Tiny Trax came out in 2017 for PSVR but this gaming journalist (if I can call myself that) only got onto the PSVR ladder last year. I’m still discovering the back catalogue and Tiny Trax has stood out as a game that still stands out. It is a fantastically put together slot car racing game that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Tiny Trax has 12 circuits that allow five cars to zoom around you in VR. Gravity doesn’t really exist – the tracks run across ceilings, underwater and with loop-de-loops to keep you entertained. You are placed in one vantage point per track but can move your head around. There’s often things to enjoy like going underwater, popping you head in loops or seeing cars zoom towards and away from you. It looks beautiful and is very smooth on the eyes, with varied layouts and visuals.
Gameplay sees you take hold of the dual shock controller and using the trigger buttons as a way to feather an accelerator of your slot car. As you corner, the tighter corners will flick your car into a spin more violently and so feather on and off the throttle is key to matching just the right speed to drift and not spin. Drifting increases your boost which can be used anywhere but the meter fills up so quickly that you’ll be boosting as much as just accelerating and so mastering this feathering is pivotal to racing victory.
The other key part of Tiny Trax is lanes. Each track has two lanes and you can switch between them at any point. Go tight for the corner to reduce distance is usually the obvious way to drive but if someone is already there, you are stuck in your lane. I also found it viable to stay in the longer, wider lane because you can carry more speed or sometimes boost and drift around them, thus not losing much time at all to your rivals. Races are quick fire and reactive as your master the ideal line and speeds for each line and then you can race AI in championships or go leaderboard hunting in time trial.
The game you have available in Tiny Trax is superb. It feels engrossing, responsive and slick. It is more about what isn’t here that I add to my nitpick column. Unlike Mini Moto X, this is VR only and so you cannot race in TV mode. This then means its single player only in your own home. Multiplayer is online only and the servers are empty. Thus Tiny Trax is superb, but now almost a time trial challenge game as the AI, whilst perfectly competent, only has one difficulty setting. Tiny Trax was born for local multiplayer but it is just not here and since you see the entire game from one vantage point, it feels like an odd omission to not allow non-vr modes too.
That being said, slot car racing in VR has simply not been bettered since. Tiny Trax is a niche but beautiful racing game that draws you in. I just wished it had some more options to increase your stay.
Higher Plain Games is part of the Higher Plain Network. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month. There are additional perks for supporting me, such as behind-the-scenes content and downloads. You can also share the website or use the affiliate buy now links on reviews. Buying credit from CD Keys using my affiliate link means I get a couple of pence per sale. All your support will enable me to produce better content, more often. Thank you.
