Horizon Chase Turbo PS4 PlayStation 4 1

In case you somehow missed it, July's PlayStation Plus lineup was announced yesterday. In addition to PES 2019: Pro Evolution Soccer, you're also getting an arcade racer named Horizon Chase Turbo. But what the heck is it? You'd be forgiven for not knowing much about this indie title, but in truth, this is a solid little racing game that takes inspiration from some of the greats.

Horizon Chase Turbo is a massively enhanced version of a mobile game that became very popular a few years ago. Influenced by the likes of OutRun and Top Gear, this arcade racer is all about overtaking a large grid of competitors before you reach the chequered flag. As you can see from these screenshots, the game is aiming for a retro look and feel, but the flat textures and low poly models look really quite stylish. Each location has some brilliant backdrops, and the cars all look great in this low detail approach. It looks like a 90s racing title that's been given a fresh coat of paint, and not in a bad way.

Horizon Chase Turbo PS4 PlayStation 4 2

It's not just the aesthetics that are pleasingly retro, though. The synth heavy soundtrack is provided by Barry Leitch, a game composer who previously wrote music for the Top Gear series and Lotus Turbo Challenge. The structure of the game is pretty old-school too, with a huge list of events and races, as well as a handful of different modes to play. There's also local split-screen for four players, something that's making a resurgence of late.

The way the game plays could be seen as old-fashioned, too, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. Playing out at a flawless 60 frames per second, it's an incredibly fast game with snappy handling allowing you to zip between cars and dodge obstacles on the road. There's also fuel you'll need to pick up, as well as collectible tokens, and it all helps out your score at the end of a race. With 31 cars and hundreds of events to unlock, there's a lot to see and do, and the simple gameplay and speedy races make it a highly addictive time-waster.

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It isn't going to be for everyone, of course. The purposely retro design means it's speaking directly to fans of arcade racers, an audience that's still underserved on PlayStation 4. Horizon Chase Turbo is a fun title that revels in its old-school stylings, and if you've any interest in racing games like OutRun, Test Drive, or even Burnout, this will be well worth checking out on PS Plus come 2nd July.

Will you be taking Horizon Chase Turbo for a test drive when it hits PS Plus next month? Put your foot on the gas in the comments below.