Horizon Chase 2

Originally published on my HLTB profile.

Originally written and published on July 31st, 2025.

I have mixed thoughts about Horizon Chase 2. As a player of the original Horizon Chase Turbo, there are both nice surprises and new inclusions, together with disappointing omissions and annoying issues. It ends up being a pretty good arcade racer, but with some annoyances on the way.

I have experienced both these titles in co-op, and I think I can safely say that the fast-paced arcade gameplay works really well for 2 players on the same screen. The original title was clearly inspired by the likes of Top Gear for SNES and OutRun. With this sequel, the developers are diverging a bit further from their original inspirations than before, while still preserving the unique flair of their original game. With these inspirations straying further away, the sequel feels like a step closer to a proper evolution of this subgenre of racing. This on its own is great, I think.

The gameplay itself feels generally smoother and more polished than its predecessor. The simple act of controlling your vehicle just feels a bit more satisfying. However, the core gameplay loop stays generally the same as the original. The only exceptions being the new point to point races and the gas mechanic, which was left out of this sequel. While I enjoyed it, I also don't feel particularly strong about it to pity its removal. As for the point to point races, they don't really make any difference. The collectible tokens are back, together with the nitro ones in the tournament mode, making the gameplay pretty familiar for players of the original. As for the driving, the only difference I found to be noticeable, to the point of differentiation, is the possibility to grind on guardrails and not crash, losing a lot of your speed in the process. A small, nice improvement, helping the flow of the races. The core gameplay is simply strong and fun.

However, there is a problem with the progression and economy in the "World Tour" mode, which makes this campaign feel frustratingly unfulfilling in one way. The rewards for races were just simply not enough. This becomes a problem, because Horizon Chase 2 adds another layer to the upgrade system. Currency and XP. Without grinding, I found the game to be quite stingy with the currency and XP to the point that if you want to stay competitive to earn somewhat consistent winning positions, you pretty much have to invest your performance upgrades into purely just a few cars. This is easily the worst part of this system. They don't carry over to other cars. You are forced to keep using one or two cars for the majority of the campaign, and this doesn't work for such a simple arcade title like this. The only reprieve being the fact that the few new unlocked cars will be matched to your current car's performance with already installed upgrades. The visual customization ended up feeling rather expensive too. At the very least, this system has gotten an upgrade, being able to change not only your paint-job, but also the rims and even being able to choose in-between 3 presets for the body of the car.

As for the content, if I were to summarize, the developers settled for the philosophy of quality over quantity. On one hand, both the car models and especially the tracks feel so much more detailed and beautiful. The tracks now properly feel like actual places, without resembling those retro empty plains with some objects planted by their waysides. They are detailed, with many unique models around and with charming and vibrant textures. The disappointing part comes from the realization that about the half of the locations from the original are not present, making the sequel feel a bit barren in terms of the variety of the countries available. However, the number of tracks is also halved. Be it considered expected due to the more detailed levels or baffling due to the lack of more variety, I am honestly still not entirely sure.

It's along the same lines for the car line-up. The original had 35 vehicles, excluding the Senna DLC, while Horizon Chase 2 presents only 12 cars. They do come with customization now, but it was a bit disappointing having a sequel regress in numbers this much. This is especially annoying combined with the grindy upgrade system, which incentivizes you to keep using the same upgraded cars you have been using and avoid the other, now uncompetitive ones. Thankfully, this issue is at least nonexistent in the tournament mode, where your car is automatically upgraded.

I'm still quite conflicted how to feel about this game. While still great on many of its own merits, I can't help but to keep comparing it to its predecessor in the amounts of content and modes. It makes some weird decisions too, but it still ends up being a great arcade racer with fun gameplay and fitting music with its retro throwback vibe otherwise. In a way, most of the bad comes from what is not in the game, rather than what is in it, and that what is in it, was pretty fun for the most part.

Overall rating: 75%

Playtime: 12h 57m

Played on PC.