Horizon Chase 2 Review

Horizon Chase 2 is an arcade racer and sequel to 2018’s addictive racer Horizon Chase Turbo. The premise is simple: win races, collect coins and improve your ride. As you complete races, based on your position, you’ll earn experience points which in turn reward players with an upgrade point. Collecting blue coins will unlock upgrades for five vehicle components: Suspension, Air intake, Differentials, Gearbox and Nitro boost. While the racing genre is pretty straightforward, Horizon Chase 2 offers a bit of variety in terms of type of racing.

You can expect the obvious race a set amount of lap on a track and finish in the best position possible, ideally first. You’ll have races where you need to reach the finish line in the best position possible. And there’s also Time Attack races, but with a twist. While you do need to beat the time, picking up timer icons will reduce the total time, giving you a hand in successfully beating the time. Some other tracks will have blue arrow on the ground as a boost. You can also participate in tournaments of varying levels of difficulty to earn extra coins.

When starting a race, you also have 3 nitro boosts in your back pocket for dire situations. You can also pick up additional nitro in some of the tracks. You’ll either be able to pick up one boost “bottle” but also picking up four nitro fragment will give you an additional nitro. Winning races and tournaments reward players with coins that can be used to unlock additional vehicle color palette and rims. And as you progress through the World tour, you’ll unlock new rides.

The game looks great. Each race track has its own theme and color palette. Each area and track are also incredibly colorful; I was reminded a bit of some Mario Kart aesthetic, just less cartoon-ish while keeping a “cartoon” flair if that makes sense. There’s also a nice touch where some races, time moves forward and the time of day moves forward from day to night. The soundtrack is a generic, phoned in pop score with forgettable tunes.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this sequel; but I will not deny that the gameplay does get a bit repetitive if you intend on playing for hours on end. And the other little annoying nugget is the rubber-banding. Often times, when reaching the top 3 position, the opposing racers you just passed will rubber band its way back ahead of you a bit. While this can be managed if you conserve your nitro, it’s a bit frustrating, especially in the last stretch of a race.

Horizon Chase 2 is definitely a must-play. It’s the best arcade racer since… well… its predecessor. It’s easy to pick up and play and can be hard to put down. Lots of content to unlock whether it be new rides or visuals styles. Whenever you need a change from racing sims or looking to give the racing genre a shot, Horizon Chase 2 is your best bet. Don’t miss out.