Shin’en Multimedia have been a huge proponent of Nintendo over the years. Since getting their start on the Game Boy Color, the developer has since produced all manner of games (racing and otherwise) for Nintendo platforms.

The draw for Fast RMX is the aforementioned speed of the racing (Fast is in the name for a reason). I recall playing F-Zero GX and constantly slamming into barriers and falling off the courses before I eventually learned how to control my car, and this game brought me right back to those experiences. It’s jarring to be racing so fast, but the simple and intuitive control scheme helps. Does Fast RMX cross the finish line in first place? I was determined to avoid comparisons with F-Zero and Wipeout when I started to write this review of Fast RMX, but I just don’t think it’s possible.Fortunately, Shin’en’s blisteringly fast racer wears its influences without embarrassment and also manages to grind out its own identity that separates it from other future racers we’ve.

King of the hill movie. Louis in 1933, 'King of the Hill' is like a light kids version of 'The Pianist' (it's even got Adrien Brody!). The film centers around the 12 year-old Aaron Kurlander, and his family - his mother, father, and younger brother, Sullivan. King of the Hill is a 1993 drama film written and directed by Steven Soderbergh. It is the second he directed from his own screenplay following his 1989 Palme d'Or-winning film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It too was nominated for the Palme d'Or, at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. 'King of the Hill' could have been a family picture, or a heartwarming TV docudrama, or a comedy. Soderbergh must have seen more deeply into the Hotchner memoir, however, because his movie is not simply about what happens to the kid. King of the Hill is a special little movie. It's not one that you'd call exciting or extremely original in ways of story, but it's an exceptionally well made, well paced, and well acted film.

In 2011, FAST Racing League launched on WiiWare and proved the beginning of the FAST series. A few years later, hit the Wii U eShop and gained a larger following. However, the FAST community took its greatest stride this March with FAST RMX landing a launch spot on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Many never played a previous game in the series before, and they don’t have to. The concepts behind the title are incredibly easy to comprehend.On one hand, FAST RMX brings to mind the Nintendo classic F-Zero. This is thanks to an intense focus on speed.

The game is called “FAST” for a reason, after all! Even the aesthetic feels similar to F-Zero with a focus on far flung futuristic locales speeding on by and cool as heck vehicles. Folks may also find it similar to another racing series – Wipeout. This is most evidenced by the menu design and overall clean, futuristic tone. Despite their similarities, FAST RMX does not feel like a carbon copy of either title and attempts to differentiate itself via a few gameplay components.

Depending on what you love about racing games, these aspects may prove to be great differentiators or annoyances in an otherwise enjoyable racer.The most notable aspect of gameplay takes inspiration from the likes of Ikaruga. As you race on tracks, there will occasionally be colored strips or ramps along the way. These come in two colors: Blue and yellow. Driving over one while your vehicle is set to the same color provides a tremendous speed boost. If you fail to swap colors in time, the strip actually will slow you down to a tremendous degree. Often, this slowdown is enough to get at least one racer to overtake you.

The same holds true for the ramps. Failing to select the right color almost always means you’ll end up failing the jump and crashing into a wall or falling into nothingness.

This means that players need to be adept at swapping between the two colors on the fly. Folks who have been gaming for a while should have little issue with swapping colors in FAST RMX generally. Early stages feature color strips that are far enough apart and placed in such a way that it’s not difficult to prepare ahead of time. Later on, strips may be nearly overlaid, causing players to need to switch in rapid succession. It’s also possible to completely ignore driving over a strip, but then you won’t receive an extra dose of speed (that likely all other competitors will opt to receive).

Boosting at these areas alone won’t get you to victory beyond the earliest, novice stages.There’s also a need to collect orbs floating around every level. No, these don’t offer attacks like in Mario Kart. Instead, they all contribute to a boost meter. This boost can be used at any time that the bar is not depleted. Used strategically, it can work to overtake an opponent in the final stretch or simply make up a loss. Just be careful as some of the faster vehicles are so ridiculously speedy with boost that you might end up careening off the road entirely.

That’s just part of the challenge. Although it’s possible for good racers to totally ace a stage on the first try, many may want to replay them. By replaying you’ll start to memorize where color switches are, as well as locations where it’s best (or worst) to use boost.Then there’s the matter of obstacles in FAST RMX. While trying to stay ahead of the pack and managing your car’s color, you’ll also sometimes need to worry about dynamic obstacles in the environment. These may take the form of boring old pillars which are usually easy enough to avoid.

Or it may come in the form of lasers, giant smashing feet, weird mechanical spiders, or any other number of active dangers. Moving objects are by far the least enjoyable aspect of the game. After all, players want to go extremely fast and careening headfirst into an obstacle that got in the way at the last second proves infuriating. It really puts a damper on the gorgeous vistas and sense of speed.FAST RMX manages to be one of the best examples for indie developers on Switch to follow because of Shin’en Multimedia’s decision to make use of basically every feature and permutation of the system. HD Rumble and gyroscopic controls are available for those who wish to use them. The game can also be played in any orientation – Switch on TV, Switch as handheld or in tabletop mode and with the JoyCons or Pro Controller. After launch they also added in the option to play multiplayer either with friends locally or in an online mode.

So far, online matches take less than a minute to get into (although they aren’t generally packed full of eight racers) and include players of all skill levels to race against.Closing Comments:Anyone who enjoys racing games and owns a Switch does not have many options for games right now beyond FAST RMX. Fortunately, it should provide players with at least a dozen hours of gameplay as they work their way from the novice cups to more advanced races.

Online and local multiplayer also adds some additional fun into the mix. There’s not much else to the experience, however, and some may wish that the game were a more “pure” arcade racer rather than one with additional gameplay aspects layered on top of simply racing super fast.

Whoever says the Nintendo Switch has a poor launch line-up needs a good whack over the head with an eShop card attached to a sturdy plank of wood – FAST RMX is one of a number of Switch games delivering a staunch rebuttal to doubters’ launch expectations.Developed by German team Shin’en Multimedia GmBH, RMX acts as a follow-up expansion of sorts to the. Like F-Zero, FAST RMX features futuristic high-speed anti-gravity racing. However, unlike the long-starved Nintendo franchise, RMX requires players to switch between two coloured phases, signified by the colour of the vehicle’s engine. It is vital to change between the vehicle’s orange and blue phases to match the boost and jump pads on the track. Getting the colours mixed up will slow you down or send you off track to your fiery demise. Make sure your phase is the same colour as the boost pads!Refreshingly, RMX does not offer all content immediately; there are a decent amount of unlockables, ranging from vehicles, courses, and higher difficulty settings.

The championship mode pits racers against each other in a variety of three-race cups, with points awarded based on placings to determine the winner. Even on the lowest difficulty (and slowest, by loose definition), many of the cups are brutally difficult, with each minor mistake punished by the intelligent AI. The game still feels fair, which makes taking out first place even more satisfying. Winning cups unlocks the ability to play the completed courses in HERO mode, in addition to the other unlockables.HERO mode ramps up the challenge for individual tracks, enforcing stricter conditions for victory: finish first without depleting your boost bar.

In this mode, you start with a full bar of boost which you must carefully manage – empty your boost and the vehicle will explode, ending the race. This adds a different level of strategy to racing where you have to delicately balance your boost, but also try to speed past the other competitors at the same time.

RMX looks fantastic running at 1080p and a smooth 60 frames in TV mode, and it looks equally incredible in handheld play. Everything from the tracks, the vehicle design, and even to the minimalist menus is slick. The varied environments are vibrant and feel cohesive to the game’s overall sci-fi aesthetic. A multitude of obstacles to overcome on each track adds further depth to the course strategy, with plenty of lasers, turbines, and robots to dodge. The wild weather conditions on many tracks add another dynamic layer to not only the visuals but also in trying to navigate some of the precarious positions you may find yourself in.

Heavy rainstorms affect visibility with raindrops cascading down the screen, tornadoes affect vehicle flight while kicking up thick dust, and you can feel the searing heat as solar flares whizz straight past the racetrack orbiting the sun.FAST RMX does a thrilling job of convincingly depicting speed, with plenty of motion blur and camera shake adding extra oomph to the gameplay. The only visual weak point of the game is the lacklustre crash animations – some minor graphical glitches occur during crashes such as vehicles getting stuck in the track, but your vehicle is respawned before you can say “Joy-Con controller” three times fast. The limp crash animations only really stand out due to how sleek everything else looks. The motion blur looks incredible in-gameThis is a game worth cranking the sound system for. Within seconds of launching the game, your ears are treated to what the youth of today refer to as “bangers” – infectiously-catchy thumping tunes to get you psyched up. Keeping with the sci-fi vibe, RMX’s overall sound design is a superb mix of electronic music and futuristic soundscapes. Every vehicle collision and jump landing is felt with the piercing sound of metal crunching on metal, and the vehicles’ engines whine past aggressively.

Incredibly, the soundtrack almost outshines the gameplay – drum & bass fans will find plenty to like here as the songs pound tightly composed heavy beats and synths during the races.Essential to high-speed racers, RMX’s controls feel super-tight and responsive irrespective of the controller of choice. Unsurprisingly, the Pro Controller feels the most comfortable, but the other control schemes are more than adequate. The Joy-Cons work well when attached to the screen in handheld play, and feel fine when held sideways with a friend in tabletop mode. However, the HD Rumble feels weak; it does feel more nuanced than the rumble of other consoles’ controllers, but RMX’s use of rumble lacks power, especially considering the type of game it is. I normally would not bother mentioning controller rumble in a review, but it is worth pointing out when HD Rumble is advertised as a feature.Multiplayer is a great time in RMX; split-screen multiplayer runs equally as well on TV and handheld, although the handheld screen is too small for anything more than two-player. Local-play supports up to eight players, and the same applies for online multiplayer. In my brief experience with online, connecting to races was instantaneous and reliable.

My only gripe is that I had some races where I crossed the finish line only to be informed I finished behind someone I had passed a whole lap prior. I am unsure whether this was because of my internet connection, or whether it was a server issue. Regardless, this did not occur often enough for it to be a major problem.Shin’en Multimedia have already and online friend support, which will be a welcome addition in addition to future planned content updates.Rating: 4/5.