Ace Racer: Reasons to play NetEase's stunning fantasy racing game

Racing games are a dime a dozen on mobile these days, but what about one that actually lets you dash through walls to get ahead of the competition? NetEase's Ace Racer lets you do exactly that and more, and it's now open for pre-registration. Set to launch in Japan, North America, South Korea, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan regions, and Southeast Asia on March 16th, the fast-paced fantasy racing game allows you transform vehicles and execute a range of physics bending, arcade-style skills, so you can truly "Burn the Race, Be the Ace."

Over-the-top Ultimate skills

On the surface, Ace Racer might appear just like any other adrenaline-fuelled, pedal to the metal racing game. It diligently implements all of the modern day arcade racing features, such as drifting, nitros boosts, and breakneck manoeuvres, that you’d expect of games like Need for Speed or Burnout. But hiding beneath the hood is a feature you’ve never seen before; Ultimate skills.

Every car in Ace Racer comes with its own Ultimate, such as "Cyclone Charge", "Slicer", ”Phantom Flas” and "Air Cruiser" to name just a few (the names alone should give you a hint of the flavour these skills add to the game). These special boosts become available during a race once you’ve charged them with enough nitros boosts, and, as soon as you unleash them, you’ll see your car pull off a unique skill that immediately ramps up the excitement of the race.

Ultimate skills can range from practical boosts like temporarily increasing your top-speed to having your vehicle perform outrageous stunts, like launching it into a series of majestic mid-air barrel-rolls and somersaults to cut through the course. Ace Racer pushes the envelope even further with a number of other physics-defying skills, such as having your car teleport ahead of the field, shrinking it down to the size of a Micro Machine, or having it literally spread wings and take flight over the track.

Discovering new skills becomes almost as addictive as collecting the cars themselves, and the anticipation of performing them during a race for the first time makes the whole experience all the more exhilarating. Even without Ultimate skills, Ace Racer would still be an exciting arcade racer, but with its inclusion, NetEase has managed to add a whole new layer of strategy that breaks the rules of what we think a racing game should be, and makes it so much more fun as a result.

Thrilling tracks across gorgeous landscapes

Featuring high-quality graphics and a sleek and futuristic vibe, Ace Racer boasts jaw-dropping landscapes you can cruise through while you're burning up the tracks against other players across the globe. While it's all about the speed during intense matches, you simply can't deny the stunning locales you're racing past. Even the tracks that might not be so visually extravagant - here we’re thinking of the opening tracks and the tutorial phase - are compensated for by the flashy visuals that give the game an almost cyber-punk feel. That being said, most of the time you may find yourself unable to take your eyes off of your car, especially after it's been given a glorious chrome paint job.

Aesthetics aside, Ace Racer provides a fantastic way to feed your competitive streak with the one-minute rounds that you can easily bite into anytime, anywhere. You can also drift or even ram your way to the top of the charts across circuits from California, Los Angeles, Nevada, Shanghai, Tokyo and so much more.

Good ol' high-octane arcade fun

Of course, at the heart of the game is the exhilaration of racing itself, and even amidst all the bells and whistles, Ace Racer still delivers good old-fashioned racing fun that brings on the nostalgia. Even newbie racers can jump in seamlessly with the game's intuitive controls that are optimised for mobile, whether they're duking it out in three vs. three battles or joining forces with their online buddies as a speeder, supporter or blocker in multiplayer modes.

If you just can't wait to get your hands on this upcoming title, you can get first dibs by pre-registering on the official website. Milestone rewards include special gift cards, ten lottery tickets that can help you score luxury cars and fabulous cosmetics, along with the Aston Martin DB11. You can also join the community of followers over on the official Twitter page to stay updated on all the latest developments.