Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Badlands takes the classic top-down racing formula pioneered by Super Sprint and injects it with post-apocalyptic grit and vehicular combat. Each race features three souped-up cars battling over four intense laps on one of eight themed tracks. Beyond simply hugging the apex of each corner, players must juggle throttle control, weapon fire, and opportunistic pickups to stay in the lead.

Armed with onboard guns, you can blast opponents off the road to gain precious seconds. However, ammunition is limited, so timing your shots and aiming accurately becomes as crucial as mastering the racing lines. Scattered across the tracks are spanners—collect enough and you can trade them in between races for improved turbos, beefier weapons, and engine upgrades that enhance your car’s speed and handling.

The tracks themselves are far from static. Ramps catapult you across chasms, collapsing buildings threaten to crush you mid-lap, and randomly toggling barriers force last-second detours. Learning each circuit’s hazards and patterns is key to avoiding costly crashes and maintaining the lead, especially on the later, more perilous stages.

For those who prefer head-to-head action, Badlands offers two-player simultaneous play. The catch? Only the victor proceeds to the next round without expending additional credits, meaning cooperative progression is limited. This design choice keeps the stakes high in multiplayer bouts, but can also make it tricky for newcomers to experience the full breadth of tracks without mastering the early challenges.

Graphics

Visually, Badlands embraces a rugged, industrial aesthetic that fits its post-apocalyptic theme perfectly. The overhead perspective offers a clear view of tight corners, hazards, and rival vehicles, while detailed track backdrops—crumbling factories, scorched deserts, and derelict cities—immerse you in a world teetering on collapse.

Car sprites are well-defined and sports a variety of decals, making it easy to distinguish between your vehicle and opponents even when the action heats up. Explosions, smoke trails, and debris from collapsing structures add dynamic flair to each race, though the limited color palette occasionally leads to visual clutter in the busiest sections of the track.

Animations remain smooth throughout, with no noticeable slowdown—even when multiple hazards trigger simultaneously. The UI is minimalistic: lap counters, spanner tallies, and weapon indicators sit unobtrusively at the screen’s edges, ensuring you keep your focus squarely on the racing action without feeling overwhelmed by on-screen data.

Story

Badlands doesn’t weave a lengthy narrative, but its premise is clear: in a world ravaged by ruin, the only way to earn resources and respect is to compete in deadly road races. The stripped-down storyline serves as a backdrop, lending context to the gritty visuals and high-octane gameplay rather than overwhelming it with cutscenes or dialogue.

Between races, brief text prompts hint at a society where gearheads, scavengers, and warlords vie for dominance through motorsport mayhem. Upgrading your car becomes more than a mechanical exercise—it feels like a step toward survival in a lawless frontier where only the toughest machines endure.

While you won’t uncover hidden plot twists or character arcs, the minimalist approach keeps the pace brisk. Each new track reveals a slightly different slice of this desolate world, from canyon-spanning highways littered with wreckage to fortified checkpoints manned by armed drones. The result is enough thematic flavor to make every race feel like a chapter in an ongoing struggle for automotive supremacy.

Overall Experience

Badlands delivers an addictive blend of old-school arcade racing and vehicular combat that rewards both skillful driving and strategic aggression. The sense of progression—earning spanners to unlock turbo boosts, enhanced weapons, and engine overhauls—provides a satisfying loop that keeps you coming back for “just one more” race.

Difficulty ramps up sharply in the later tracks, where unpredictable hazards and faster AI opponents test your reflexes and memorization of track layouts. Casual players may find the learning curve steep, but persevering through the early challenges pays off handsomely once you master the mix of drift braking, well-timed weapon fire, and spanner scavenging.

Multiplayer bouts are fiercely competitive, though the credit-penalty system for the loser can feel punishing if you’re trying to experience the full campaign with a friend. Still, the head-to-head scrap offers memorable moments—narrow escapes from falling debris, last-second overtakes on collapsing bridges, and nail-biting finishes that few racing games can replicate.

In the context of modern racing titles, Badlands stands out for its raw, uncompromising design and nostalgic appeal. It may lack deep narrative or photo-realistic visuals, but its core gameplay loop—racing, combat, upgrading—remains as engaging today as when it first barreled onto the arcade scene. For fans of top-down racers and vehicular mayhem, Badlands is a must-try experience.

Retro Replay Score

6.4/10