Has the time come already to write an Inertial Drift review? With a colour palette that makes makes purple the new mauve, and a vibe that emits Initial D, this racer from Level 91 Entertainment and PQube is a must for Nintendo Switch owners.
Lauded as a twin-stick racer, Inertial Drift grants the player more command over their drifting than ever before, adopting an arcade-like approach that mirrors the classic Ridge Racer.
A twin-stick setup may seem a little outlandish, but on the contrary, it couldn’t be any better than that sliced loaf sitting on your kitchen worktop in terms of handling (not for all the cars, mind). As corny as it sounds, the handling is an extension of your digits, and the car goes where you want it to go. Mostly.
BUT... the steering is handled by the left stick and in isolation, it's abysmal. It's a peanut butter/jelly combo - with the left peanut side being an divisive, and the right catering to everyone with a sweet tooth. Pair them together, and the drift is as perfect as it could be, and due to the analogue approach, you can finely tweak a turn for a deep, uninterrupted drift.
Jumping into the main story, you’ll pick your driver and their signature vehicle and observe a few visual novel set pieces between races either congratulating you for your mad skills or commiserations that you suck ass and need to git gud.
The visuals throughout are splendid, and the presentation cannot be faulted. Sure, it’s not a game where you’re going to get all this dynamic lighting and seagull genitalia reflections (read the WRC 9 review for realism), but it’s fit for service and excels throughout.
There's a learning curve to Inertial Drift on the Switch. Opting for the Mazda MX5-lik beginner car handles like a walrus in a wetsuit, caked in butter, but also as fast as one. The handling is delicious, but casuals will struggle with chasing the big boys. Switching to the heavier cars makes that Bowser-like top speed obtainable with the caveat of pushing a fridge on a skateboard down a dark corridor. Expect some bruises, but when the speed picks up... boy.
With handling in mind, another factor worth mentioning is the viewpoint: a chase cam/third-person perspective and nothing else. No Tesla side views, cinematic setups as seen in Art of Rally, nor a basic cockpit - sorry, dashboard cam. This might not be a deal-breaker, yet the limited views are a bit naff.
On the plus side, a third-person viewpoint allows wannabe drivers to pick the best drifting lines, thus improving the modifiers that help with points. This, in turn, will help you progress in the story, as well as climb the ranks in the time trial options, ghost matches, and rival races.
And while on that positive wave, let's highlight how good the collision, or lack of it, makes Inertial Drift a driving game about merit and not spin-outs or bell-end drivers that clip others to get the advantage. While it's far from a simulator, those racing lines make it more of a strategic experience, and that twin-stick racer line isn't just a marketing ploy.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Inertial Drift doesn't just take its title inspiration from Initial D, but the thrill of hooning down a mountain at full speed, then gliding around the corner like DK. The other one. The closest thing to Initial D (besides the Rad Mobile-like arcade game of the same name) is JDM: Rise of the Scorpion. This Inertial Drift review is being edited in the future...
Inertial Drift Review Summary
Drifting isn’t just for pacifists - it's for gamers too. Inertial Drift plays on the Nintendo Switch with such finesse that it makes it difficult to put down. Then again, the difficulty might counter that. Four years after writing this original review, it's still the best drift game on the Switch.
