Review for Racket: Nx. PC game, the video game came out on 31/01/2017
The domestic accessibility of virtual reality has triggered a real gold rush in recent years, where most of the software houses of the videogame industry have scoured the ground in search of a precious vein from which to draw heavily. As happened in the Yukon about the dying of the 1800s, independent productions jumped on this new market opportunity like a swarming swarm of seekers looking for the chance of a lifetime, thus giving birth to experimental productions, Arcade games, shaky products, narrative experiences. , room escapes, RPG and so on and so forth, bringing to light thousands and thousands of titles that crowd into the Steam store tempting the seduction of the player often with very similar ideas.
Racket: Nx is placed in the nascent genre of Vr Pong / Racket Games (grandchildren of the famous Breackout for Atari 2600), which boasts among its ranks some truly noteworthy titles such as Holoball, SPARK or Cyberpong VR. In Racket: Nx we will be armed only with a racket, as can be seen from the title, and called to hit luminous targets in the spherical arena that surrounds us, with our only allied ability to be able to recall the ball through a magnetic attraction after each launch.
The first game mode that we will be called to face will see us engaged in a succession of levels in which we will have a maximum time to be able to hit all the proposed targets, with the opportunity to hit sections of the board that can give us extra time. Proceeding in the levels will add up elements aimed at making the continuation more difficult, such as mined boxes that if hit will deprive us of a portion of time, or rebound sections, requiring more and more an almost surgical precision of the shots.
In case the format of the timed challenge is too stressful and you are just looking for a carefree succession of shots to the ball, the arcade mode is for you, offering a series of procedurally generated targets to be hit without end and without any sort of game over. .
The heart of the experience offered by Racket: Nx is embodied by the multiplayer mode with attached ranking. In this fascinating challenge we will be called to cross the threshold of an arena in which we will find ourselves shoulder to shoulder with our opponent, with whom it will also be possible to communicate verbally via voice chat, and we will share the same ball with him. It will be possible to make a shot each, trying to grab the most points by hitting the targets and thus zeroing the life points of the other player. The only drawback of this hilarious mode is the waiting time needed to find a challenger: unfortunately, the Steam virtual reality community revolves around a few titles that nevertheless guarantee the possibility of constantly finding opponents, such as Onward or Pavlov VR.
Graphically Racket: Nx offers a sparse but functional experience, where the very bright color palette used revives the spirits and suggests a characterizing and successful arcade mood, albeit touching artistic banality. The audio sector follows the functionality of aesthetics, with useful and punctual sounds and noises and an excellent electronic soundtrack to act as a pleasant acoustic carpet for our feats with the racket, but without ever becoming the protagonist of the action, relegating ourselves to the anonymity of the 'diegetic accompaniment.
Racket: Nx arrives in the Steam store with poor content and a level design that certainly does not live up to expectations, especially when compared with its direct competitors on the market. The choice of providing only one racket is certainly questionable, however the success of the title derives from the simplicity of the proposed mechanics, which certainly ensure hours of fun. Furthermore, the possibility of facing the multiplayer mode in the company of a few friends certainly does not hurt. If Racket Games are for you, Racket Nx is definitely a great buy and with its 360 degree arenas it certainly offers a valid opportunity to keep fit.
► Racket: Nx is an indie-Sport type game for PC, the video game was released on 31/01/2017
