Rush Rally Origins Review (Switch eShop)

With each iteration of Rush Rally, the series has surely improved with more detailed cars and environments, more precise controls, and an overall cleaner experience. In hindsight, then, the original Rush Rally It may seem a bit dated compared to later entries, which is why developer Brownmaster has gone back and effectively remade the original game with Rush Rally Origins. Offering the improved graphics and audio seen in Rush Rally 3 and retaining the same arcade gameplay as the original, Rush Rally Origins combines the best of both worlds, making it a worthy companion to Rush Rally 3.

Rush Rally Origins contains three main modes: Time Attack, Championship and Race. The time trial is your standard rally affair, and it pits you against the clock as you race down multiple tracks alone. Championship ties the time trial courses together as one larger tournament, and Race sees you compete directly against various AI-controlled racers. The variety of tracks on offer is impressive, with races in Finland, Greece, Sweden, the UK, Kenya and New Zealand. Frustratingly, there doesn’t seem to be an option to choose the course you want at first, so you have to participate in each course in the correct order, unlocking new ones as you go.

The gameplay in Rush Rally Origins is fast and crisp. The handling of the cars varies slightly depending on the model you choose, but it is relatively easy to handle. In just a few minutes, you’ll slide around corners with ease, a feat that can take much longer in other rally titles (looking at you, rally art). As such, the game offers more immediate satisfaction and accessibility compared to more realistic examples of the genre, but as a result, it can feel a bit limited; Once you’ve mastered the controls, it can feel like you’re just following the movements.

With vastly improved graphics compared to the original Rush Rally, this remake looks and sounds much better by modern standards. Despite this, however, the images are still slightly below average. There are several customizable options available, so you can set graphical fidelity anywhere from Low to Ultra. Alternatively, you can drill down and play with the specific options such as smoothing, shading, weather effects, and even the number of trees visible around the track. We found the default option to be the best, with a reasonably high level of detail at a 60FPS target, but you can play around with this to suit your own needs.

However, even at its highest graphics settings, Rush Rally Origins still makes some pretty harsh compromises. When competing against AI opponents, the game strangely displays dirt effects for your own vehicle, but absolutely nothing for your opponents; so sliding around corners and lifting a load of dirt and dust looks pretty spectacular, but the effect gets a bit silly when everyone else can race around the track without a speck of dust in sight.

As a remake of the original, the dash cam setup isn’t available here either, so you’re stuck with the standard isometric viewpoint or a ‘helicopter’ alternative, with the camera rotating as you navigate the runway.

Overall, Rush Rally Origins is a great rally game if you keep your expectations for graphics in check. From a gaming perspective, it is more than capable, and offers improvements over the original game in abundance. Despite the easy handling of the vehicle, the game is challenging with intelligent artificial intelligence and strict time trial targets (which we were told will be slightly modified in a patch, along with several other visuals and performance tweaks), and it’s perfect if you’re looking for a fun, laid-back arcade driving experience.