The loading screens feature amusing gems such as “To recreate the rally driving experience, have your companion jostle you while loudly shouting directions in your ear”, alongside other irreverent quotes, suggestions and advice.
Trackmania Turbo features several multiplayer options including traditional split screen, facing off against up to 100 people online at once, hot seat, and the innovative “double driver” mode.
As the name suggests, this involves two players simultaneously controlling the same car. There is a reason this isn’t a thing in real life, but it’s hard to deny the hilarity that can ensue in trying it in the game. If the car receives contradictory inputs (eg one player says go left, another says go right), then the car just goes merrily straight ahead until the drivers sort themselves out and get on the same page direction-wise, or the car crashes spectacularly, whichever happens first. Fortunately there are on-screen prompts indicating which commands the drivers are entering to help make the process a bit easier.
The downside is that while the game is fun, bright, and does not take itself too seriously, some of the tracks are frustratingly hard. Sure, if you miss a turn and go sailing over the edge of the track, you can hit a reset button and instantly return to a checkpoint or the start line, but on several tracks I found that I had frequently to line up jumps, turns and the like just right or it was a one-way trip to the reset button.
Having said that, Trackmania Turbo is overall a fun arcade racer that’s easy to pick up and play, either alone or with friends and let’s face it, it’s hard not to have fun while you’re recklessly driving a racing car upside down on a track segment that’s partially suspended by an airship.
