Futuristic racing games aren’t as accessible as they used to be, but there are a few games out there that are doing a great job keeping the genre alive if you own a PS4. Wipeout Omega Collection is available for it as well as the Switch, and the fantastic Fast RMX is an option for it at a very reasonable price. If you have an Xbox One, however, choices are more limited. While we are waiting for the upcoming Pacer, a game I have already talked in length last year, why not give Antigraviator a chance? It’s still pretty decent.

Iceberg Interactive’s Antigraviator doesn’t ever try to shy away from the fact it’s heavily inspired by Wipeout. The gameplay is very similar; the track design is a mixture of those featured in Wipeout and F-Zero GX (especially with the amount of loops per stage), the soundtrack is electronic and very upbeat, the turbo zippers are scattered throughout the racetracks, and there are a few offensive weapons you can use to hinder your ultra-agressive opponents’ progress. In short, it’s everything you know and love from the source material, but with a few updates to make Antigraviator less of a carbon copy and more of a “product inspired by another product”.

One of its “innovative features” is the way it handles its power-ups. You can collect power-up icons throughout the racecourse and use them to either give your ship a momentary turbo boost or to set up a trap during the small time frame you’re allowed to. This sounds awesome in theory, but there aren’t many traps available, they’re not so simple to set up, and they’re not as powerful as the game thinks they are. I ended up resorting to turbo boosts, as they threw my ship so far away to the point I could barely see it onscreen.

Technically speaking, Antigraviator gets the job done. Its controls, with the exception of the trap placement system, are simple, exactly what to expect from a game like this. You will barely use half a dozen buttons on the controller, as this isn’t the kind of game you’ll ever need to worry about braking. If there’s an issue related to the gameplay I should point out, that issue lies on the framerate. It’s not exactly bad, as it’s stable for the most part, but it’s not as high as a game centered around driving at the highest speeds one can imagine. You definitely see a few framerate hiccups whenever you boost. The visuals are very good, with excellent track design and lighting effects, even if the overall framerate doesn’t provide a high level of visual fidelity as it should.

The biggest problem with Antigraviator, at the moment, is its multiplayer. Simply put, it just doesn’t work. The amount of lag and connect errors is infuriating. The game does feature a solid single player experience, however, so I’d recommend just sticking with that for the time being. We haven’t heard anything regarding a patch in order to fix these online issues, so it’s best to be safe than sorry.

Antigraviator is a fine futuristic racing game that might fill in a momentary gap while we wait for the eventual release of Pacer. This is a game that’s best enjoyed on an Xbox One, not because it plays better on that console, but because it’s where it faces the least competition. Since the PS4 has the Wipeout Omega Collection and the Switch has Fast RMX, Antigraviator is your best bet if you’re looking for a similar kind of racing game on your Xbox. Just don’t think this is the next Wipeout or F-Zero.

 

Graphics: 7.5 A gorgeous game with excellent level design and lighting effects, even though the framerate is a tad bit disappointing for a game centered around speed.	Gameplay: 7.0 Simple futuristic racer controls that work pretty well, despite the slight framerate issues. The overall trap mechanics are poorly explained and poorly implemented, though.
Sound: 7.5 High-octane and upbeat electronic music that fits perfectly with the game’s atmosphere. It’s not the most memorable futuristic racing soundtrack out there, and you’re not going to hum any of the game’s melodies after turning your Xbox off, but it gets the job done with honors while you’re playing it.	Fun Factor: 7.0 It’s very aggressive, the controls are good, there are some great tracks, and it does manage to scratch the Wipeout / F-Zero itch a bit, but its multiplayer is a disappointment.
Final Verdict: 7.0

Antigraviator is available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Reviewed on Xbox One.

A copy of Antigraviator was provided by the publisher.