Stampede: Racing Royale preview – colorful arcade racer

When you see that a new racing game is set to come out what comes to mind? Many millennials will remember the good days of Need for Speed, Mario Kart, Juiced, and Gran Turismo. Although Gran Turismo and Need for Speed are still around, the franchises have lost some of their popularity and prestige.

Mario Kart is still around and fairly popular, but its exclusivity is limited to Switch. Nowadays, franchises such as Forza Motorsports, Forza Horizon, The Crew, Dirt, and Grid have made a name for themselves. Now, a new multi-platform racer looks to make a name for itself. At Summer Game Fest, we met with Sumo Digital to preview their upcoming games, DeathSprint 66 and Stampede: Racing Royale.

The team that was showing off Stampede: Racing Royale was clearly passionate about the game showcasing some of its features and their abilities on the course.

Sadly, for this demo, we did not get the chance to really get a hands-on with the game, however, we were able to get a good grasp of the mechanics. The easiest way to describe the game’s graphics and mechanics is Sugar Rush and Mario Kart had a child.

When you watch someone play a game, you only get a small glimpse into what the game has to offer. Yes, the developer was able to show off the shortcuts, abilities, and drifting mechanics in order to get first place but it didn’t show off everything it has to offer.

The ability to modify your vehicles seemed cool, but it would have been fun to customize one for ourselves. Stampede: Racing Royale looks like it could be a fun party or battle royale game to play with friends, viewers, or other gamers.

What makes the game stand out is that after each race, the worst places in the race get eliminated similar to 1 vs 100 or Fall Guys. After each round, you can see where you fall; you are in charge of your destiny.

The game’s success will ultimately depend on word of mouth, marketing, and core gameplay. With the game having an indie feel, it might be dead on arrival depending on when Sumo Digital decides to release the game.

Their free-to-play sixty player racing game has the potential but will need strong promotional content to succeed; the cute aesthetic may appeal to some audiences while being a deterrent to others.

Stampede: Racing Royale is launching for Windows PC (via Steam) in early access sometime this summer, and newly confirmed ports for Xbox Series X|S and PC (via the Microsoft Store).