Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Super Chase: Criminal Termination builds on the arcade‐style pursuit of Chase H.Q. with a heightened sense of urgency and danger. You’re once again behind the wheel of a high‐powered interceptor, tasked with closing the gap on fleeing felons before time runs out. The core loop remains simple—avoid traffic, use your three turbos strategically, and ram or shoot the criminal’s vehicle until its damage meter hits zero—but several fresh elements keep each stage unpredictable.

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One of the biggest additions is the variety of threats on the road. In addition to oncoming cars and civilian traffic, you’ll now dodge bikes that lob firebombs, wrong-way vehicles that send you careening into the air, and immovable barricades that demand split-second reactions. Each hazard forces you to balance aggression with caution: push too hard, and you’ll squander precious time recovering from crashes; hold back, and you might never catch your target.

The interplay of your own damage meter versus the criminal’s adds a tactical layer. Aggressive driving and well‐timed rams wear down the outlaw, but every hit you take—whether from gunfire, missiles, or collisions—chips away at your health. Unlike passing cars, enemy attacks deplete your meter, making it vital to decide when to deploy nitro boosts or conserve them for the final sprint. Between rounds, detailed stats display your remaining time, total damage inflicted, and nitro usage, rewarding efficient, high-octane pursuits.

Graphics

Visually, Super Chase: Criminal Termination steps up the series’ signature pseudo-3D road perspective with richer backgrounds and more detailed sprites. The highways cut through cities, deserts, and mountain passes, each with distinctive motifs—neon signs flicker at night, dust kicks up in rural stretches, and guardrails flash by in high‐speed highway chases. These varied environments help maintain excitement across multiple levels.

Enemy vehicles aren’t just palette swaps of the same car: you’ll identify motorcycles, armored trucks, and heavily armed sedans by their unique silhouettes and attack patterns. Explosions are satisfyingly chunky, with debris flying in multiple directions, and muzzle flashes from on‐board guns light up the screen in short, dramatic bursts. Even the simple speedometer UI can toggle between MPH or Km/h, letting you tailor the readout to your preference.

Animation is smooth, with sprite-scaling maintaining a consistent sense of speed. As your car accelerates toward its maximum velocity, roadside elements blur realistically, emphasizing that breakneck pace. The frame rate holds up even when the screen is crowded with projectiles, traffic, and environmental hazards, ensuring that split-second steering decisions never feel sluggish or delayed.

Story

While Super Chase is driven primarily by action, it adds a lightweight narrative thread that unfolds between stages. Brief cutscenes introduce each criminal’s background—from bank robbers to arms smugglers—and set up the stakes for their capture. These vignettes don’t overshadow the gameplay but give each level a sense of purpose beyond “catch the bad guy.”

Dialogue is sparse but punchy, delivered in on-screen captions that recall classic arcade charm. You’ll get a quick glimpse of your role as a top agent in the “Criminal Termination” unit and the escalating threat each new suspect poses to the city. The story moves at a brisk pace, matching the urgency of the chase sequences and offering just enough context to make each pursuit feel meaningful.

Between missions, you can review a basic dossier summarizing past offenders and their MO, which provides a small incentive to improve your performance—both for bragging rights and narrative progression. Though the plot doesn’t reach epic depth, it delivers enough flavor to anchor the high-speed gameplay and reward completionists with a light wrap‐up when you’ve brought every criminal to justice.

Overall Experience

Super Chase: Criminal Termination successfully modernizes the classic chase-and-capture formula with additional hazards, deeper damage management, and stylized visuals. It’s a game that rewards split-second decision-making and offers satisfying feedback through explosive collisions and dynamic speed lines. The three nitros per level encourage strategic planning—do you burn one early to close distance, or save it for a last‐ditch effort?

Replay value is high, thanks to the in-depth statistics screen and the gradual increase in difficulty. Every new criminal introduces a unique attack pattern—firebomb‐throwing bikers, missile-launching sedans, and more—so you’re constantly adapting your driving style. Even seasoned arcade fans will find their skills tested by the game’s late-stage crosswinds of oncoming traffic and environmental bottlenecks.

In sum, Super Chase: Criminal Termination balances nostalgic arcade thrills with fresh mechanics and polished visuals. Whether you’re in it for the breaking-neck speed, the escalating challenge, or the modest narrative hook, this title delivers an engaging ride from start to finish. It’s a must-try for fans of vehicular combat and high-octane chases alike.

Retro Replay Score

6.8/10