Details
- Genre: Kart racer
- Available on: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable (PSP minis) Wii (WiiWare)
- Price: $4.99
- ESRB Rating: E
Pros
- Fun track design and characters
- Cartoony graphics and sound
- Enjoyable gameplay and controls
Cons
- Though fun and varied, there’s only a few tracks
- No multiplayer
Heracles Chariot Racing originated on the PS2, was later ported to Wiiware and has now found its way onto the PSP. Though it doesn’t have a big following, it is a much underrated game. The control of the karts, or chariots in this case, is smooth and fluid. You won’t slide all over the track, making racing enjoyable throughout the whole game. The most important aspect of a kart racer is control, and because of the great gameplay mechanics, Heracles deserves a lot more praise than it receives.
The game is based around Greek mythology, with each racer a character or creature of lore, and each track based off of recognizable locations. There are only five tracks in the game, but as the difficulty grows harder, each one is expanded, allowing different routes and paths to take. This ensures that even though you see the same locales, playing the differing stages is still fun and doesn’t get tiresome. It would have been nice to have more tracks, but the game is still enjoyable with what it has. There’s not much room for unlocking characters or features, meaning the lasting appeal may decrease with time, though the tracks are fun enough to make you come back to the game from time to time.
The tracks themselves are creative and great in design, both graphically and technical-wise. The colorful and simplistic graphics greatly compliment the style of gameplay. Set-pieces are big; in one track, Hades appears and towers over the characters, making the track more interesting. Each character has a distinctive cartoony appeal to them, with smooth textures and great animation. The menus are simple, but match the Greek influence well and further compliment the cartoony graphics. The sound also matches the design and comes with what one would expect: upbeat, catchy music, funny voices and classic cartoon sound effects.
Heracles Chariot Racing won’t replace other great kart racers, the best example being Mario Kart, but it proves to be a nice little diversion that is well worth the small price. It is a little disappointing that there is no multiplayer, due to the limitations of the PSP minis program, but the single-player experience is enjoyable enough to warrant a purchase.