RiMS Racing Review – Every mistake hurts twice

The developers from the Italian studio RaceWard, partly composed of former employees of Milestone racing specialists, set themselves a relatively ambitious goal. With their debut RiMS Racing, they wanted to create a motorcycle simulation with a focus on realistic racing and behind the scenes. Although the main goal was achieved by the authors, they failed to solve several obvious problems and shortcomings that pull the overall impression.

• Platform: PC (review). PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
• Publication date: 19. 8. 2021
• Producer: RaceWard Studio (Italy)
• Genre: race
• Czech location: Not
• Multiplayer: online split screen
• Data to download: 8 GB
• Game time: 15+ hours
• Availability: 3+
• Sales version: box and digital
• Price: from 1099, – CZK (Xzone)

Trying to be different

Although at first glance it may seem that there are very few games about motorcycles. This year alone, we saw the fourth Supercross and a new installment of the MotoGP series that brought a decent amount of news, including a vastly improved driving model. In the second half of last year, motorcycle enthusiasts were able to experience the sequel to the more arcade Ride series, MXGP 2020 motocross and the positively received TT Isle of Man 2.

RiMS Racing definitely has some competition. But the authors from the RaceWard studio tried to bring something a little different. Instead of buying licenses and chasing as much content as possible, they focused on players who are looking for a challenge and are inclined towards realism. The often unforgiving rules of the game will be revealed in all their glory in just a few minutes. The physics and demanding driving model just won’t forgive you for many mistakes. You will have to gradually learn how to control your car and accelerate very slowly. Otherwise, you will spend more time on the ground than in the saddle of a motorcycle.

Computer controlled opponents are just a really bad addition.

Although the physics behaves unpredictably in some moments, in general they evaluate the driving experience very well. In terms of RiMS driving model, it is inferior to the latest MotoGP and adds a higher difficulty, which I would not be afraid to compare with the already mentioned TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2. A serious problem arises when computer-controlled opponents appear on the track with you . First, there will be a maximum of nine in one race, which is a surprisingly low number for today’s conditions, which we are used to on two generations of consoles back in racing games.

Content comes second

But the behavior of artificial intelligence is even worse. Rivals keep the brand at any cost and seem to break loose when overtaking. Worst of all when braking and cornering, when your presence does nothing and calmly crash into you from behind or from the side, due to which you are almost always on the ground. Moreover, their pace is strange. They are extremely aggressive in turns. On the contrary, it is incomprehensibly slow in output. As a result, computer-controlled opponents are just a very nasty addition that will only leave you feeling frustrated.

As I pointed out in the introductory paragraphs, RiMS is not overly impressed with the content on offer. You can only choose from eight licensed motorcycles from the same number of manufacturers. These are top production machines, including the Yamaha YZF-R1, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, and Ducati Panigale V4 R. Probably no need to divulge the fact that eight motorcycles is not such a breathtaking number. While more cars would undoubtedly benefit the game, the developers have tried to compensate for this obvious shortcoming by emphasizing the detailed mechanical study of individual motorcycles. Disassembling each motor without exaggeration is not a problem. I wouldn’t be afraid to say that RiMS is almost half a mechanical simulator. But why would you actually disassemble the motorcycle? You just have to. Individual components such as tires, brakes or suspension wear out over time. The degradation of other different parts is even more accelerated in case of frequent falls.

Each mistake and subsequent fall causes double pain.

After all, the entire career mode is built on this system. You start by choosing one of eight bikes. Then you start the race and stuff the money back into the bike. When you win and lose a little at the same time, you earn money for better and more expensive parts. However, if, on the other hand, you fall frequently and often end up in the tail as a result, your budget will be considerably less. As a result, you won’t even have to make the necessary repairs, and you have no other choice but to ride a broken motorcycle, which will increase the already relatively high difficulty. With this element, the developers really won. During the race, you can even view and analyze the status of individual components on a dedicated screen.

Racer and mechanic rolled into one

Therefore, every mistake and subsequent fall hurts twice. First you lose time and position right on the track, and then you cry when you sum up the damage in the garage. Without this system, the career mode would remain a simple set of consecutive races, so this system cannot be disabled or simplified. During the race, you can include a maximum of more assistants. The authors deserve praise for the idea itself and the detailed elaboration of individual parts. Personally, I was not impressed with the change of individual components, which occurs in the form of several successive fast time events.

Although it looks interesting at first, after a long time, few people will still like it. In addition to financial resources, some races also earn you team points, with which you can later improve individual sections of your team. In practice, this means, for example, that you reduce the wear of individual components, get the weather forecast for other races or the ability to change parts on a motorcycle faster.

RiMS boasts fifteen tracks.

Although it is worth noting the mechanical wear of the components, the authors played it safe when compiling their career races. So the individual campaigns consist of regular races, short championships, duels with only one opponent, or some sort of motorcycle school variation where you have the task of achieving certain goals. Also worth noting are the so-called factory plants, where you rent another motorcycle for one company. In these races, you don’t have to worry about your condition after passing the finish line. Routes also play an important role in offering content. RiMS boasts fifteen pistes which are divided into 10 traditional modern pistes and 5 natural pistes. Racing on normal roads brings even more challenges, and this is where the game shows its strengths the most. On the other hand, you will have even more to deal with the tragic artificial intelligence on the narrow roads.

Only for the brave

In addition to the already mentioned and described career, you can also participate in the classic fast race and against the clock. In Special Mode, you can also repeat the twelve Special Challenges featured in your Career. To get more content, you need to target multiplayer. There are also classic online races. However, as is often the case with these narrowly focused games, you’ll be lucky if you meet a few players at all. The developers obviously knew about this shortcoming and also added split screen to the game, which has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years, at least in racing games.

You could already get a partial idea of ​​the graph from the attached images. RiMS competes with their old MotoGP or Ride series. However, the current MotoGP 21 or TT Isle of Man 2 has moved a bit in that direction. This is especially noticeable when looking at the surroundings of individual lines. Owners of weaker hardware will like at least lower hardware requirements and solid optimization. Other than an exceptional drop in image quality, I didn’t run into any major technical issues. Weaker graphics are at least partially offset by good engine sounds.

RiMS Racing offers a successful driving model, decent physics and well-thought-out mechanical part of each motorcycle. The need to care for and maintain your car brings a unique element to the genre that competitors simply don’t have. Unfortunately, a very good feeling from the ride itself is spoiled by a dull and overly aggressive artificial intelligence. If the developers solved this problem and managed to fit more rivals in the races, I would not be afraid to add one or two points in the ranking. However, in its current form, RiMS is likely to work only for motorcycle fans, who, in exchange for a good driving model, good physics, and a good dose of testing, will forgive the game for the obvious flaws in artificial intelligence, few motorcycles, weaker graphics, and not a cumbersome career. However, if the authors manage to fix some bugs in the future, RiMS can become an interesting and tempting analogue of learning more arcade competitions.