If you ever wanted to wedge a yellow school bus across a tight mountain turn just to stop a police car from passing you, Ignition was made for you.
Why Ignition turns tiny cars into pure arcade chaos
The first lap of 1997 racer Ignition hooks you immediately. You hit the gas, tap the nitro, and slam your miniature vehicle into a tight bend. The high-angled camera swings over the track, giving you a full view of the carnage below.
Developed by Unique Development Studios AB and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc., the game skips realistic physics for quick fun. You pick from 11 absurd vehicles including a police car, a VW Beetle, a monster truck, and a sluggish school bus. Winning with the bus takes real patience, since your main strategy is blocking everyone behind your wide frame for three long laps.
There are no health bars or permanent repair costs here. If you drive off a cliff or hit a train, your vehicle instantly respawns on the track ready to go. The nitro bar recharges, giving you short bursts of speed to recover lost ground or push rival racers into hazards.
Seven tracks where a single train can ruin your championship
The standard tracks offer plenty of variety, starting with Moosejaw Falls and its dangerous waterfalls, cliffs, and oncoming trains. Splitting paths force immediate decisions. You can choose a safe outer curve or a risky shortcut through narrow bridges and deep ravines.
Winning championships at higher difficulty tiers unlocks extra circuits and Mirror mode. The tracks hide subtle shortcuts, but misjudging them sends your car bouncing into oblivion. Because vehicles drop right back onto the asphalt after crashing, races remain close until the final turn.
The game modes cater well to fast sessions. You can jump into Single Race, challenge ghost cars in Time Trial, or test your survival instincts in Pursue Mode. In Pursue Mode, the last-place car gets eliminated after each lap until only one driver remains.
Visual options range from software rendering at 320x240 up to sharp 800x600 resolutions on high-end rigs. When run with a 3dfx Voodoo card through the Glide executable, the lighting brightens up considerably. A special cheat code even activates a neon visual mode titled "TRIBUTE TO TRON" when running on Glide hardware.
Bashing bumpers in local split-screen multiplayer
Solo play works well enough, but multiplayer is where it gets good. You can race over a local network or share a keyboard in split-screen. Unusually for an overhead racing game, the screen splits vertically rather than horizontally, giving both players a wider view of oncoming curves.
Cheat codes add even more madness to competitive matches. You can enter codes to unlock all cars and tracks from the menu, or turn on special conditions:
- Unlimited nitro bursts for constant high-speed mayhem
- Low gravity jumps using the "BUZZ ALDRIN" cheat
- Bouncy suspension physics enabled by typing "DEMON"
- Secret vehicle selections that change handling stats
Sound design adds plenty of character as well. The engine supports redbook Audio CD playback directly from the drive, soundtracking your chaotic laps with upbeat energy. Audio cues warn you when a train approaches or when another driver triggers a nitro blast right behind you.
The diagonal overhead perspective has one noticeable flaw. At top speeds, the camera angle hides sharp turns until you are right on top of them. You must memorize track layouts to avoid flying into ravines during key championship laps.
Play Ignition free right now in your browser
This micro-racer delivers instant action that still holds up. The lighthearted vehicle lineup, clever track hazards, and frantic split-screen modes make it a fantastic pick for quick arcade sessions. If you want a fast arcade racer without tedious setup menus or heavy simulation mechanics, this title hit the mark perfectly.
You can play Ignition free right now in your browser. There is nothing to download, so pick your vehicle, hit the gas, and see if you can handle the oncoming train at Moosejaw Falls.