Being the elder millennial I am, when I hear about a game inspired by anything from the ’90s, I’m immediately in, and 4PGP ticks all the boxes you’d expect from a game trying to emulate the arcade racers of that era. It certainly has the vibe of something like more modern Pole Position or Virtua Racing, but it’s doing its own thing too.

The offering in 4PGP is pretty standard for a racing game of that vintage: a Championship mode where you do three races, score the most points, and take home the trophy. Most modes can be played, as the game’s name suggests, with up to four players, except for Time Attack, which is a solo affair. Playing split-screen in all modes is super easy to set up, and there’s almost no difference in performance either. You can even GameShare the game to another console and play multiplayer that way.

There’s a whole slew of legally distinct Formula 1-style cars with mock brands on them, though they all sort of look the same overall. There are some super-duper fast ones to unlock as well, but that’s going to be a real challenge. There are fourteen tracks to race on, all based on real-world locations. Even Melbourne’s Albert Park is sort of there with an “inspired by” design. More famous circuits like Monza and Monaco also make an appearance, and the locations feel like strong recreations.

The racing action, though, is a real contradiction. It looks like an arcade racer and sounds like one, but it doesn’t quite play like one, at least against the computer. Depending on the difficulty mode, you’re going to have a completely different experience. On Rookie, where you don’t unlock anything, the game is as easy as you’d expect. By the third lap you’re comfortably ahead and cruising to a win. Go any higher and the AI turns into little aggressive turds.

That would be fine if one small tap on your wheels didn’t instantly put you out of the race. These are open-wheel cars, so yes, that can happen in real life, but this is meant to be an arcade racer. There’s little reason to go back and play the Championship again, so not unlocking anything on the easiest difficulty just makes it pointless for someone who can’t, or simply wants to, chill in easy mode.

Ironically, I found the higher difficulties easier in some ways. The cars are faster, there’s drafting, and you get more laps to recover if you make a mistake. The game’s “pit stop” system, which functions more like a boost refill in F-Zero than anything else, doesn’t make much sense on lower difficulties because it just slows you down too much. You’re often better off just pushing through.

The game’s ideal version of a race seems to be sticking to your line, avoiding contact, lightly tapping the brakes or easing off the accelerator, and stringing that together perfectly to win. The problem is there are other cars on the track getting in the way. Once you’re behind, there’s often no catching up.

All of that frustration disappears when you play with other people. Sure, your mates might knock you off, but at least they’re not magical AI drivers with reverse rubber banding. Online play is facilitated through GameShare, so you can race with up to three others online with just one copy of the game, though you’ll all need to be on a Nintendo Switch 2. Locally, you can GameShare to a regular Nintendo Switch as well.

It’s a shame that the game’s CPU is so cheap, because everything else about the game is fantastic. There’s an assist mode for younger players, and gyro controls are included too. Graphically, the game runs at 1080p and 60fps docked, and up to 120fps in handheld. It’s buttery smooth.

The music is an odd one. What’s there is great. It feels like the kind of pumping soundtrack blasting from the seat speakers in something like Sega Rally. The issue is it’s not present for the entire race. You’ll only hear music at the start and end of a race and when you cross the lap line. It’s a strange decision.

There are so many racing games on the Switch and Switch 2 now. I remember a time when racing games on Nintendo consoles were a rarity. Now you’re spoiled for choice. 4PGP looks like an arcade racer, sounds like one, and plays like one most of the time. It just forgets that it isn’t actually sitting in an arcade. There’s no need for the AI to be so punishing. You’re better off doing what the game’s name suggests and playing it with some mates. At least then you can throw something at them when they ruin your perfect lap.

Rating: 3.5/5