Review Inertial Drift - Come on, let's drift together

Publisher: PQube

Developer:
Level 91

Release date: September 11 , 2020

Platform:
PS4, PC, Xbox One, Switch

The attraction and also the focus of the game is the drift mechanism. However, what is particularly notable is how the drift is performed when this is not a typical racing game where the left stick is used for steering and you usually achieve drift by pressing the brake or handbrake when turning. . Indeed, this is not a game where steering with the left stick will get you very far - doing so will only help your car change direction slightly and cause the car's center of gravity to be off the track. , which means you'll hit a wall in most situations but the simplest of bends.

Instead, Inertial Drift also uses the right stick which it calls the Drift Stick. By moving it left or right you will slide the car in the direction you want and by combining with the left stick you can change the angle and intensity of the slide to approach each turn in the best way that you see fit. That is in theory, but in practice, becoming proficient in this subject of drifting requires you to take up to several hours of practice.

In addition, you also need time to understand the car you are driving and this is also the purpose that the game wants you to aim for, because no game mode offers any situation where there are more two cars on the track. The focus is heavily on mastering the controls and learning how to perfect the drift each lap, rather than any kind of Grand Prix-style scenario where you're scored at the finish line, like when you Join many racing games.

Three of the six modes in Inertial Drift are essentially the same. Time Trial challenges the limit of the shortest time to complete a given lap, Ghost Battle does the same thing but with a ghost car on the track and Race does the same thing with an actual car on the road race. It should be noted that despite the obvious differences, Race has the same gameplay as Ghost Battle because there will be no collisions and you just pass the opponent's car. 

The other three race modes mix things up a bit more, but they're all still geared towards how you master each race with your car. Duel is a fighting race where you get points for getting ahead of your opponent and having to get 1000 points ahead of them. Endurance is control-focused, where you have to get as far as you can before time runs out and hit checkpoints to get extra time. 

Ultimately, Style scores you based on how smooth your drifts are and is really the only style that isn't a variation of all the others. And these six modes are presented in a number of different ways among the available game modes. Story mode is a disappointingly short campaign consisting of only five races, with three races each - among the six types mentioned above. 

The only single-player modes that are different are Challenge (consisting of 12 different one-round races to unlock you new cars), Arcade (actually just a quick race option) and Grand Prix, when five The challenge is put together, and gives you 3 lives to win. Add to that the split-screen 2 player option and online multiplayer mode. 

Inertial Drift feels like it's designed so you can bump and spin hopelessly through the shop until you finally master the controls and learn the nuances of each track, just to you pick another car, realize they're all handled completely differently and start bumping and backtracking all until you master that one. It's a loop of gameplay that won't suit everyone's tastes, but if you're a stickler you'll definitely find the game fun.

Inertial Drift feels the exact opposite of Ridge Racer as it is a game that requires patience, focus and a commitment of time to learn its unique control method. It's one of the most exhilarating racing games on the Switch and bodes well for a full-fledged sequel.

Inertial Drift is a strange dish with an interesting taste. The game's signature controls provide a complete overall experience for what you'd expect from a racing game. If you are the type of player who is willing to rush into races over and over again to perfect your skills, this could be a game for you. However, fans of classic racing games will probably skip this option.