Vertigo Rush Impressions: Charming Parkour Racing That Needs To Find Its Rhythm

Vertigo Rush is the latest game from SumaLab, the indie developer behind the light-gun arcade cabinet-inspired Crisis Brigade/VRigade series, and is available now on both Quest and Steam in Early Access.

Vertigo Rush takes a novel approach to the racing genre. Doing away with the traditional schtick of ‘cool people in even cooler vehicles’, SumaLab has instead asked the question: “What if we mounted small, bobble-headed children on dieselpunk-inspired parkour robots and combined that with dizzying verticality and arm-swinging movement?”

An important question indeed. And while the result is initially a charming idea, it doesn't quite stick the landing… at least, not yet.

Off To The Races

Vertigo Rush sees you (initially) take on the role of a brash young street urchin named Jack who is intent on piloting a rust-bucket robot to victory in a series of races known as 'The Derby'. Supported by a pit crew that consists of your precociously adept engineer/sister Sarah and a completely superfluous bearded man, you set off to claim glory across a series of challenging urban courses.

You propel your little mechanoid racer forward using an arm-swinging locomotion system similar to that popularized by Gorilla Tag. Additionally, you can vault, jump, climb and rocket boost yourself around the course. There are also sections where you grab onto rails that zoom you around sections of the track.

Vertigo Rush even includes a classic arcade racer-style weapon system, with a range of power-ups that can be collected and fired at opponents to slow them down or knock them off the track. As a premise, everything lands very well and in some ways the game puts me in mind of one of my favorite VR racers ever: Sprint Vector.

Testing Your Metal

Unfortunately, I found the core locomotion mechanic just a little too finicky. I've played a great many games that focus on arm-swinging locomotion, so I’m no stranger to the technique, but there is something about this game's implementation of that system that I found just a little too fussy. Your arm movements need to be much more precise than feels necessary and even a small misstep will cost you your momentum.

There is definitely a skill curve to learning the correct technique, so with some practice you can find the required rhythm, but even after a couple of hours I would often find myself frustratingly stalling. Games like Orion Drift make a similar movement system feel fluid, and in that game, moving over varied terrain feels both challenging and intuitive. By comparison, Vertigo Rush ends up feeling a little clunky. However, this is something that could no doubt be smoothed out during Early Access.

That said, the climbing and boosting mechanics work well and once you do get a decent flow going, the game becomes quite enjoyable. The level design complements this nicely with tracks that mix verticality, twists, turns and platforming elements, ensuring that players have to make use of the full range of movement mechanics at their disposal.

In Need Of A Tune Up

As Vertigo Rush is just entering Early Access, it's difficult to be too critical, but there are several areas that clearly need further development.

The current version contains a time trial mode and three cups in the campaign, each consisting of only three tracks. Unfortunately, the AI opponents you face when playing solo don't provide much of a challenge and I was able to place first in every cup on my second attempt. By the end, I was winning some races by a minute or more, which meant there wasn't much incentive to replay the tracks once I'd finished them.

I was excited when I saw the range of playable characters, including both the riders and the robots themselves, thinking that much like Mario Kart we would see some interesting specialization that would give the game some depth and nuance. Unfortunately, these are purely cosmetic and none of the different bots appear to have any stats that influence how they handle on the course, which feels like a real missed opportunity.

Where My Bots At?

Vertigo Rush does not seem to currently offer open online matches, with multiplayer only available via room codes. One can only hope that open lobbies will find their way into the game soon, as it is a sorely needed feature.

Thankfully, family sharing is available for Vertigo Rush which feels particularly important for the game's intended audience. I was able to play online using both my account and my daughter's, allowing us to enjoy some games together. For a game that appears reasonably focused on families or younger audiences, that feels essential.

Final Stretch

Vertigo Rush is charming, well-presented and built around a novel idea. Its level design is very strong, mixing verticality, branching pathways and a range of movement mechanics to create courses that encourage you to find your own rhythm.

Unfortunately, finding that rhythm is currently easier said than done. The limited number of tracks combined with weak AI opponents and limited multiplayer options means there isn't currently enough challenge to keep players coming back after completing the cups.

For now, Vertigo Rush is a pleasant experience that I think is worth keeping an eye on, particularly for families or a younger VR audience. Those who are less patient with Early Access limitations, however, may want to wait a little longer before diving into the world of Vertigo Rush.