When it comes to racing games, the Switch has struggled to pull together a substantial catalogue, and the tendency has been to see arcade racers on one side and more buttoned-up sims on the other, with only a few exceptions in between. Now you have 4PGP, which not only embraces the overall simplicity of classic arcade-style racing, but also supports the ability to play it with some friends locally, via GameShare, or online with GameChat, opening the door to some extended fun if you know someone who’d like to take you on.

If you’re the kind of racing fan who just wants to hit the track and start having some fun, you’ll likely enjoy the game’s no-nonsense or filler approach. You’re on the track, you use the A button to accelerate (why, I don’t know, but at least it’s basic) and B to brake, and that will get you moving. In order to more fully give it an arcade-style feel you’ll also have the ability to use the L button for an added boost, and going for a pit stop is heavily streamlined to essentially just be a quicktime event. Don’t assume that means you’ll have an easy time though, as your opponents are generally more than happy to throw some contact your way, especially in the turns.

Probably the game’s best feature, and one that I’ve tended to be very critical of other racing games about, is that there’s absolutely a great sense of speed, which is subtly enhanced by a little shakiness. No matter which camera view you opt for, that really does help you get into the race. Of course, along with that speed comes some challenges with the steering, which tends to be very sensitive and takes some getting used to. Smaller turns tend to work out fine, but getting a feel for how you specifically need to decelerate and then power out of bigger turns without losing ground to the competition does take some time. I do appreciate the inclusion of a driver assist option, but I’d say the way it’s implemented is almost comical. It does make staying in the race a little easier, but it is so determined to have you race the same line as the CPU cars that without steering to avoid them, you’ll just tend to continue to ram into them. If you can get through all of that, and get your arms around the technique you’ll need to win races, it can absolutely be a bit of high octane fun though.