You’ll need to revisit earlier events to get enough funds to have a competitive jet, but if it becomes too powerful, limits are put on it to allow it to compete in the early events. In fact I’d say the handling of the jets is one of the best things in the game. You can feel the upgrades when playing and the jets do feel weighty as you control them, especially in turns. These upgrades are to increase acceleration, raise the top speed, improve handling, and making the boost more powerful. As you progress, you’ll realise that you’ll need more powerful hydrojets to even get a look in at making it into the top three, but to get the upgrades Riptide GP: Renegade does become a bit of a grindfest. I don’t think my character should be getting praise for coming in third while the top racer is ignored. There is a simple progression system where earning one star in an event will unlock the following, though it doesn’t always make sense from a story standpoint. There are a couple of subplots as well that can net their own rewards, with their own dedicated events linked to different members of the team. You’ll start with a basic hydrojet that can be upgraded using prize money, before unlocking more powerful jets as you reach later parts of the story. To be honest, the story is only there to give an excuse to move from one event to another, which get harder and harder as you progress.
It’s a tale of revenge against another racer who set up the main character to be caught by the police, and charts the rise of your new team, with other racers joining you to help you climb the ranks from illegal racing to the more legitimate side. There is a story mode here where the main character, a former rising star in the Grand Prix circuit, is making their return to the racing scene after serving a two year sentence for illegal racing. In Riptide GP: Renegade you race on hydrojets across eight different tracks, each one with their own secrets and shortcuts. They’re best known for games like Hydro Thunder Hurricane and the Riptide GP series, with the studio returning with a follow up to the latter in Riptide GP: Renegade. It seems to be a gap that smaller developers are looking to settle themselves into, with one such dev being Vector Unit.
For some reason arcade racers don’t seem to be as prominent as they once were, supplanted by either semi-realistic or sim type titles in the last few years.