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Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a driving game from a bygone era. A time when console games only shipped on discs, magazines came with demos and always-online requirements were but a mere pipe dream.
So the question is, does the latest instalment in the deified franchise have a place in contemporary gaming? Let’s find out.
There’s a chance that you’ll fall into two camps: Oh My God, there’s a new Tokyo Xtreme Racer! Or: What is Tokyo Xtreme Racer?
Watch our hands-on impressions on YouTube, embedded above
After all, it’s been nearly 20 years since the last console version launched in its home nation – that’s a whole generation of racing game fans who have missed out.
So, we’ll try to address both perspectives here in this, our initial hands-on impressions.
To be clear, this is an early access release – a work-in-progress version, with a ‘complete’ edition set for release later in 2025. That means the full area, car list and feature list are not included right now, although developer Genki claims around half of the main story is here. And when that happens, we’ll be back for a full review.
That familiar feeling
Firstly, if you’re an existing fan of this series, seeing a nighttime Shuto Expressway in all of its Unreal Engine glory is a significant moment – like when Bob Dylan switched to an electric guitar.
In our experience, it runs smoothly and doesn’t seem to need huge amounts of firepower to work well – even on a Steam Deck on default low settings, the only exception is that it runs at a slower speed in the bumper camera.
There is that Vaseline-smearing effect of the wheels turning that you can get with Unreal, though, also seen in titles such as the MotoGP games.
Naturally, there’s a lot of bland concrete. Yet, the dark setting, lit-up tower blocks, and red Tokyo Tower have a distinctive vibe. The asphalt, based on a real-world network of toll roads, is littered with detailed licenced cars acting as traffic.
Much like its predecessors, you race against rivals one-on-one, each with its unique name and distinctively liveried car.
This mechanic of essentially fighting another car – there is a Tekken-style health bar at the top of the screen depleted by making contact or pulling a lead – is different from any other major racing game over the past two decades.
The series built a loyal fanbase by combining this with a beguiling reward loop, a slow grind to earn more cars.
That returns here, but is augmented with hints at more modern titles – but only hints.
Principally, you will be earning both CP (acting as cash) and BP (acting as skill points). You must really work for a new car, as the cheapest is still around two million credits.
Upgrades are unlocked using equally rarefied skill points, alongside additional perks, and even the ability to buy a new car requires progressions through a skill tree.
So, the humble Suzuki Swift (or two other equally sedate) cars will be your trusty steed for at least the first four to five hours.
You can also choose to spend your, very, hard-earned currency on more customisation items than a local branch of Autobacs. Several number plate options, a paint scheme creator, body kits from real-world manufacturers and even under-car neon that can pulse are available.
As tempting as it is, it’s probably best to spend skill points and cash on tuning parts. Engines, exhausts, brakes and suspension.
Character building
Once you start ramping through your opponents by finding them on the expressway, areas of which gradually open up as you progress, you will come across Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s other strong suit: wackiness.
Find another game where a driver tagged as the On-Time Swallow takes on the fearsome Silent Mongoose. Others include the Indigo Helmswoman and Greeting Mechanic.
Parking lot characters include Serious-Looking Man, Enthusiastic Woman and Easy-Going Dad. An episode of the main career structure, and a team, is called “Return of the Bastards”. You don’t purchase a car, you “decide” and neither do you own currency but “possess”.
Undoubtedly, some of this is just weak localisation, but in the age of a general Americanisation in gaming, this is refreshingly batshit. We hope this doesn’t change through upcoming updates.
The car roster is equally esoteric, with recognisable Japanese cars mixed with deep JDM cuts for the cognoscenti such as Suzuki Altos or Daihatsu Copens.
Age before beauty
All the ingredients are there to appeal to the existing series fan, and for newcomers, after some adjustment, the hunt for BP, CP and new cars is alluring.
In the current era, a single-player focused driving game with accessible driving dynamics, pretty visuals and no online requirements is a breath of fresh air.
But, it’s not without its hangups – bearing in mind that this is early access and we’ll happily reconsider these points as it progresses throughout the year.
The setting, or rather the currently available parts, loses its appeal the longer you play. The area in the south in particular is very straight, repetitive and, unfortunately, dull. This is especially true when driving cars that aren’t Smokey Nagata-level tuned.
The user interface is old-fashioned, with a barrage of on-screen text instead of fashionable icons. Again, another retro callback, but it’s one element that could have been moved forward with the times, without taking away the series’ essence.
Initially, it can be tricky to fathom what to do next. Some of the inputs are counterintuitive too. The square button, when using a PlayStation controller, is to proceed in some menus and not cross, for example.
Not being able to see the full map and your next rival’s location by pausing is seemingly a deliberate design choice – forcing you to either drive more or return to the garage to fiddle with your car – it feels a little punitive. Perhaps a cockpit camera would be a welcome, modernising, addition too.
The rival events follow a nearly identical format for every battle. The appeal here is to roam the streets and complete multiple short, sharp, races one after the other. But, and some may think this is heresy, after a while we were longing for a mix-up in event format to break up the trudge. Beat some underlings, battle a team boss, then repeat.
Extra event variety may be part of the final release, so again, it’s worth repeating these are early access impressions and not a complete review.
Perhaps even more of a potential deal-breaker, however, is the vehicle handling. Benign to the point of terminal understeer is about all you’ll experience.
While the streets have more passing traffic than prior instalments, we felt greater precision would be welcome when weaving in and out of kei cars.
Stuck in its ways
In essence, then, this is everything a loyal fan who has seen the series disappear and then return would ever want.
A simple game, without unnecessary fripperies. Online multiplayer is even dogmatically absent. For those of a certain age, who long for a greater quantity of relatively simplistic racing video games, this is for you.
However, for newcomers, what others may find endearing, you may find frustrating.
A lack of gameplay variety – outside of the dialogue and rival names – can cause the appeal to drip away after the first five hours or so. Yes, the quest for more cars and rear wings remains seductive an allure , but you quickly become accustomed to the same techniques to win over and over.
Let’s see how things develop across the rest of 2025, and if it makes it to consoles. Undoubtedly, this has the potential to be the most charming racing game of the year, but we’d like to see some tweaks to also make it the most rewarding.
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