Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Trick Star introduces players to a thrilling blend of high-speed racing and gravity-defying stunts aboard one-wheeled bikes. From the very first corner, the game’s emphasis on momentum and precision becomes clear: you’ll need to maintain top speed to unlock the “Trick Star” indicator on your HUD before attempting any flashy maneuvers. Timing is crucial—hold L or R along with a directional input on the Control Pad to pull off spins, flips and rolls that wow the crowd and rack up points.

The career structure is organized into three escalating leagues—Ibetter League, Glyder League and Kotsu League—each with three distinct tracks. In League Mode, your objective is twofold: place highly in each race and amass enough stunt points to qualify for the subsequent Challenge Mode. Here, the focus shifts to precision trick execution, tasking you with completing curated stunt sets between marked zones. Success not only unlocks new stunt variations but also paves the way to bonus tracks and hidden rewards.

Trick Star also caters to local multiplayer enthusiasts in a “pass-and-play” format for up to four players. After each rider completes their run, the game displays comparative results across four head-to-head modes: Time Trial, Stunts, Long Jump and Challenges. This asynchronous setup keeps every competitor on edge, as they must outperform the previous rider’s best run or risk forfeiting the top spot.

Graphics

Visually, Trick Star embraces a sleek, neon-infused aesthetic that captures the spirit of a futuristic racing circuit. Tracks are bathed in glowing accents—towering arches, holographic billboards and dynamic lighting effects contribute to a sense of speed and scale. Each league presents a unique color palette, from the cool blues of Ibex to the fiery reds of Kotsu, ensuring that every course feels fresh and visually distinct.

Character and bike models are sharply rendered, with smooth animations that make each stunt fluid and satisfying. When you hit that boost, a rush of particle effects trails behind your one-wheeled rig, heightening the sensation of rapid acceleration. Even on busy obstacle sections, frame rates remain stable, so you can focus on nailing that perfect backflip without worrying about graphical slowdowns.

The HUD is cleanly designed to convey essential information—current position, speedometer, trick availability and boost meter—without cluttering the screen. Contextual prompts for stunt windows appear crisply at the right moments, giving you a split-second clue about when to unleash your next move. All these visual flourishes combine to reinforce Trick Star’s identity as a next-generation racing title.

Story

While Trick Star doesn’t rely on an intricate narrative, it builds a compelling underdog tale through its league progression. You start as one of four ambitious riders eager to make a name in the futuristic racing world. The simplicity of this setup lets the gameplay shine, inviting players to project their own personality onto their chosen competitor.

Each league serves as a chapter in your climb toward motorsport glory. Advancing through Ibex and Glyder imbues a genuine sense of rising stakes, as track hazards grow more elaborate and expert stunts become prerequisites for success. The minimalist approach to storytelling keeps focus on performance and mastery rather than cutscenes or dialogue.

Challenge Mode offers brief moments of narrative payoff, rewarding you with new tricks that feel like milestones in your career. Every unlocked stunt and every narrow victory reinforces the feeling of upward momentum, giving you a clear sense of progression without bogging you down in extraneous plot details.

Overall Experience

Trick Star excels at marrying arcade-style racing with stunt-driven spectacle, producing a package that’s both accessible for newcomers and deep enough for veteran speedsters. The control scheme is intuitive yet offers layers of skill expression, from boost management to the precise timing of flips and spins. Whether you’re aiming for the leaderboard in Time Trial or chasing high stunt scores, there’s always a fresh objective to pursue.

The game’s variety of modes—League, Challenge and four-pass local multiplayer—ensures sustained replayability. Grinding through the three-league gauntlet provides a rewarding sense of achievement, while the competitive multiplayer variants are perfect for casual gatherings or friendly rivalries. Each mode complements the others, creating a balanced ecosystem that keeps you coming back lap after lap.

Overall, Trick Star delivers an electrifying ride that rams the pedal to the metal on fun and style. Its striking visuals, tight mechanics and clever progression system make it a standout choice for anyone seeking a futuristic twist on classic racing conventions. Strap in, charge your boost meter and prepare to launch yourself into one of the most adrenaline-fueled experiences on two wheels—well, technically one.

Retro Replay Score

null/10