RPM Racing

February 1, 1991(35 years ago)·Full Release

Silicon & Synapse

Publisher: Interplay Entertainment

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Genres: Racing, Arcade

Platforms:SNES

Single player Bird view / Isometric

Summary

RPM Racing was preceded by Rareware's R.C. Pro-Am in 1988 and Electronic Arts' Racing Destruction Set in 1985, with the latter having the greater impact. It served as a precursor to Rock 'n Roll Racing, developed by the same team. Combat, environmental hazards, and grip on uneven terrain are key elements. Players can choose from three distinct vehicle types, each with unique performance characteristics on pavement, dirt, ice, smooth, or bumpy surfaces. Vehicles can be equipped with oil slicks, nitro boosts, and mines. In addition, there are three tiers of tires, engines, shocks, and armor to customize. The game offers a full racing season, single races, and custom track creation. In single-player mode, the second player is replaced by one of eight AI opponents, each with their own vehicle. In season mode, each track has an entry fee and a cash prize for first place, with smaller rewards often given for lower finishes. For an extra cost, racers can advance to a higher racing class, where both fees and prizes are larger. Each class has its own selection of tracks, and no track is required or locked within a class. Players can also return to a lower class for free, which may be necessary if funds are depleted by fees without securing prizes. However, moving up always requires a fee, regardless of prior experience. Custom track design is not immediately intuitive but is relatively easy to grasp. Players can set the number of laps, gravity, and starting line configuration. Each track segment can be pavement, dirt, or ice. The track is built using puzzle-like pieces on a 2D non-isometric grid, similar to Pipe Mania. Pieces include horizontal and vertical straights, four standard 90° turns, eight T-junctions for branching and merging paths in any direction, and a criss-cross section. A horizontal or vertical special straight is used for the starting grid, which can be set to forward, reversed, face-off with player 1 forward, or face-off with player 1 reversed. Seven points allow adjustment of the six slopes in straight segments to five different heights. Slopes can be flat (0:1), gently inclined (1:1), or steep (2:1). Non-straight sections can only have their height adjusted as a whole. An isometric view of each section is provided to help align it with adjacent pieces. If a section's edge doesn't match the height of neighboring sections, the player is alerted immediately but can continue without fixing the issue right away. However, all such errors must be resolved before the track can be saved. A track must also have no dead ends and include a starting grid section to be saved. The track validation is surprisingly lenient, even allowing paths that diverge and converge against the traffic flow, such as reversing into a freeway merging lane. The AI opponents often struggle to identify the fastest or shortest route and can be led into paths with no clear exit. With clever design, valid lap routes can differ entirely for player 1, player 2, and AI players, leading to dynamic and unpredictable traffic situations.