Developed and published by Aquiris Game Studio, Horizon Chase 2 is the latest racing game in the Horizon Chase franchise which started its journey back in 2015. If you played the original Top Gear or Outrun, chances are that you loved the original Horizon Chase because it was a serious love letter to the original retro racers of the early 90s. Horizon Chase 2 brings back the same level of intense racing that was introduced in the first title and makes it even better by adding more complex environments and elements. This is our review of the Apple Arcade release of Horizon Chase 2 in which we race across the world in exotic race cars.
Horizon Chase 2 brings the World Tour mode back to the game which is a series classic and is also the main game mode where you will be spending most of your time in the game. At its launch, you have five different countries to race in and each country in the game offers multiple races and challenges for you to complete. The World Tour moves in a sequence, so you have to complete all of the races in one country to unlock the next country and then you continue this cycle until you unlock all of the countries and complete all of the races. Each race or challenge has different sub-challenges as well such as collecting all of the blue coins while racing on the track or collecting the green fuel canisters for a bonus nitro shot.
The event types range from championships to Gold Rush to standard races. To get you comfortable, Horizon Chase 2 starts off easy as the AI racers, as well as the tracks, are fairly easier at the beginning however as you progress further, both the AI as well as the tracks start to get trickier and require more controlled driving rather than just turning left and right at full speeds. One of the aspects that have changed the most in the game is that Horizon Chase 2 does not have that empty feeling with its tracks. The environments are tracks are more detailed this time around and they actually feel like they are set inside cities rather than far-off locations set away from humanity.
While the overall look and the art style of Horizon Chase 2 still feel retro and have that nostalgic feeling to them, it is a massive upgrade from the first game. The vehicle models, roads, and surroundings are more detailed this time around with cars even having proper reflections of the surroundings. Some of the tracks in the game are also now layered and you race around the same track up and down while going through multiple paths and shortcuts. The levels look absolutely beautiful, and they are brilliantly designed. The tracks range from deserts to amazon forests to snow-covered roads. Each location is highly detailed and feels like a massive upgrade from the first game. Some of the maps such as the forest levels also feature rain and icy regions that have snow during the races making them look realistic.
Apart from the levels, Aquiris has done a great job on the vehicle design as well. You will see some similarities between the in-game cars and some real-world cars however they are mixed and matched, so every vehicle has a distinct look and feel to it. You have a few vehicles available right from the start of the game however the best ones are locked initially and you have to win races and completely different locations in order to unlock the rest of the cars. The overall handling has greatly improved and while vehicles are bullets on the track, one missed turn and you will be massively slowed down on the dirt or you will run into an obstacle crashing yourself.
As you continue to race with a particular vehicle, you will level it up and earn upgrade points which are used to increase the performance of the vehicle by upgrading it. Upgrades cost upgrade points and you only earn them by leveling up your vehicles by racing with them more. Apart from upgrading them, you can also customize them visually by changing their liveries, body styles, and rims. Some of the rims and paint jobs are premium so you need to dish out coins for them however the body types are locked behind loyalty, and you must win certain races with the vehicle before you unlock their bonus body type. These are mostly major changes that convert vehicles into GT racers, off-roaders, convertibles, or coupes and are unique to each vehicle.
Apart from the World Tour, you have the Playground Mode where you can race with other players from around the world in events that are decided by the game. They change regularly and they grant you tickets that allow you to level up and unlock rewards such as credits and exclusive paint jobs. If you are unable to find real players from around the world to play with you in the Playground Mode, the game adds bots in each race and even if you do find other players, the empty slots are always filled by AI bots. Finally, you have the Tournaments where you take part in multiple races in one setting. All modes in the game offer multiplayer and if you have friends or family to enjoy the game with, you can do so both locally and online.
Horizon Chase 2 is a massive upgrade for the franchise, and I am really happy to see that Aquiris is moving forward in the right direction. Compared to the first game in the franchise, Horizon Chase 2 features fewer cars and tracks at this time. However, we can expect future updates and DLCs to add more tracks, game modes, and cars to the game. Apart from the amount of content currently offered, Horizon Chase 2 is a solid racing game, and I cannot wait to see what Aquiris has planned for the game in the future. I love the improved racing mechanics and the challenging races that it offers, and the visual updates are just the icing on the top. Since Apple Arcade works across all Apple devices, you can play the game on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. The performance of the game is pretty consistent across Apple TV, Mac, and iPad, I did notice some performance dips on the iPhone during certain sections of some maps. Apart from some frame dips, the game runs pretty well across all of the devices with no technical issues.
Final Verdict:
Horizon Chase 2 is the classic example of what is not broken, do not fix. Horizon Chase 2 builds upon the best aspects of the original Horizon Chase and delivers a brilliant mobile racing game that is a perfect blend of modern and retro. It manages to retain its retro visuals and art style while delivering a modern racing experience at the same time with improved visuals and mechanics all around. If you played the first game and liked it, you will certainly love the new title in the franchise. Highly recommended if you love racing games and if you are looking for something to play on mobile devices.
Final Score: 8.5/10