The hardest thing about Trackmania is not solving that twisted circuit created to evil and that, in most cases, culminates with an impossible leap; Nor how to visualize from the track editor circuits that would defy the laws of gravity if you did not go at breakneck speeds. What really costs horrors is to stop playing: each new game always ends up being the penultimate one.
The saga Trackmania is back from its classic premise: it doesn’t matter how your car is or what kind of (aesthetic) fixes your opponents have made with theirs, what is really important are the clues and that going through them is a really fun experience. Always inviting us at our own pace to tackle its most challenging nuances.
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A return that is a safe double bet. First for the simple fact of being a kind of remake from the sensational Trackmania Nations of 2006, which is sufficient endorsement for all those who are familiar with the saga. But also because you don’t need to be an ace behind the wheel: the new Trackmania it retains that experience that is quick to understand, easy to tackle and not so easy to master. Among other things, because each track is a different challenge.
Giving you those feelings of accomplishment, even though you’ve returned to the previous checkpoint (simply by pressing a button) a thousand times. Making you face ever more intense challenges with mastery, while having a really good time. Competing without the pressure of collisions that exasperate you. Returning to the great sensations of the classic split screen.
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And ultimately, by convincing yourself that you have the ability to create that circuit you want to traverse by taking advantage of the game’s superb physics. Or simply shape ideas that no one has yet done.
Trackmania’s four ces: drive, build, share and compete
The feeling of variety and the ability to adapt to high speeds are two constants when it comes to diving into Trackmanía. But do not worry, this is not a driving simulator And you will not need to calculate every action millimetrically: accelerate, brake, adapt to the circuit, and if you see that you have made a mistake, return to the last control point or restart without any other penalties than not taking a medal when you finish.
Because one of the basic principles of Trackmania is that driving always has a reward: In addition to the feeling of accomplishment when completing a circuit, we are motivated to get the gold medal. And, in its competitive aspect, to progress in rankings player.
On the other hand, Trackmania knows how to guide first-timers. Not only does it not penalize failures, but it allows us to learn on the go with the ghosts of our best line (something like in Super Meat Boy) and offering us in the car the information we need (speed or position) without that Get away from the real experience: go through the next checkpoint and discover what awaits us from there.
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Sonic Loopings? Sliding surfaces? An impossible pirouette in which we will land and continue running vertically? Anything can happen.
The team of Ubisoft Nadeo signs this installment, being responsible for the saga from its origins, but at the same time retaining the members of the original team. And that is evident in how the set works: Trackmania not only does it offer great sensations when it comes to playing, but it is a spectacle for the spectator through their loopings, their skids on ice rinks or that way of empathizing with the player when crossing surfaces that cancel the steering or the motor to the next control point.
At Trackmania what really matters are the tracks, and going through them is a really fun experience
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After all, just by watching a game or two you already know everything the game can offer and even how it is played, but Trackmania it is that kind of video game that plays with the surprise factor and justifies the expression that “practice makes teachero ”: only by playing we will be really prepared for any surprise that lies ahead.
And that’s where the true strengths of the game come into play beyond the gaming experience: its circuit editor and its constant content irrigation, even by the community.
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The other part of the experience Trackmania It allows us to experiment with the possibilities through a simple editing system but with a huge variety of tools, placing blocks or different types of surfaces. And, logically, allowing us to share them with other players.
In addition to the 25 official tracks, which are updated every 3 months and can be played both solo and as a player (online, split screen or by passing the command) Ubisoft Nadeo opens the pandora’s box through its social options, through which we can participate and create in events or discover new ways of interacting with levels that retain the platform essence and take it to the field of driving.
Although, of course, this is where we will really have to consider whether to acquire any of the three paid accesses of the game or continue with the free experience.
Three subscription models depending on how far we want to go
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Trackmanía will be available from 1st of July for everyone through the Epic Game Store or Uplay and you will not have to pay a penny to test your driving proposal, progress on your own or online or test your track editor. Of course, there are subscription models that make the experience much more interesting.
There is Standard Access one year valued at about ten euros that guarantees you access to the full editor, which we can test online through dedicated servers, as well as access to new daily tracks, as well as campaigns done in live community on the Arcade Channel and club rooms.
It goes without saying that if we do not continue with Standard Access at the end of the year, we will continue to have at our disposal all the clues we have received during the subscription.
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On the other hand, there is a second level that includes the One-year Standard Access which is designed for the most dedicated players and fans of the saga: with access to the Club social experience is encouraged And we can join any club, share replays, ghosts or campaigns, promote contests, logically, access exclusive content.
Where does this come from? Essentially, everyone is invited to play and discover the experience. And not only that, we can test with the possibilities of the editor. However, the subscription approach is the one that offers the true experience of Trackmania. And its price – ten euros a year – is quite reasonable.
Trackmania is free, but open its particular pandora box through its social options
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Is it worth betting on the social component? Well, in 2016 Trackmania managed to collect 42,000 vehicles on the same circuit, which means that there is a really active community willing to experiment with the publisher’s possibilities, compete in the periodic events that are planned or simply hallucinate with the tricks of the players or the way to overcome apparently impossible tracks.
Inviting us, as we said above, to improve our quality of pilots in increasingly fascinating settings.
VidaExtra’s opinion
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The new Trackmania Retains the soul of driving classics and makes discovering a new track or completing a challenge as fun as it is rewarding. But it was also born with the intention of being the best installment in a series as prolific as it is beloved.
An objective that it does achieve through the different alternatives of annual access, leaving even more evidence of what is the true engine of the experience: beyond its physics system or its own publisher, the community behind the saga It is the one that will have you returning every day to play a dozen games.
The new Trackmania masterfully fuses spectacularity, simplicity and fun
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Trackmania It is a driving game, yes, but sometimes it feels like a new installment of the Trials saga and others like a platform game, despite the fact that the only way to jump is through a ramp or simply letting yourself fall through a cornice.
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However, however twisted the layout of a track is, it always leaves behind any frustration for focus on fun, challenge and sense of discovery. Either to see what awaits us when crossing the next checkpoint or what the next track has in store for us. And there are many that are true works of art and engineering.
The new Trackmania It is an infinite pit of hours and challenges that not only has everything you need to become your favorite installment, but also positions itself as the perfect title to tackle this driving saga, even for those who are not too fans of the genre.
An experience that masterfully fuses spectacularity, simplicity and fun, takes it to its own ground, with everything that dazzled us from the first installments, and finally allows players to elevate it to where their own imagination reaches.
Trackmania
| Platforms | PC (Epic Games Store y Uplay) |
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| Multiplayer | Yes (local and online) |
| Developer | Ubisoft Nadeo |
| Company | Ubisoft |
| Launching | July 1, 2020 |
| Price | Free-to-play with payment options |
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The best
- The control system is intuitive and allows you to be creative
- The track editor and its infinite possibilities
- His way of approaching the social element, key in the saga
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Worst
- The editor of the free version is almost a touchdown
- The annual pass system assumes the difference between the most interesting and the most decaffeinated delivery of the saga
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