Velocity: The Race Begins

Velocity: The Race Begins is an action-packed, high-stakes story where you play as a somewhat regular teenager suddenly thrown into the world of gang wars, vicious criminals, and street racing right after transferring to a new school in the 1980s. When a new acquaintance of yours finds his life at risk from the mafia after a meet gone south, you find yourself with the opportunity to join the street racing scene, rise to the top, make a ton of cash, save your friend or just spend it all on Rolex and Gucci - all the while getting closer to the truth of what happened to your older brother that vanished some years back.

This game surprised me. I’m not a car person, never liked (or finished) the Fast and Furious franchise, and dislike most racing games. If I wasn’t trying to review most new releases, I probably never would have made it past the demo. But I actually had quite a bit of fun with this one. Something about the text-based, narrative-first format sucked me in in a way other racing games don’t, and I found myself really getting into the story and the various mysteries to unravel along the way. Unfortunately, in its current state it suffers from some serious issues on the technical side, so I don’t yet feel good widely recommending it. Bugs, typos, and certain stylistic choices lend the story an unpolished feel, and the current game mechanics are far too punishing and extremely frustrating, with many possible instant game overs throughout. The author is working on some of these concerns already, as well as a sequel, so I could see this story really shaping up in the future, but as is I just don't feel good recommending it very widely.

I have a more in-depth review here if anyone's interested https://jotheplunderer.substack.com/p/velocity-the-race-begins-a-fun-and?r=8225x5