Radial-G is a fast paced, speed-racing game coined as ‘the fastest game in VR.’ Although you can pick up the game on Steam, the Playstation VR is said to show the game off at its best. To show off the intensity of the speed as you race low-gravity ships through an obstacle course that you could fall off of at any time.
Much like traditional racing games, you can face off against loads of other players, racing each other through a twisting, glimmering, futuristic track. This track is made of long, cylindrical roads, which you can move around freely. Yes, that’s right, there is no top to the course — you can move wherever you want. This does cause some risk, as there are ramps dotted around, you will need to take advantage of these to move onto a new path, as well as using the beams of gravity which will transport you to new areas. If you don’t quite make it to the next part of the track then a giant laser will blast your ship to bits — forcing you to restart on the track and costing you time.
There are ways to gain ground, even if blasted away, of course. A triplet of green areas are dotted all around the track; touching one of these will give you a speed boost, while touching all three of them will give you enough of a speed boost to close most gaps.racing over three sets of them will give you a major speed increase to help you out, while hitting one will increase your speed slightly. Each speed boost depletes over time.
There are also orange dots littered around which give you weapons if you run over them. These weapons can be thrown at other players, much like Mario Kart. Dangers are present within the game — anything red will harm you and slow you down. These come in the form of red faded walls, as well as bombs scattered across the floor. You do have a shelf on your ship, one which prevents you from dying when hitting different dangers — this shield can be traded for a temporary boost, but will leave you vulnerable while it recharges.
Radial-G feels amazing. You really can feel the speed of your ship, and making snap decisions as you glide along the track feels exhilarating. As the tracks have no real top, you can sometimes feel that you’re the only one around, that is, until you see the others ahead of you or get blasted by a weapon. While using the VR headset you can look down at yourself, which shows off your body, and the ship around you — You’re a badass, going faster than the speed of light, racing around twisted tracks which don’t end until you’ve hit the finish line.
I was given the chance to play Radial-G on the PlayStation VR at Machinima SBOC’s Radial-G Tournament which recently took place in London a short while back. Machinima SBOC is looking to make this type of event a monthly feature, livestreaming players who attempt to face off against each other in various games within a studio in London. They’re welcoming, and if you wish to attend the event in person, to compete yourself, or just watch the stream from the comfort of your home, you can grab some info here.
The addition of a crowd cheering while you play really adds a great atmosphere to any type of competitive game, and these events also give you the chance to see the games before playing and then jump into the action as to see how you fare against other competitors. It’s all in the name of fun, and I even got to watch the developers take on the game they created, which is a great thing to see.
