80'S OVERDRIVE

Critic reviews

• XTXbox Tavern

  James Davie · Sep 17, 2022

  5.9

  Credit where it’s due, 80’s Overdrive tries its Rubik’s Cube-shaped heart out when it comes to immersing you in classic 1980 arcade racing and Outrun-styled action. It’s a fast and challenging slice of speed-demon action that’s all too brief and marred by a tedious economy, a paper-thin level editor, and one-note thrills which will start to tire you out before the game’s ending. The soundtrack and attention to presentational details do give 80’s great aesthetics, if only they were fused together with a better arcade racer than this.

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• HGHardcore Gamer

  Jeremy Peeples · May 18, 2020

  8.0

  ’80s Overdrive comes to the Switch in top form and stands even taller on the hybrid console than it did on the 3DS three years ago. With games like the original arcade great Outrun and other modern games like Horizon Chase Turbo that it inspired, it would be easy to get lost in the shuffle, but it doesn’t. It stands out thanks to a bright visual style and a memorable soundtrack that makes use of some of the best ’80s-infused music you could ask for.

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• NNintendoLife

  Chris Scullion · May 17, 2020

  6.0

  80’s Overdrive may be wonderfully presented, but its problem is that price-wise it’s sandwiched between two similar games that are better. Sega Ages Out Run is cheaper and its tight controls remain impeccable today, while Horizon Chase Turbo may be double the price but is significantly superior in almost every notable way, including control, amount of content and sense of speed.

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• WTWay Too Many Games

  Leo Faria · Feb 18, 2018

  6.5

  In the end, 80’s Overdrive is, at best, an okay attempt to bring back the fun gameplay from older arcade titles like OutRun, but it never manages to surpass its source of inspiration, nor it manages to wow players in any moment. It’s just a passable racing title, something to keep your 3DS busy during its last months of relevance.

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• PNPure Nintendo

  Trevor Gould · Dec 30, 2017

  7.0

  Now that I’ve played long enough, I can take out my maxed car and enjoy Time Attack. This is where the game is at its best. The awful braking, grind-heavy design, and excess police put a skid on things. But overall, 80’s OVERDRIVE is still a good game. With a few improvements, a sequel could be amazing.

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• NNintendoLife

  Damien McFerran · Dec 12, 2017

  8.0

  80's Overdrive really nails the presentation side of things with its eye-catching 2D visuals, superb 3D effect and pumping soundtrack. It also controls well and the Career Mode is challenging enough to keep you glued to your 3DS for quite some time. The Out Run-style Time Attack mode and the Level Editor extend the lifespan of this title further, but the occasionally cheap difficulty level has an annoying habit of ruining your race as well as your mood.

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