Sparks - Episode One (2021) - Every PC F1 Game
4Sparks - Episode One by Trapezium Development Studio, 2021.
Right, so here we have another Unity arcade game made from off-the-shelf assets. This one seems to run smoothly at 60hz though (hooray!). It's also no longer available, as the developer has shelved the ability to buy the game on Steam, as they've moved on to other, non-gaming, projects.
What you get is 3 circuits and a range of cars, 3 of which are early F1 style vehicles. The models for the cars seem very familiar to me, and I suspect games like Classic Racers also use the same base assets.
The game has a rather unusual aesthetic; it's trying for a tilt-shift approach, where your car is in focus, but the foreground and background are blurry. In reality, it just makes you feel like you need glasses :-D
Sound is pleasant and untroubling; the relaxing music can't be switched off though. There's only one camera view. You're also reminded that Space allows you to slide, but in practice that will often see you come off the track :-D there are also boost jump ramps, just because :-D
Speaking of tracks, there's a green stage (very easy), a snowy stage (not as hard as it sounds) and a crazy sky track (that reminds me of late, forgotten 1990's future racer Thrust Twist + Turn! This track is seriously beautiful, colour-wise.
Overall, it's positioned as a small, relaxing game. And it is!
1. Race Start (Monza): 0:00 No real tracks in the game, but here's the simple green plains track.
2. Spray Effects (Silverstone): 0:28 No rain in the game, but here's a sweeping part of the snowy track.
3. Tunnel & View (Monaco): 0:47 There's nothing like Monaco, but this is the most beautiful part of the crazy sky track!
4. Wet Track (Spa-Francorchamps): 1:13 Again, no rain, so here's a bit more of the green track.
5. Pitstop (Interlagos): 1:32 There are no pits, but you can drive anywhere in the map to see what's there (which is necessary with the heavy blur filter sometimes!)
6. Huge Crash (Montreal): 1:47 Crashes don't really do much. You either pass beneath other cars or over them. However here I end up on a vertical wall and the car stopped by itself! Magnetic wheels?! I guess they're needed for the sky track!
This is part of the Every PC F1 Game playlist, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYDobL0b26uiiYP8KdN3AwQmsu7ilzpxL