Welcome Time Wasters!
The Wife and I picked up a Switch about a month ago and for the first couple of weeks it was basically just a Breath of the Wild machine. Once we both put over 100 hours into the game and beat the main story, it was time to look for another game to hold my interest. I didn’t have to look far as I’d already been eyeballing Fast RMX.
Fast RMX is a futuristic racing game on the Nintendo Switch. It’s an eShop title that sets customers back $20, but there’s plenty of content for the price. The game starts players off with the Subsonic league in Championship mode, which is the easiest of three. Each of the leagues contain the same cups and tracks, but they become more difficult with the other racers getting better.
Players will only have access to a single cup at the start of the game, but more unlock as they win. There are 10 cups in each league and every cup has three tracks. That’s a total of 30 different race tracks for players to enjoy in Fast RMX. Players also unlock additional vehicles as they win and there are 15 to chose from when it’s all said and done.
Races in Fast RMX’s Championship mode aren’t as simple as shooting for the finish line. There is also boost for players to collect and use. All of the tracks feature boost orbs and boost pads that players can use. The boost orbs can be picked up and stored back for later use, at the player’s discretion. The boost pads are used in the moment to get a boost. However, it isn’t just that simple.
Boost pads comes in two different colors in Fast RMX: blue and orange. Players can switch the color of their racing vehicle’s highlights to match these colors. Hitting a boost pad of the same color with grant players the boost, but being the wrong color will cause a major slowdown.
There are also other features in Fast RMX that will require the player to switch their color between blue and orange. This includes boost rings and boost jumps. The boost rings only show up on a single track and are simply rings that give players a boost when they go through them as the right color. Boost jumps show up in a few courses and they will launch the player in the air if they are the corresponding color. This can lead to secrets paths, additional boost orbs and other benefits. However, skipping these can also a good option, depending on the situation.
Boosting in Fast RMX feels great at first, but it kind of loses its charm after some time with the game. The big reason is that it doesn’t actually speed a car up as much as the player might expect. Don’t get me wrong, the change in camera angle and additional speed lines look amazing, but it sucks when you realize that the car in front of you isn’t boosting and you are only just barely catching them.
Honestly, the best use of boost in Fast RMX is to mess up the other opponents. Hitting another car from behind while boosting will cause it to spin out. This greatly reduces its speed and makes overtaking it easier. Players just need to make sure they aren’t on the receiving end of one of these attacks.
When it comes to just the racing and controls in Fast RMX, everything feels great. Taking tight turns at high speed is awesome and players really will get a rush when playing the game. The game lets players turn with the joystick, but they can also use the shoulder buttons to lean the vehicle more in one direction. This helps with those high-speed turns.
Outside of Championship mode, there’s also a couple of other types of races that players can take part in. The first is a Time Attack mode that shows up in just about every racing game. The second, and much more interesting one, is Hero mode.
Hero mode in Fast RMX has players taking part in a single race at a time. The goal of the race is still to take first, but some of the rules are different. The biggest change is that players now have a shield and boost. These also share the same meter. Getting hit without boost will destroy the car and lose the race. Players can get shield/boost back by collecting boost orbs or running over boost pads, which will also still give a boost.
If Hero mode is starting to sound familiar to some players then there is a reason why. It’s F-Zero. Not, it’s kind of like F-Zero, or it has some similarities with F-Zero. Nope. It’s just plainly F-Zero. The developers should have just gone ahead and called the mode F-Zero. This isn’t a complaint, by the way. I love F-Zero and this is a welcome addition. It’s actually why I bought the game. Fast RMX is obviously a love letter the F-Zero. There’s even a car that players can unlock named the Fulcon Capital. It has a blue and yellow paint job with red and white stripes on the front.
I’ve got to say that Fast RMX works surprisingly well as a Time Waster. First of all, I have the ability to take the game with me when I leave the house. This is such a huge plus for me and may be the death of my smartphone gaming. Secondly, nothing in the game takes too long to do. Just about every cup in the game can be beat in less than five minutes. Time Attack and Hero mode also only focus on single races, which means they too go by quick. It makes it very easy to pick up and put the game down while out and about.
Fast RMX also features multiplayer, but I can’t really weigh in on it. I don’t have much in the way of friends that enjoy racing games, and none of them still live near me. I’m also the only one of my friends to have bough the Switch already, so I couldn’t test the local play. To top it off, my internet isn’t stable enough to take the game online. I just couldn’t catch a break while looking to test out the multiplayer.
I’ve already hit on this a little bit, but I’ve got to make sure I get my point across. Fast RMX is a beautiful game. It runs great on the Switch both when docked and on its own. There’s a large variety of different courses in the game that keep it feeling fresh and they all look great. The game even has some weather effects, such as water hitting the screen while its raining, or when going under a waterfall.
The audio in Fast RMX is also a treat. The game’s soundtrack is heavy on the electronic beat and it fits the visuals well. I could have done with some more heavy metal or rock, but I’ll take what I can get. The sound effects are also solid and nothing really stood out as wrong while I was playing.
Overall, Fast RMX is a wonderful racing game. It’s a lot like F-Zero, which is something fans of the series are going to be glad to hear after this 13-year drought (Seriously, Nintendo!?). I wish boosting felt like it had more of an impact on the races, but it doesn’t hurt the game too much. Check it out if it seems up your alley.
Fast RMX earns 4 GiN Gems out of 5!