Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Desert Racing of BarDos drops players onto a hostile alien world where chaos is king and the only rule is that there are no rules. From the very first race, you’ll find yourself balancing high-speed thrills with strategic use of the game’s robust weapons system. Every contest on BarDos lets you ram, blast, and boost your way to victory, making each track feel like an adrenaline-fueled battleground rather than a simple time trial.

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The handling model in Desert Racing of BarDos strikes a satisfying balance between arcade accessibility and semi-realistic physics. Your voxel-based racer drifts convincingly across soft dunes and carves through rocky passes, with a satisfying sense of weight behind every turn. Learning to chain corner exits with well-timed nitro boosts becomes crucial as the difficulty ramps up in later events.

Beyond the core races, the progression loop adds depth. Prize money earned on the track can be spent on improved engines, reinforced chassis parts, and an array of weapons—from missile launchers to deployable mines. Experimenting with different loadouts is half the fun, and you’ll soon discover that a lighter chassis paired with rapid-fire blasters can be just as effective as a heavily armored tank-racer armed with a single mega-cannon.

Graphics

As the Amiga’s first 3D racer, Desert Racing of BarDos showcases a bold use of voxel-based landscapes. The planet’s rolling dunes, sharp crevices, and sporadic rock formations render with a smoothness that remains impressive even by modern retro-enthusiast standards. The soft hills and deep valleys feel alive, and the dynamic shading accentuates every ridge and trough.

Car models are fully 3D and feature a surprising level of detail for the platform. You’ll spot gleaming weapon mounts, reinforced bumpers, and realistic wheel treads as you zoom past. The variety of color schemes and upgrade decals you unlock further personalize your racer, making each vehicle feel like a unique expression of your racing style.

Pre-rendered cutscenes between menus offer polished glimpses of upcoming tracks and dramatic close-ups of your vehicle preparing for battle. These vignettes not only break the flow in an appealing way but also reinforce the game’s cinematic flair. They set the tone for each race, giving you a sense that you’re part of something far bigger than a simple weekend tournament.

Story

While Desert Racing of BarDos doesn’t deliver a sprawling narrative, its setup is concise and injects just enough context to make every race feel meaningful. The harsh desert planet of BarDos serves as a magnet for the galaxy’s most unhinged racers, drawn by the promise of high stakes, high speeds, and even higher rewards.

Between races, brief text and visual sequences hint at rivalries, sabotage plots, and the personal ambitions of the top drivers you’ll face. This minimal storytelling framework adds an undercurrent of drama, transforming ordinary split-second overtakes into tense showdowns. You’ll find yourself rooting for your own success not just for the prize money, but for the bragging rights in this lawless environment.

Ultimately, the story functions as a backdrop to the core racing action. It provides a crunchy setting—sandstorms, rockslides, and weapon-fueled melees—that elevates each race to an event. Though not deeply narrative-driven, the game’s lore is just evocative enough to keep you invested as you climb the ranks.

Overall Experience

Desert Racing of BarDos delivers a relentlessly exciting package that will appeal to both retro gamers and newcomers seeking frenzied vehicular combat. The combination of voxel-based terrain, robust upgrade systems, and weaponized racing ensures every heat feels unique. Whether you’re hunting the pole position or fending off rival missiles, the action never lets up.

The single-player season mode provides dozens of races across increasingly treacherous tracks, while the split-screen two-player mode elevates the fun with local competitive showdowns. Sharing the dunes with a friend leads to exhilarating moments of near misses and last-second overtakes that will have you both laughing and cursing in equal measure.

While the story remains light, the game’s atmosphere—bolstered by cinematic cutscenes, evocative sound design, and the ever-present risk of vehicular carnage—creates a memorable desert racing spectacle. For anyone looking to experience a pioneering 3D racer on the Amiga, Desert Racing of BarDos stands out as a must-play journey to one of the galaxy’s wildest playgrounds.

Retro Replay Score

null/10