Hydro Thunder Hurricane looks and plays like an updated N64/Dreamcast game, and that’s because, as I found out, it is. How stupid of me. If you played the original or even Wave Racer ‘64 back in the day, then you will feel perfectly at home in these choppy waters.
The original, developed by Midway, was a big hit in the arcades, and with this in mind you know you’re in for some frustrating fun. The nostalgia washes over you straight away as the announcer screams out “HYDRO THUNDER!”, only with a few more letters than is really necessary. Bright colours are everywhere, almost exploding out of the screen.
Single player offers Races, Ring Master, Gauntlet and Championship events. They take place over eight distinctive, well crafted, over-the-top levels, that are full of explosions, shortcuts and 200 foot tall Viking warlords. The first few boats you get to play with lack the speed and power the later events require, but they do give you time to work on your drift handling and get used to the expansive level design.
It’s the levels that make the game so good. From Norse lands and Aztec jungles to mountainous power plants and massive arenas, every one is well crafted and good looking. Throughout the levels are boost power ups that fill your bar for you to use as you please. Although in HTH you can jump. And fly. Thanks to your boats aerial abilities you can access any number of hidden routes and secret collectibles.
The collectibles don’t really do anything besides being collectible, but if you’re a bit of a kleptomaniac for items in games, then I can see you losing a few hours exploring every possible avenue. Or even worse, knowing where the bugger is but just not being able to get it. It’s not just the items that will draw you back, it’s the leaderboards too. With split times that update throughout the race, and tables before and after, you can’t get away from your friends progress.
Multiple playthrough’s are encouraged as you need to get good at the levels to finish high and unlock every experience point possible so you can unlock new events. The first five or six levels become available with ease whereas the last few will require you to beat the other events, which are a mixture of great fun and annoyingly tough. Ring Master is the best of the three, as it combines elements of time trial and checkpoint racing and showcases the levels many different shortcuts and routes. They start out fairly easy but get really tough when you get to the Expert levels.
Gauntlet is a straight time trial event that is combined with lots and lots of explosive barrels. It does hold some challenge, as you have to pick the correct route to survive, but it is nowhere near as fun as the other events. The Championship events are a mixed bag as it depends on what levels and game types you enjoy.
If you have the time, skill and patience, then the single player boasts a lot of replay value. But don’t worry, there is an eight player multiplayer mode as well. Eight players is a little disappointing as the single player races are 16 player and I think it could lack the carnage that makes them so much fun. It does allow four-player split-screen which you can also take online, so that does make up for it.
Hydro Thunder Hurricane manages to pack a lot into its shiny exterior with only a few minor errors. The only major gripe I can remember was when I tried to quit out of a race and found out that I had to pause, press quit, press yes, and then it sat in the menu; turns out you have to quit then press resume game, which is very silly. That aside, it may not wow you as much as other games but it does not do much wrong. An old fashioned game that is good fun to play – what more can you ask from an arcade game?
VideogameUK verdict: 7/10
