Trailblazers

Honestly, it kind of pains me to give Trailblazers a bad score. From a purely aesthetic perspective, it’s got a lot going for it. But, unfortunately, there’s a difference between a game that looks nice and a game that plays well, and Trailblazers just never figures out how to bridge that divide.

For a quick splitscreen showdown, Trailblazers is easy to get into and not too heavy on the wallet at around $30 USD.

Trailblazers definitely needs some fine tuning, and more importantly needs the ability to create and host private online matches with friends (you are currently limited to local splitscreen or single player online), but for the budget price this is mostly a winner.

Trailblazers consists of a solid game, without failures beyond the first decision and buy from buy it. Loaded with humor, frantic and fun, it is a great opportunity for novice players to enter the world of racing games, and a good bet for veterans who are less than the intensity of the old Wipeout.

Trailblazers is an enjoyable racer with a very cool colour mechanic and a stellar throwback presentation that's highly reminiscent of the Dreamcast era. Even though it has a few drawbacks, fans of arcade racing games should still check it out.

Presentation-wise, Supergonk has a lot to offer. Gameplay-wise, Trailblazers kicks off on all cylinders in a wonderful first impression. However, it drags on its way to the finish line, which is why a driver might prefer some company to keep them entertained along the way.

The concept of cooperative racing where you need to paint lanes in order to get a speed boost is pretty original. The game would be way more fun though if your AI opponents wouldn't be as dumb as they are. Trailblazers can also get a little bit frustrating due to some strange course design decisions.

Trailblazers has plenty of charm and style with its gimmick of painting your way to victory, but it barely crosses the finish line thanks to its uneven AI, sloppy handling and lackluster multiplayer.

Despite the confusion, the conflicting design choices, and the bugs, the gameplay keeps us coming back to Trailblazers. The process of forging a line around the track, coordinating with other drivers, and trying to maintain the fastest speed shines through the flaws. There’s a worthwhile racer here, but be prepared to hit some speed bumps to get to it.

For all the good ideas, Trailblazers doesn't gel cohesively. The twisty, narrow nature of the courses do lend the game to a topsy-turvy time. Against the ruthless AI, it's difficult to enjoy but, amongst friends there's a decent party game under the hood. It's colourful and vibrant with a fair amount of personality but there's a nagging feeling that this game can't quite come together.

Trailblazers is an ambitious and entertaining arcade racer with a great core concept that gives races a very dynamic edge. The added strategy that the track-painting system provides makes for an excellent ebb and flow to the racing, and the presentation is well executed. Some gameplay hang-ups do occasionally spoil the fun, however, with stubborn AI drivers that cause lots of unwanted collisions -- including your teammates. Some performance issues aside, this remains an engaging, and rather different, racing game that just about overcomes its problems to offer some good old fashioned fun.

There's potential here for a devilishly tactical racer, but the reality is dull and unbalanced. [Issue#150, p.90]

A variable frame rate is an out and out killer for any racing game, and despite Trailblazers’ clear potential it’s impossible to see past that. The overall concept, of merging F-Zero and Splatoon, is a fantastic idea, but perhaps it needed a bit longer in development in order for it to be fully realised.