Namco’s rubber-burning classic joins the ranks
Following on from last week’s fascinatingGenji and the Heike Clans, this week sees retro publisher Hamster remain in the realm of Namco’s earliest development years, adding the pioneering maze racerRally-Xto the Arcade Archives.
Released in 1980 as a response to Sega’s earlierHead-On, Rally-Xtasks players with whizzing through a series of mazes, gathering red flags like that annoying ass meme on Twitter, and hopefully avoiding a brutal high-speed collision with their fellow racers — chasing the player around like thePac-Manghosts of Dom and Letty. Should an opposing car get too close for comfort, then players can let rip with a 007-esque smoke screen, buying a few valuable seconds to gain some distance.
Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuberOld Classic Retro Gaming.
On release,Rally-Xwas a smash in its native Japan, becoming the sixth best-selling arcade game in a year that saw Namcodominatethe burgeoning coin-op scene. The simplistic racer helped pioneer elements that would soon become commonplace in gaming, such as bonus stages and continuously playing theme tunes.Rally-Xdid not see quite the same success overseas, with historians positing that its highly challenging nature was preventing players from spending their hard-earned quarters. TheDark Soulsof…Pac-Man? Rally-Xwould see a sequel in 1981, and even an enhanced port,New Rally-X Arrangement,in 1996.
Rally-Xis available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8.
