Test of Grid Autosport on Switch: A successful port?
Originally released on June 24, 2014, on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and even later on mobile, Grid Autosport finally arrives on the Nintendo Switch and becomes the console's first simulation racing game.
An immersive gameplay
Subtle blend between arcade and simulation, this type of driving style unique to the Grid series is, of course, found in this installment. The cars often experience oversteer, which forces the player to always be reactive to control their vehicle. While some minor bumps aren’t penalizing, be careful not to hit an opponent too hard as it could damage your steering, suspension, or engine. The sense of speed is very good, even with the external camera.
Whether in handheld mode, with joy cons, or the pro controller, the game plays very well. Feral Interactive even considered making special settings for the GameCube controller, which is the only one offering analog triggers. This allows for progressive acceleration or decelerating braking.
Artificial intelligence is very enjoyable. It does not hesitate to make contact to surpass you and sometimes overdoes it a bit. It occasionally makes mistakes or spins, making the race very lively.
Technically on point
When launching a game on Nintendo Switch, one doesn’t expect incredible graphics, and yet Grid Autosport is visually stunning. It might even be one of the most beautiful games on the console right now. You can adjust the game’s graphics settings to your liking as it offers the option to switch between optimal graphics mode (around 30fps), performance mode (around 58fps but sacrifices some graphics), and finally, energy-saving mode (30fps), recommended when playing in handheld mode. If you’re a fan of high-quality graphics, you can download an HD Pack weighing 2.8 GB.
However, a small downside on the interior view where the decision was made to blur the cockpit. When racing on dark parts of the track or simply during night races, you can’t even see your steering wheel.
A complete career mode
One of the strengths of this Grid Autosport is clearly its Career mode. Sure, there’s no storyline at all, but that’s not really an issue. The game offers you 5 types of competitions just within this career mode:
- Touring which are races with GT-type cars,
- Open Wheel, races with single-seaters ranging from Formula 3 to IndyCar,
- Endurance is the only category played at night and involves tire management,
- Tuner which includes drifting and races with various vehicles
- and finally Street which, as its name suggests, means you will be driving in the city.
But in addition to these game modes, you can participate in other championships not included in the career, such as drag races, sprint races, drift races, or for the thrill-seekers, Demolition Derby. With its hundreds of cars and nearly as many tracks (the 26 different circuits in the game each offer several variations), the content is truly rich and varied.
Total absence of multiplayer mode
It’s the biggest downside of this Grid Autosport Switch. Even though local split-screen multiplayer and online modes are promised in a future free update, we can’t help but regret their absence at the game’s launch. Especially since the release date for this much-anticipated update has not yet been announced.
Conclusion
The mission of Grid Autosport Switch was a heavy one. To become the first simulation racing game for the console and, if possible, satisfy the genre before the release of an upcoming game. And it’s a mission accomplished! If you’re a fan of racing games, go for it, you won’t be disappointed. After all, it is the first game that allows you to drive an IndyCar at Spa-Francorchamps in its bed.
