GRIP: Combat Racing

 Switch
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 29
  3. Negative: 11 out of 29
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  1. Jay_Kay
    Nov 14, 2018
    2
    This game would have needed more time in development.
    I was really interested in how the developers solved all the gameplay problems with high speeds, wide open terrains, upside-down driving, player collisions and so on...
    Turns out: They didn't. This game is massively unbalanced and the controls, camera, UI, physics, gamedesign, trackdesign and sound are really flawed. Pure luck decides    This game would have needed more time in development.
    I was really interested in how the developers solved all the gameplay problems with high speeds, wide open terrains, upside-down driving, player collisions and so on...
    Turns out: They didn't. This game is massively unbalanced and the controls, camera, UI, physics, gamedesign, trackdesign and sound are really flawed. Pure luck decides if you win or lose. It's a bit like tossing a coin into one of those coin-based slot machines at the arcades - physics will bounce the coin around but you're mostly out of control...
    If you, like myself, enjoy fast sci-fi racing, go for "Fast RMX" instead and if you can't live without guns and rockets then stick to "Wipeout". This game would have needed another year in development and a lot more user-testing.    … Expand
  2. Masterplanner64
    Jan 22, 2019
    10
    Think extreme G 1, 2 3 , twisted metal , F Zero, Rush 2049 etc. ...do you miss those games?!? Then buy this one. indie games suck and shooters are stale nowadays but you peeps buy that instead of a worthwhile fresh experience in a dieing genre that could go extinct in the face of the mediocre game scene it is today. Buy just because you don't want Vanilla to be the only flavor.
  3. Heiny
    Nov 8, 2018
    9
    In the time of people always saying you need 60fps and 4K resolution, I had to just let my son (10) play it and ask what he thought. Even though the 1080p with 30fps on the Switch, he had a blast and he and his friends said this deserves a 9.

    And what can I say, it looks great, it's challenging in a fun way and kids know how to have fun without taking things to seriously, so that 9 is    In the time of people always saying you need 60fps and 4K resolution, I had to just let my son (10) play it and ask what he thought. Even though the 1080p with 30fps on the Switch, he had a blast and he and his friends said this deserves a 9.

    And what can I say, it looks great, it's challenging in a fun way and kids know how to have fun without taking things to seriously, so that 9 is well deserved.    … Expand
  4. DJ_Coco
    Nov 18, 2018
    8
    The Switch version might not quite match the visual fidelity of the other versions, nor run at a smooth 60 FPS, but this is hardly a dealbreaker.

    Ever since the developers released a performance update for this version, this game runs at a mostly stable 30 FPS. While that may sound bad, especially for a racing game, make no mistakes - this version is perfectly playable and quite a lot    The Switch version might not quite match the visual fidelity of the other versions, nor run at a smooth 60 FPS, but this is hardly a dealbreaker.

    Ever since the developers released a performance update for this version, this game runs at a mostly stable 30 FPS. While that may sound bad, especially for a racing game, make no mistakes - this version is perfectly playable and quite a lot of fun. The visuals are slightly worse here than in the other versions, but it's hard to notice at the breathtaking speeds you'll be going at - and it's by no means a bad looking game, even if some sacrifices had to be made.

    The most important aspect, of course, is the gameplay. The biggest flaw in Grip is probably the fact how easy it is to get caught up in a crash. Hit a rock at the side of the road and your car will spiral out of control and fly all over the place. If you're lucky, you might recover, otherwise you might need to reset your vehicle. In higher difficulties, the rubberband AI is less likely to work in your favor, so a fatal crash might mean you need to restart the race altogether.

    However, as you go along, you will learn to master the tracks and crash less often in the process. And once you do, this game becomes a blast. The anti-gravity mechanic is brilliantly implemented and the track design is probably the most creative since F-Zero GX, with almost every track featuring lots of alternate routes and making good use of the fact that your car can flip over and continue driving upside down.

    I found that getting hit by power-ups can often be quite frustrating, mostly due to the way the camera often behaves. It can be so disorienting it's often best just to reset your vehicle so you can continue as fast as possible than try to make out which direction your vehicle is even going at when the camera refuses to work with you. These moments are not frequent enough to hinder your enjoyment of the game, but frequent enough to warrant being brought up nonetheless.

    Finally, there's plenty of racing modes to keep you occupied and a good amount of tracks, too. Whereas it might seem there's only a handful of tracks in the game, newer ones keep getting introduced later in the campaign. If you struggle to get through the campaign, don't worry, as they don't need to be unlocked - you can race on any track with any rules, anytime. And while the campaign can be very hard, and even unfair given how the rubberbanding AI works, I never found it to be frustrating. It offers a good challenge for those that seek one.

    All in all, Grip isn't flawless - neither technically nor from a gameplay point of view - but it's a great amount of fun, nonetheless. If you enjoy sci-fi racers, I can easily recommend it. It's easy to glance over Grip's shortcomings once you get lost in the great sensation of speed Grip has to offer.    … Expand
  5. bubblehead333
    Dec 1, 2019
    8
    Grip is an exhilarating combat racer that takes influence from games of the PS era: Rollcage, Firebugs etc. Grip is exactly that: exhilarating. The sense of speed as you hit the higher classes is overwhelming, for better or for worse. When you successfully complete a blistering lap time it is immensely rewarding. However sometimes it can be difficult to complete a lap!
    Grip can be    Grip is an exhilarating combat racer that takes influence from games of the PS era: Rollcage, Firebugs etc. Grip is exactly that: exhilarating. The sense of speed as you hit the higher classes is overwhelming, for better or for worse. When you successfully complete a blistering lap time it is immensely rewarding. However sometimes it can be difficult to complete a lap!
    Grip can be frustrating, with it's difficulty definitely tailored to the more hardcore crowd. Catching the wrong bump or camber on track can send you pirouetting into skyscraper 3 miles away. I found myself having to remember tracks and go on 10+ lap marathons just to be able to progress the punishing Career mode. While this is fun, the tracks don't have obvious landmarks to track where you are, and as the tracks aren't exactly in '2D space', so there's no mini-map to judge when a corner is coming. For this reason it can be difficult to learn tracks, especially on the harder difficulties.
    It is also worth mentioning the AI rubber banding is extreme! In some cases it's best to hide out in 3rd or 4th, then power on the last lap to overtake. Trying to get any kind of lead in Grip is futile!
    That said the vehicles including 'air blades' are really cool. Weapons are also fun to use and you can power them up for different variants as you get deeper in the Career mode. The weapons do almost feel like an optional extra though, and most times don't decide races. The Career mode does a good job of pacing different styles of play as you progress to keep it fresh and interesting. The Ultimate Race mode is great fun, it's a point based system where you get points for weapons aggression as well as your final standing in the race.
    Technically, on Switch it struggles. Single player is usually fine, with the odd texture pop in here or there or frame rate drop but it usually recovers. Split-screen however is just ugly on Switch. Textures have been noticeably down-scaled, and FPS is a bit of a mess. This doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of Grip though. My only other gripe aside from sometimes unstable handling is one weapon in particular. It is your Mario Kart lightning equivalent, and aims to squeeze the pack up, by very obviously slowing down lead cars. The visual effect of this pickup can be quite nauseating and detract from the end user experience. In races where I forced the game on my friends, the main reaction to this weapon was overwhelmingly negative as they didn't understand what was going on, and really broke the game immersion.

    Pros
    -Intense combat racing
    -Great vehicle designs
    -Driving upside down in '3D' environments is exciting
    -Great aesthetics

    Cons
    -Handling can be unforgiving and unpredictable
    -Difficulty gets tough in that last part of the Career
    -Rubber banding can make going for any lead pointless
    -Technically struggles on Switch
    -One pickup is immersion breaking

    Grip is a fun but often cruel game, one focused on sheer exhilaration of driving upside down at high-speeds, if that's your thing. (And it is.) Aside from the odd texture pop in and heavy rubber banding, it's a well designed, aesthetically pleasing, addictive arcade racer.    … Expand
  6. riccyjay
    Nov 11, 2018
    4
    There's a lot of wasted potential in this game. Trailers make it look great, but, unfortunately, the real thing is a bit of a mess.

    First, the racing is simply not great. In fact, it's borderline non-existent since the only part of any race that matters is the last few seconds. There's a boost system at the start of each race that let's you get a headstart. BUT there's no point in    There's a lot of wasted potential in this game. Trailers make it look great, but, unfortunately, the real thing is a bit of a mess.

    First, the racing is simply not great. In fact, it's borderline non-existent since the only part of any race that matters is the last few seconds. There's a boost system at the start of each race that let's you get a headstart. BUT there's no point in taking advantage of it because it will have zero effect on the race outcome. In fact, I'll often find myself sitting checking messages on my phone while the race starts because I know I'll catch up whatever I do. Cars pass you when you're boosting on a straight after nailing the previous corner, you can pass other cars after bumping off every wall. How you drive makes barely any difference to the outcome. Add to this the fact the tracks are frequently hard to make out and the seemingly random physics where hitting a curved edge sometimes stops you dead (all too frequently halfway inside the wall) and hitting a 90 degree angle sometimes launches you skywards - or vice versa. Jumps and ramps are placed around the track but all too often these ping you into something hanging overhead or into an invisible wall. Basically, just keep going in the races and hope you don't get blown up on the finish line. Whether you win or not is mostly going to come down to luck.

    Then there are the non-race races. There's a battle mode where the aim is to damage the other racers - this is actually pretty fun and works well, but it;s far too easy. Then there is a quite, quite hideous kind of airtime mode that, honestly, I still don't really understand how it works. You seem to get points for how long you're in the air, but...if it's based on distance or height or tricks...I have no idea. All I know is I'll usually be in first place for most of the 'race', be told I finished 5th or 6th after crossing the finish line (at which point other racers who scored higher than me will be displayed with their points tally) before finding myself first again in the tournament table. Weird, stupid and a typical example of the total lack of polish in this game.

    You can also upgrade your car. Or can you? The only upgrade in the garage is new cars, which are just there as you rank up so you forget which ones are new (they're not arranged in any order and most look pretty similar). You can unlock new tyres which make no difference to performance and are almost indistinguishable from each other and a few decals. The whole garage is basically pointless.

    Finally, we have the coup de grace. After EVERY race in single player, you will be prompted FOUR times to join Nintendo Switch Online. FOUR times it comes up and FOUR times you have to cancel. After EVERY race. This takes approx. 40 seconds to get rid of. There are three races in a tournament (so two minutes per tournament) and three or more tournaments per rank (so six-plus minutes per rank). With 11 ranks, that means completing the campaign will involve ONE TO ONE AND A HALF HOURS OF YOUR PLAYTIME WILL BE SPENT CLICKING CANCEL ON THE ONLINE WINDOW.

    All such a shame, because this looked like it was going to be really solid. Unless you are desperate for a racer on Switch, this is definitely one to avoid.    … Expand
  7. SwitchableGamer
    Jan 20, 2019
    10
    Do not pay attention to the critics, GRIP is an awesome racing game. GRIP is a combat racing game developed by Caged Element and published by Wired Productions that pays homage to RollCage, a beloved PS1 game. One new feature GRIP adds is the ability to drive on the walls and ceilings, which in my opinion is awesome! Once you get deeper into the game, the game begins to turn into a deathDo not pay attention to the critics, GRIP is an awesome racing game. GRIP is a combat racing game developed by Caged Element and published by Wired Productions that pays homage to RollCage, a beloved PS1 game. One new feature GRIP adds is the ability to drive on the walls and ceilings, which in my opinion is awesome! Once you get deeper into the game, the game begins to turn into a death race esk style game.

    My final thoughts on GRIP is that its an awesome combat racing game. You should play it for yourself, because if you focus on the negative reviews, you could be missing out on quite a gem.    … Expand
  8. Dorichannel
    Jul 24, 2020
    3
    The cars are so hard to control, it's a chore even trying to get through a race let alone actually beating one. Not worth the time. If you want to have brainless and frustrating comedy, this is one joke of a racing game! I thought it was a glitch or a dream, but NO! It's the entire game, and yes...it's real. Unlike Rocket League (vibrant, beautiful settings, memorable soundtrack, tons ofThe cars are so hard to control, it's a chore even trying to get through a race let alone actually beating one. Not worth the time. If you want to have brainless and frustrating comedy, this is one joke of a racing game! I thought it was a glitch or a dream, but NO! It's the entire game, and yes...it's real. Unlike Rocket League (vibrant, beautiful settings, memorable soundtrack, tons of designs, amazing gameplay) GRIP has NONE of that. Only reason I bought this is because an F-Zero game isn't on the Switch...yet. LOL… Expand
  9. AlexNofx
    Mar 18, 2021
    10
    Despite the Critics, Grip is an exceptional Game. Full of Contents, difficult to master and beautiful tracks-cars design. Ive used to play Rollcage 1 and Stage 2 - So yeah, if you love Hard games to control and Chaotic Action with an extensive Carrer this is the game for you. Some framedrops yes, but, in my regards, the graphic even on switch its amazing. Soundwise as well, every car haveDespite the Critics, Grip is an exceptional Game. Full of Contents, difficult to master and beautiful tracks-cars design. Ive used to play Rollcage 1 and Stage 2 - So yeah, if you love Hard games to control and Chaotic Action with an extensive Carrer this is the game for you. Some framedrops yes, but, in my regards, the graphic even on switch its amazing. Soundwise as well, every car have is own Engine sound as well as Cosmetic Shield and Unique Shield Sounds - I Wish there was more cars. ven after i bought all the Dlc cars i just wish there where more but just cause i love the game... I Waited 20years for a sequel of Rollcage and i do hope that Grip 2 will one day coming out. 10Stars… Expand
  10. EMPRR
    Jun 20, 2021
    7
    If you've played GRIP on the PC you'll know it's a very challenging game and can be quite hard to get in to. However if you like it on PC you'll probably also like it on the Switch to play it on the go.

    The game does have some issues regarding frame-rate and of course, the graphics did get a downgrade.
    Still fun to play.
  11. mp1
    Aug 27, 2020
    2
    Major disadvantage of this title is huge frame rate drops, where high and constants FPS is crucial for this kind of games. Also graphics quality during race is poor, most noticeable is low resolution, race looks totally different than on advertisements in official NS shop, it's just a cheating customers...

    I hope ports for other platforms are more polished than for Nintendo Switch...    Major disadvantage of this title is huge frame rate drops, where high and constants FPS is crucial for this kind of games. Also graphics quality during race is poor, most noticeable is low resolution, race looks totally different than on advertisements in official NS shop, it's just a cheating customers...

    I hope ports for other platforms are more polished than for Nintendo Switch... Port for NS is not worth any penny and any storage space on your Switch.    … Expand
  12. rascar
    Jun 19, 2022
    0
    A big disapointment, I cant play a normaal race. Mayer I need a online membership to play it functionally. But I dont want a online membership
  13. Blopi
    Jul 1, 2023
    10
    I love this game. I dont know why it has this low score i can't find enything to make the game look bad

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. FNintendo
    Feb 1, 2019
    50
    It offers plenty of content and variety when it comes to its game modes, but this version is far from its full potential and will rely on updates and additional elements to improve the experience, not to mention it has a high number of technical issues which need to be solved in the near future and that there are points which need more than just updates in order to make GRIP a memorable game.
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  2. Switch Player
    Jan 2, 2019
    60
    GRIP: Combat Racing boasts exciting gameplay that is sadly held back by technical issues. It's worth a look into for fans of racers, but other folk may want to wait until a price drop.
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  3. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Jan 2, 2019
    70
    While GRIP isn’t perfect by any means, the game’s change of pace from my standard racing fare in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was welcome and somewhat addicting. For Nintendo Switch owners who are looking for a racing game that differs from the “kart” scene, the low-gravity and speedy thrill of GRIP is the way to go.
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