Trackmania is back with what is in many ways the most traditional game in the series in a long, long time. Here, the developers of Nadeo have looked back to the beginning of the series to refurbish and continue what makes Trackmania so unique. In the process, they have managed to really fine-tune many of the simple, yet very engaging mechanics the fast-paced racing games are so well known for.
However, everything is not fun and old, because on the way back from the past, the developers have also brought along a number of clumsy solutions that make the game a very shared experience.
Full fart
In short, the 2020 version of Trackmania is a sort of new version of the 2006 game Trackmania Nations. As then, the game has only one car type, while also smoothly skipping the many different styles that have been introduced since then. Instead, we return exclusively to Stadium, the massive sports arena that has been responsible for most of the games in the Trackmania series.
As someone who has spent some time here during my youth, there is a slight nostalgic feeling that hits me every time I embark on a ride, and this is further enhanced by the constant focus on lap times, spinnville stunts and tremendous speed.
Indeed, most of it is about the same old one when one actually does player Trackmania anno 2020. The game comes equipped with a handful of levels that slowly but surely teach you the basics, before being later thrown into a campaign with ever more advanced trajectories.
The levels are usually quite linear, but they also offer occasional surprises along the way. Digest jumps, loops and blocks that give the car new features (including rocket power and the ability to drive in slow motion) are everywhere, and this helps keep the experience fiery and engaging. It is simply very enjoyable to explore all that the game has to offer, and you are rewarded for playing through the levels several times by getting better and better results.
Different substrates
Some of the new features in this edition include a variety of fresh and updated substrates and block types, with snow, ice, soil and grass as some of the many alternatives to the regular asphalt. This instantly helps to spice up the variety in the game, and it’s exciting to see how the different courses incorporate multiple substrates on the same board. Here, the different styles often go back and forth and about each other, and there is no limit to what a runway should look like.
From a visual point of view, most things blend together beautifully, and the game is almost always a pleasure to watch. There is something peculiar about how the mirrorless cars and the shiny clean lane parts form a holistic graphic feel that is simply to eat up. Of course something which is missing since the game loops several of the existing styles, including Canyon, Lagoon and Valley, but the substrates help to make the visual more appealing.
Oh, actually drive on the different substrates, on the other hand, is a slightly more mixed experience. Asphalt is, as always, the most transparent and allows players to have complete control over the car, while soil and ice are quite another matter. Especially the latter, the new ice and snow blocks, are cruelly annoying to deal with.
There is probably some kind of logic in how the car reacts to the physics associated with the extremely slippery surface, but this never becomes clear during play. Instead, you slip back and forth like a bar of soap, and all kinds of fun and competition are sucked out of the experience.
Here, Nadeo simply has to take some of the responsibility, not only for making a hostile ground, but also for not explaining it in any way.
Interesting content
In the game there are currently 25 official courses developed by Nadeo, all of which hold a relatively high level. Here, the degree of difficulty is usually directed towards exciting and pleasant challenges, while on the user-created paths you can risk stumbling across paths that are both enjoyable and frustrating about each other.
It’s this uncertainty that makes Trackmania so unique, and it’s nothing like messing around on an absurd path with seventy other crude drivers while a built-in radio channel on the server “blasts” EDM. Here, too, the game is chaotic, but in a bony way enjoyable way that fits very well with Trackmania’s face outwards.
In addition to the official levels, the developers select one user-created track to showcase every day, which ensures that you always have something new to do. Still, there is little official content right during the game’s launch, nor is it immediately apparent when the next season begins.
Complete chaos
And there are several things that are uncertain: At times, Trackmania is at times an incomprehensible and chaotic conspiracy, which unfortunately destroys the overall impression. There is one thing that the game is clearly aimed at returning players, but there is also so much other wonder going on under the hood.
It already starts with how to get the game. Here, the developers have divided the experience into three different pieces, two of which are directly linked to active subscription schemes. The third is, in return, a free version of the game that gives you the most basic things without having to pay anything, but I still don’t know exactly what sets the three versions of the game apart. Nadeo has made a massive plan for the occasion, but I don’t get much wiser.
Similarly, there is no tutorial on how to make skins for cars, what clubs are really good for, how private servers work or how to manage the small, incomprehensible path creator tool. It is simply a blissful mess, and I do not see why it is not done better – it really does not have to be that difficult.
A lot of the game’s mess can be linked to the user interface, which not only fails to tell players anything, but is also terribly awkward to use. As a result, this is a game that is difficult to put any final character on. A lot can change here over time, and I imagine there will be more to shout about in a month or three.
Conclusion
If one is to judge solely the new Trackmania from what it is like to play it, it is an essentially outstanding experience with simple mechanics and tremendous speed. It goes terribly fast, without ever going beyond the overview once you are out on the drive. At least on the official courses which are pretty much just exciting.
An important part of this is the simple yet striking visual style. Trackmania anno 2020 is simply a very nice game, and thanks to the four distinct course types and unique blocks the levels consist of, it never gets as monotonous as one might imagine. This also applies to user-created tracks, which are often just as enjoyable as the ones Nadeo is behind.
Driving is held back by everything else.
Not all substrates are equally comfortable to drive, however, and especially annoying is trying to understand the physics that apply to the game’s many ice and snow courses.
Most things still blend in nicely thanks to a solid multiplayer part and a phenomenal ghost system. The latter is dynamic, allows you to compete with players in the same area as yourself, and allows you to race with ever better opponents as you progress on each level.
But then there is everything else Trackmania is trying to do: First, the developers have chosen to divide the game into three different parts, two of which are linked to their own unique subscription solution. Baked into the various solutions, you will find opportunities to participate in club activities, create your own servers and share courses with other players, but despite repeated attempts to solve this, it is still terribly confusing.
The same goes for several other aspects of the game – this is partly thanks to the gruesome user interface, but also because of the total lack of training and explanation of how anything works. Not even creating your own courses – one of the core of the game – is explained in any way. When the official content additionally seems to come in seasonal pools, with only 25 levels currently available, it is simply a little too much wonder about the new Trackmania.
And that’s disappointing, because the core of the game is addictive, stylish and full of enormous amounts of mastery.
Trackmania is available through Uplay and Epic Games Store now.
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