Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Side by Side Special captures the adrenaline rush of touge racing with tight, twisty mountain passes that demand precision and timing. From the first corner, you’ll sense the weight of your chosen Japanese car as it slides through hairpin turns and accelerates on narrow straights. The core mechanics revolve around mastering the art of drifting—initiating controlled slides, managing throttle input, and counter-steering to carry speed through the bends. Whether you’re a drift novice or a seasoned racer, the game’s learning curve strikes a satisfying balance, inviting you to refine your technique with each run.

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The progression model in Side by Side Special keeps you motivated by rewarding victories with new cars and hidden tracks. Winning races not only unlocks iconic models such as the Nissan Silvia and Toyota AE86, but also grants access to more challenging mountain routes previously out of reach. This incentive structure injects longevity into the experience, as you’ll find yourself revisiting earlier courses to perfect your lines and outrun ghost rivals in time trials. Each unlock feels like a tangible reward for your growing skill set.

Multiplayer modes elevate the gameplay by allowing head-to-head touge battles against friends or online competitors. The asynchronous ghost system is a standout feature: record your best runs and challenge others to beat your time, creating a sense of community-driven rivalry. While local splitscreen keeps the nostalgic arcade spirit intact, the online network offers stable matchmaking and leaderboards. Together, these modes ensure that Side by Side Special remains engaging long after the single-player career is complete.

Graphics

On both console and PC, Side by Side Special delivers crisp visuals that honor its arcade heritage while leveraging modern hardware. The car models are meticulously detailed, showcasing reflective paint, authentic decals, and realistic wheel animations during drifts. As you weave through the mountain passes, rock faces and guardrails pass by in a blur, underpinned by smooth frame rates that rarely dip even in hectic multiplayer bouts.

The environmental artistry shines through in dynamic lighting and weather effects. Dawn runs introduce soft, golden light filtering through pines, casting long shadows on the asphalt. Night races, lit by your headlights and the moon’s glow, evoke a tense atmosphere where every corner hides the risk of a slide gone wrong. Occasional rain slicks up the road surface, demanding extra care and adding visual complexity as water droplets bead on car hoods and mirrors.

Track design is both functional and beautiful, with winding roads traced along sheer cliffs and through densely forested valleys. Texture work on rock and foliage creates a convincing sense of height and speed as you hurtle downward. While some repeated assets become noticeable after extended play sessions, the overall visual presentation remains strong, making each stage feel unique and memorable.

Story

Although Side by Side Special doesn’t feature a traditional narrative, it crafts an implicit storyline through its career progression. You start as an aspiring touge driver with a modest vehicle and low-profile reputation. By consistently outperforming rivals on the hairpin-laden passes, you earn respect, upgrade to faster machines, and unlock secret routes that mark your ascent to mountain racing legend.

Rival encounters provide a sense of character-driven drama. Before key races, brief profiles introduce fellow racers—each with distinct driving styles and car setups. These vignettes, coupled with in-race radio chatter and celebratory voiceovers, create a tapestry of competition that elevates the stakes beyond mere lap times. Beating a top seed in a dusk duel feels like a personal triumph, especially when you press your bumper to theirs through a narrow tunnel.

Time trial challenges further embellish the story of progression. As you chase down ghost runs set by high-ranking opponents, you’re effectively stepping into their shoes and rewriting the narrative of each track. This layered approach compensates for the lack of cutscenes or elaborate plot, resulting in an emergent storyline shaped by your victories and unlocked content.

Overall Experience

Side by Side Special stands out as a faithful port of its arcade origins, capturing the essence of mountain pass racing while offering enough modern enhancements to feel fresh. The blend of precise drifting mechanics, rewarding unlockables, and vibrant track design ensures that both casual players and hardcore drift enthusiasts will find plenty to love. The lack of intrusive tutorials encourages exploration, though newcomers might appreciate a quick guide to mastering the drift system.

Replayability is a cornerstone of the experience. With dozens of cars to unlock, a variety of secret tracks to discover, and both local and online leaderboards to conquer, you’ll find yourself drawn back for “just one more run” long after the credits roll. Cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes provide additional reasons to invite friends or test your skills against the global community, ensuring that the mountain roads remain bustling with activity.

Ultimately, Side by Side Special delivers an engaging, visually appealing racing experience that honors the touge tradition. Its emphasis on precision, speed, and incremental progression makes it a compelling purchase for anyone seeking a challenging yet approachable racing title. If you’ve ever dreamed of mastering narrow mountain roads in iconic Japanese cars, this game is your ticket to the ultimate drift adventure.

Retro Replay Score

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