Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The Great Art Race delivers a robust management simulation that blends economic strategy with a dash of high-stakes competition. Players step into the shoes of an art heir in the 1920s, aiming to reclaim a family treasure trove of stolen masterpieces. To fund their auction bids, they must oversee production and trading of goods, invest in volatile stock markets, and even place bets on the local horse races. Each of these activities offers its own risk-reward balance, keeping the player constantly engaged in decision-making.

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Resource management is at the heart of the experience. You’ll establish factories to produce commodities, negotiate trade routes to turn a profit, and monitor market trends to buy low and sell high. The stock trading mini-game is surprisingly deep: timing your purchases based on market rumors can yield life-changing returns or disastrous losses. Meanwhile, the horse racing side-bets provide a welcome break from the crunch of commerce, offering quick bursts of suspense and potential windfalls.

Multiplayer hotseat mode expands the competitive thrill by allowing up to five players to share the same machine and take turns trading, investing, and bidding. This social element injects a lively back-and-forth into each session, as players can form temporary alliances or undercut one another at the auction block. The turn-based structure keeps the pace measured, ensuring that even newcomers can learn the ropes without feeling overwhelmed.

Graphics

Visually, The Great Art Race feels like a faithful modern tribute to its 1987/1988 predecessor, Vermeer, while embracing contemporary polish. The stylized 1920s aesthetic is conveyed through richly detailed menus, period-appropriate typography, and hand-painted backgrounds. From the elegant auction houses to the bustling stock exchange ticker, every screen is crafted to immerse you in the era.

Character portraits—be they rival collectors, auctioneers, or stablehands—are drawn with expressive flair, giving each NPC a distinct personality. Animations are subtle yet effective: horses rear and snort before the race, factory chimneys puff plumes of smoke, and market graphs animate in real time to reflect shifting prices. These small touches elevate what could otherwise be a dry spreadsheet simulator.

Performance is smooth on modern hardware, with no lag between turns even in large multiplayer sessions. The UI is clean and intuitive, with tooltips that explain trading mechanics or auction rules at a glance. A classic parchment-style color scheme evokes the period without sacrificing readability, ensuring that long sessions of number-crunching remain comfortable on the eyes.

Story

The narrative framework of The Great Art Race revolves around recovering your uncle’s stolen art collection. While the plot isn’t a cinematic epic, it provides ample motivation to pursue each auction and investment opportunity. Between auction rounds, short vignettes recount rumors of new discoveries or the shifting alliances among rival bidders, which help maintain a sense of intrigue.

Character interactions are delivered through text-based dialogues with period flavor. You’ll receive letters from contacts in London, telegrams from the New York Stock Exchange, and discreet tips from shady figures in dimly lit bars. These narrative snippets not only inform gameplay decisions—such as when to buy stocks or which horse to back—but also flesh out the world and its shady underbelly.

Although there’s no branching storyline, the emergent narrative arises from your financial triumphs or missteps. A failed auction bid can land you in debt, forcing creative gambits to recoup losses. Successfully snatching a priceless painting at the last second can cement your reputation among art circles. This dynamic interplay between numbers and narrative makes each playthrough feel uniquely personal.

Overall Experience

The Great Art Race strikes a satisfying balance between strategic depth and period charm. For fans of economic sims, its layered systems of production, trading, and gambling provide a wealth of viable strategies. The multiplayer hotseat adds replayability, transforming what might be a solitary spreadsheet exercise into a social contest of wits.

Newcomers may face a slight learning curve as they master the quirks of stock volatility and auction psychology. However, the built-in tutorials and in-game glossary ensure that players aren’t left guessing. As you gain confidence, the pace naturally accelerates, and late-game auctions become thrilling chess matches of supply, demand, and bluffing.

Ultimately, The Great Art Race offers a compelling trip back to the golden age of turn-based management sims, wrapped in a stylish 1920s package. Whether you’re drawn by the allure of reclaiming stolen masterpieces or by the satisfaction of orchestrating a profitable trading empire, this revised remake of a classic title will keep your competitive spirit engaged for hours on end.

Retro Replay Score

6.2/10