NeoSprint in the test: Forget about “everything was better in the past”!

What do I do with NeoSprint? After all, Super Sprint is one of the games I grew up with. A top-down racer that I spent many hours playing on my Atari ST. Not the greatest game of all time, far from it, but a fun arcade racer and, as I found out in connection with NeoSprint, part of a not-so-small series that has its roots in the arcade.

And because pretty much everything that has already been seen comes back at some point, the Sprint series is also making an appearance these days with NeoSprint. This means nothing other than that you drive small speedsters from above over simple courses that have more in common with toy plug-in systems than with real race tracks.

This is also because every crash involving the car crashes sounds like plastic parts being thrown across the floor. They are so light that they fall to their sides even when given a small push or continue to bounce around like toys after jumps instead of landing firmly on the asphalt – which is not helped by the fact that you are pushed, turned and rolled around even when you change the paintwork of your competitors.

Apart from that, the handling of these cars is unnervingly dull. They come to a complete stop far too quickly, then move off again slowly and drag themselves around tight corners with the turning circle and speed of a container ship.

In short: I don't find it fun. Why I should be bored with NeoSprint when I can play the famous Circuit Superstars is a mystery to me. Or any of the many other top-down racers.

There aren't even any obstacles on the track, like there were in Super Sprint. Bollards came out of the ground, gates opened for shortcuts and some steep curves could be used as ramps. OK, the driving “physics” from back then are now just as boring as the ones replicated in NeoSprint, but compared to its time, the almost 40-year-old Super Sprint is a significantly better game.

Especially in this central discipline, even a retro ride has to feel somewhat modern. A successful combination of old and new is the secret of such sequels or homages.

Admittedly, there are obstacles – but only in a separate mode, where you can do one of the short laps against the clock before you have to start the event again. I find the time trial with an infinite number of consecutive laps more fun. And hey, if you want, you can start your own little championship with a maximum of four races or take part in individual races, both up to eight in front of the same screen.

In campaign races, soloists also unlock championships lasting four races each, with one of the nine vehicles being chosen before each championship. They differ in speed, acceleration and maneuverability – also a reduction compared to the super predecessor, where you could improve these three characteristics in several steps over the course of the campaign. But who needs long-term motivation?

Forgive me for comparing NeoSprint so often with an ancient predecessor. But perhaps this makes it clear how little there really is in this sequel. Although… wait! There is at least an editor in which you can create your own tracks with relatively few steps.

Admittedly, the possibilities are limited because there are only a few parts in the entire game, which means that even the official routes are all the same. But you can share what you put together online, and of course the works of other architects are available for quick download. Let me put it this way: the editor is the best thing about it.

OK, fine. When I got to the third part of the campaign, where the opponents were finally moving somewhat quickly and stopped less often after spinning, while the music, in its meaningless monotony, seemed just old-fashioned enough to fan something into the ether that, with a little goodwill, could be identified as retro smoke… then it was quite entertaining at times.

The fact that you can turn very quickly into some corners using the handbrake also reduces the aforementioned creeping around in less agile cars – at least as long as you approach the bends at the right angle. This is of course not possible on every approach, partly thanks to the crash-happy competition.

So it's not as if there's absolutely nothing here. Especially since, unlike before, you have the choice of constantly seeing the entire track or just the area in front of your own car. If you use the classic satellite view, the cars are terribly tiny and therefore harder to control, which is why I'm very happy about this modern alternative, especially on the Steam Deck. The latter also appreciates the easy sharing of the game status via Steam Cloud.

NeoSprint in the test – Conclusion

All in all, there was no need for a minimal sequel, which, aside from the good editor, is even smaller in scope than its predecessor. And from which, given the manageable driving behavior, I draw the conclusion that we were obviously very patient back then. Or simply not used to anything better. Because that's what I am today and that's why I can't do much with NeoSprint. As I said: Why should I struggle here when I can have so much fun with Circuit Superstars or one of the many other top-down racers? The principle still works and retro can be old-fashioned! But not to the point where a current game feels like a collection of forty-year-old classics.