Gravel

I mean it with the utmost sincerity when I say that Gravel is a tremendous surprise for me. I’ve never jumped at an opportunity to review any racing game, but I’m especially glad that this one came my way. Once again, Milestone has demonstrated why they’re one of the premier racing developers. If you’re even a casual racing fan as I am, Gravel is absolutely worth your time.

Gravel is a game displaced. It’s a competent and occasionally pretty pick-up-and-play arcade racing game at its core, but it has the whiff of a game released in the wrong era – a scent it just can’t shake. A 2018 rendition of ’90s ambition. Gravel certainly channels the spirit and straightforward simplicity of Milestone’s own 1997 arcade off-roader Screamer Rally but it has no unique hook for today’s audience; no over-the-top arcade pizazz that folks will still be discussing 10 or 15 years down the track.

Music-wise, it's pretty darn horrible. It often sounds as if The Spice Girls started a metal-band and it didn't take long before we decided to turn off all the music in the game. We must say that on the whole we like Gravel, though. Even if the music is bad and the graphics are mediocre. It's a retro-style arcade racer focused on fun and with an easy-to-navigate structure that does away with a lot of the modern extras we've come to expect.