RiMS Racing is a professional motorcycle racing simulator that puts you in the driver’s seat of some of the world’s fastest bikes. Developer RaceWard Studio has taken motorcycle simulation to an entirely new level, with the sort of accuracy in driving mechanics only Gran Turismo can compete with and an in-depth workshop only seen before in mechanic simulators. However, it’s not a game for everyone, even those who might think they’re into this genre. There’s a fine line between the point at which RiMS Racing is a simulated experience and where it becomes a game.
What’s good?
RiMS Racing is a fantastic simulator if you want to get a feel for what it’s like to drive the fastest motorcycles in the world around the most famous tracks in the sport. Each ride has been recreated with a ridiculous level of depth and pushes players to learn how the bikes function both on and off the track. A status screen that can be opened at any point in a race allows you to keep on top of mid-race wear and tear, and the workshop gives you an almost like for like experience of working on the vehicles yourself.
Button prompts are required for pit stops and part changing, investing you in the experience and making you feel like you’re prepping for the biggest events of your career. The racing, once you’ve tweaked the settings, is accessible after a fairly steep learning curve. It feels like you have to want to enjoy the game to get through the bumpy opening before you truly start to get to grips with it, winning races, unlocking bikes, and having a successful career.
What’s wasn’t so good?
As a simulator, you should expect there to be a barrier to entry in this game. This is not a racing game like Forza Horizon 4. It’s a simulator above all else. As a result, the races are secondary to the accuracy of the experience. Unfortunately, this translates to a lot of lost races, frustration, and crashing in the first few hours. It would have helped if the track used for the first ten races or so wasn’t the hardest to race around in the entire game.
We didn’t truly have fun with RiMS Racing until we changed the settings and wrenched the difficulty down. For those who want it, there’s a high degree of realism that can be achieved in this title. Changing the settings makes RiMS Racing feel like more of a racing game, and it’s honestly a lot more fun to play as a game than a simulator.
In the first few hours, this is a game that you may regret buying. However, if you push through that initial frustration, it becomes similar to a hard boss in Dark Souls. You’ll bash your head against it over and over again until you quit, but you’ll always come back for the joy you feel when you do get a victory.
