come across, all with different statistics, special abilities, and niches. To add on to this, there are 40 upgrades you can come across that will let you outfit a vehicle for an additional purpose, or just to upgrade its stats. For example, you can come across a fire engine, which has a siren as a special ability. You can then attach skis to it which will allow it to drive in snowy terrain. Being that Switchcars is primarily an arcade style game, it is very easy to pick up and play. As a side note, the game is listed as early access, although development seems to have stopped. I don’t find this to be a negative as the game feels quite finished. Overall, I highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys arcade racing games.
