Developer: Namco Publisher: NEC Released: 1990 Genre: Racing
In the long and storied history of the game industry the Car RPG (or Carpg for short) is one of the least explored. Developers have turned the most unlikely activities into a RPG such as golf, tennis, and even puzzle games. Yet I can probably count the number of racing RPGs on one hand. Namco took what was a bog standard racing spinoff and gave it life by introducing a quest mode that is a bit cheesy but incredibly fun. Neither half of Final Lap Twin is exceptional but it succeeds because are at solid and entertaining nonetheless.
Final Lap Twin is a spinoff of Namco’s ground breaking arcade game Final Lap. You can interpret the twin in the title a few ways. It could refer to its two modes, Grand Prix and Quest. Or it could be its split screen view. Final Lap was the first arcade game to link up multiple units for up to eight way multiplayer. Obviously Final Lap Twin can’t replicate this but the split screen view is a nice compromise.
Grand Prix mode is a cross country rally around the world. Like Super Mario Kart the view is always split screen, with the bottom half showing your rival or a second player. This mode has two classes of car, F3000 and F1 with a different selection of cars in each. Each vehicle has either manual or automatic transmission for those that have a preference. Technically the manual cars have a higher top speed, not that you will notice. This mode uses a points system for progression but how long you will last depends on your tolerance for rubberband AI.
There is a lot to like about Grand Prix. Tracks are well designed and long enough to support the large number of competitors. The AI is aggressive and will block you and run you off the road. It would make for a thrilling campaign were it not for the aggressive rubberband AI. Final Lap was one of the first games to introduce this “feature” and sadly it carries over to Final Lap Twin. Your rival is always within ear shot and rarely wavers. The rubberbanding works in your favor too, allowing you to catch up unless you truly screw up. But it is so bad that only the final twenty seconds of each course matter. Be prepared to see your rival gain a sudden burst of speed at the finish to rob you of victory every time. It gets old fast and ruins what is otherwise a good racing game.
Luckily the Quest mode picks up the slack. This mode is very similar to the one in World Court Tennis, also from Namco. Here you play the son of a world championship racing legend and set out to follow in your father’s footsteps. It’s no Dragon Quest but you can get a solid six or seven hours out of it. The parallels between Quest Mode and Pokemon run deep. The object of the game is to defeat each of the six local champions (gym leaders) and earn their special part. Once you’ve beaten all of the local champions you can challenge the world champion (the Elite Four). Of course, Final Lap Twin came first.
It is amazing how well the typical features of an RPG match up in Final Lap Twin. You aren’t earning gold after each random battle; your incredibly generous dad rewards you every time. There is armor in the sense that you buy new parts for your car. You can modify five parts of your vehicle: body, tires, motor, fuel, and wing. Every upgrade has an immediate tangible impact on performance. Motor increases top speed, tires give better grip in turns, wings let you catch air time over ramps, and fuel awards more turbo. The body stat is invisible but lets you avoid random battles from “weaker” racers.
Speaking of random battles, they are pretty unique. Each battle is a short single lap race among a varying track. The initial courses are short and simple and your goofy opponents are prone to making mistakes. As you progress the tracks become more complex and the opponent AI becomes smarter. Even though you buy new parts you still have to maintain a balance between speed and grip lest you spend all of your time careening off track. It is true that toward the end it becomes tedious. The encounter rate is high and the battles become longer. But you can set it to auto if you like and eventually you will earn a part that lets you skip battles altogether.
The difficulty curve is gradual. Early punks have badly tuned cars and even your piece of shit starter set will allow you to win. But soon enough they become faster and even have turbo and know when to use it. You can cheese your way to the end by visiting the next town over and buying their better parts to make the championship races easier. It isn’t always foolproof but it helps. Losing sends you back home but the first major upgrade warps you to any town you’ve visited, softening the blow. Even with the best parts the world championship is an infuriating test of endurance. But considering how moderate the rest of quest mode is it feels appropriate.
In Closing
Final Lap Twin is an alright racing game and a solid RPG. Combined you have one of the most unique games on the system that is entertaining all the way.
