Hello guys from Hive Gaming, I hope you are all having a great time. If you are a child from the 90s like me, it’s possible that you already played Hydro Thunder at some arcade. If that wasn’t the case, be at ease because in today’s review I’ll talk about this interesting game.

To begin with, this is a racing arcade that puts us behind the wheel of futuristic high speed boats to compete against rivals in amazing aquatics racetracks. Each of the circuits has secret passages, multiple ramps and accelerating objects that make the races quite entertaining.

Every time we start a race, we begin at the last position, and our job is to reach one of the top three spots to be able to compete in the next circuit of the total thirteen that exist. The fun part is that to make it, we must try not to let behind the accelerating objects, not bump into any obstacle and find all the secret passages.

Each circuit has at least two shortcuts, we find them in the shape of passages hidden behind waterfalls or some are camouflaged ramps that are part of the scenarios. It’s worth mentioning that these secret routes of escape add variety when driving, because some of these can only be reached by making a turbo jump technique with our boat.

Regarding the visual aspect of the game, I can say that the designs of the boats (they look like space ships), the fluid sensation of speed and the curious landscapes in the scenarios are all pretty cool. They go from a giant river in between mountains that seem to be in China, a flooded New York or a racetrack covered in icebergs in the Antarctica. The best is that other interesting elements that exist in the game complement the aesthetic of it very well, like: helicopters and air balloons that surge through the sky, or even huge waterfalls and volcanoes.

The game’s control system is very intuitive and the boats’ driving is very smooth. The only thing I can criticize is that when we collide with another boat, we can’t take them out of the circuit. In place of that, what happens is that we slow down and our rivals are propelled forward, leaving us behind. On the other hand, since this game is originally an arcade, it doesn’t have too much replayable value beyond unlocking all the boats and circuits, or our own desire to surpass our time records in each circuit.

In conclusion, I consider this racing game to offer a good dose of fun even though its gameplay is very simple. The best part for me is how creative the circuits and wild moments when we jump to the unknown with are boats are. If you like old school racing arcades, I recommend it to you.