4PGP, old-school Formula 1 meets '90s arcade - PC Review

Dry on old-school racing games? French developer Vision Reelle and Japanese publisher 3goo might have just what you need with 4PGP. Switch and Switch 2 owners probably already know it. The title debuted on Nintendo platforms in February and is now set to land on PC and PS5. We've been testing the Steam version these past few days. So, are we looking at a worthy heir to the genre or just another nostalgia operation?

4PGP is inspired by '90s driving games, in the vein of Sega's Virtua Racing, and certainly doesn't try to hide it. Bright colors, energetic tunes, and a no-frills plug-and-play philosophy are its distinguishing features, all elements that players with a few more years under their belt will quickly recognize. Races take place on various circuits around the world aboard "legally distinct" open-wheel cars. The names are just vague allusions, and the layouts have been smoothed out to adapt to the arcade gameplay, but one glance is enough to recognize the single-seaters that ignited the scene three decades ago and the most famous tracks on the F1 calendar. There are a couple of absentees, but the package is well-stocked.

Three challenge levels (four in theory, but I don't even count the basic one, it's so easy); four cups, each with three races. Completing a championship immediately at maximum difficulty doesn't mark the previous ones, but each unlocks new stuff, so there are incentives to retrace your steps. It's not very fun, however, to demolish the competition after having battled it at its best. In total, we have 20 cars, including some less "orthodox" ones, and 14 tracks. Accessing all content won't take you more than a few hours, and even the achievements are approachable (except for getting the non-Lotus 25 on the podium, but that's more tedious than anything). I wouldn't have minded a little more, even considering the price, but 4PGP defends itself more than adequately thanks to its excellent driving model.

The cars are characterized by three parameters, which determine their acceleration, top speed, and handling, with McLaren and Williams obviously dominating, Benetton and Ferrari right behind. In general, they are planted on the ground, accumulate speed, and brake quite realistically. No drifting, but there's no damage, no track limits, and curbs are more of a suggestion than a risk to the suspension. Just be careful not to slide on the grass or end up on the "sticky" asphalt at the edge of the track. A good knowledge of the circuit and the vehicle's response times will therefore be the winning weapons to triumph in the race.

As "concessions," the title offers an aggressive slipstream effect, although it only kicks in after about 275 km/h, and turbo, which at any time, until depleted, greatly boosts acceleration. After a tight corner or a blunder, it's not bad at all for getting back up to full speed. To restore it, we can pull over on the finish straight for a quick pit stop, complete with a quick-time event to speed up the procedure. You lose a few seconds, so you have to plan things properly. If you want, you can finish a Grand Prix without going through the "pits," but remember to patch up your tires occasionally. If you don't want to crash, that is.

Once behind the wheel, 4PGP performs very well, with an excellent sense of speed and numerous track interpretations to improve your race pace. Controls are responsive, there's the right weight behind every trajectory change, and mistakes cost just enough to ruin the lap without compromising the entire event too much. The AI is quite tough and manages to keep up without bending the rules in its favor. It tends to start a bit like a rocket and isn't particularly affected by pit stops, but otherwise, it seems fair to me. Sometimes it even dares to dive into a corner to catch us off guard and ram us if we're too slow in the tighter sections.

If you drive cleanly, however, it's hard for it to keep up; don't expect to bang your head against it like in an arcade. Therefore, the presence of local split-screen for up to four players is welcome, less so the absence of online, but I understand the complexity for a small independent studio.

The graphics are pleasing, with bright colors, essential shapes, few details in the right places (liveries and road surface first and foremost), and rock-solid performance. Nothing to shout about, but it does its job admirably and diligently displays all useful information on screen. I'm not a fan of "mobile" style menus, but that's more of a personal preference.

The cheerful tunes that punctuate the passages over the finish line are very catchy and perfectly suited to the context. It's a shame that the soundtrack goes silent during the rest of the lap. For goodness sake, I love the roar of the V12s of the era (a bit artificial here), but being almost always at full throttle, we'll have to live with the constant screech of over-revving engines. The situation worsens at lower difficulties, as there's no last gear, so we won't even have the relief of those occasional brakes to soften the cylinders' screams. A couple of tracks in line with the atmosphere would have been perfect.