Hydro Thunder (N64, PS1) Retro Review

What's that? Did you ask for more racing games for review on SuperPhillip Central? I think you did, but if you didn't, I'll blame the water that's lodged in my ears for not hearing correctly. This aforementioned water comes from the aquatic racing action seen in Hydro Thunder, particularly the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1 ports of the arcade classic! Let's get to racing with the retro review.

H2OMG, what wet and wild racing!

Back in the 90s, racing games of all types were commonplace in the gaming market. Less so nowadays, especially when you consider the deluge and embarrassment of riches we had back in the day. It wasn't just games going after the Mario Kart crown with mascot-based kart races, either. You had snowboarding, futuristic racers, and yes, even water-based ones like Midway's Hydro Thunder series, taking the racing to the waves in powerboats. 

Originally an arcade game and a classic at that, Hydro Thunder would make its way to home consoles, first with the Sega Dreamcast getting nearly a 1:1 port in 1999 with ports to decidedly hardware--the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1--just about a year later. The latter versions is what this retro review is based off of. Hydro Thunder is known for its blistering fast, speedy, aquatic gameplay, so how does that transfer over to the N64 and PS1? 

There's not a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but there
may be a worthwhile shortcut. (Hint, hint.)

The basics of Hydro Thunder generally have you taking on 15 other powerboats in a race from point A to point B. Two of the races, however, forgo this linear design and serve as circuit tracks in a stadium. Either way, you're battling both the competition and a timer that ticks down, extending your time remaining as you pass checkpoints throughout the race.

The Arctic Circle may be notoriously cold, but it's sure to heat up with some intense racing.

Sprinkled among the tracks of the game are large, spinning boost icons coming in blue and red varieties. Upon passing through them, your boat gains the ability to boost to not only speed up but speed through obstacles and even opponents on the aquatic track. Blue boost icons are more plentiful and easier to access than their red counterparts, but the red boost icons provide nine seconds of boost energy whereas blue boost icons only give three seconds more. Suffice to say, a big part of Hydro Thunder's racing is rationing your boosts, smartly and strategically using them to gain on the competition.

Hydro Thunder is a hard game, no doubt. You'll seldom find yourself with a big lead. In fact, the majority of races will be you at the back of the pack, slowly overtaking the competition, and usually finding yourself passing first place at the homestretch just before the finish line. That's even if you can manage first place, as again, Hydro Thunder is difficult, punishing players for even the smallest mistakes. This can be a frustrating aspect of the game, but it's all the more rewarding when after dozens of attempts of keeping your head above the water against the CPU that you finally achieve first place and are victorious.

Whether you know the track by heart or are just learning it,
this race will probably be "Greek" to you regardless.

 

Hydro Thunder is arcade-y in feel as all get-out, and essentially the game feel is quite good, making a tremendous splash for a first impression. Depending on the level of boat you choose--from easy to medium, medium to hard, and hard to bonus (the latter are wackier designs, such as a fisherman in a paddle boat or an iceberg-fearing ship called the Tinytanic)--these control either well but lack speed, or in the case of hard-ranked boats, are fast but lack great control. 

There are 13 tracks within Hydro Thunder. Each present multiple opportunities to seek out and pull off insane shortcuts, as many of them require precision maneuvers to nail--whether that be getting big air off ramps, threading the needle through precarious paths, discovering sneaky, hidden routes off the main path, or utilizing the Hydro Jump mechanic, which requires you to have boost energy in your gauge while pressing the boost and brake buttons simultaneously to "lift" your powerboat off the waves and into a leap. This allows you to reach areas you otherwise would not be able to, though it's also a bit clunky in practice to use. Often, even with plenty of the required boost energy to utilize, I'd find myself either just boosting or worse, just braking without getting any lift.

The race has only just started, and already we're jockeying for position here.

The tracks within Hydro Thunder unlock in groups, and the requirements to unlock them get tougher and tougher as you go down the line. There are three easy tracks, three medium tracks, three hard tracks, and finally, four bonus tracks. To unlock the medium tracks, you need to finish each of the three initial easy tracks in at least third place, whereas the hard tracks unlock upon reaching second or better in the medium tracks. Understandably and through one's divine powers of deduction, those bonus tracks require you to win the hard races outright to unlock them.

While easy tracks like the tropical Lost Island feature light turns, wide straightaways, and are generally shorter affairs, harder tracks like Venice Canals and Ship Graveyard showcase tight, hairpin turns, incredibly narrow stretches of track where it's difficult to jockey for position, and are longer than your standard easy and medium level tracks. The grandest track of them all, and also the last track to be played in the game, Nile Adventure, is one serious endurance race, a wet and wild ride along the Nile through jungles and the tight turns and corners of an ancient temple. Most of the races feel like aquatic adventures, and they're absolutely exhilarating to race on, even upon the tenth or even twentieth attempt!  

Starting at the top of this canyon at sunset, this wet race ends at its bottom by nighttime.

Compared to the arcade and Sega Dreamcast versions of Hydro Thunder, no doubt you could expect that on weaker hardware, a fast-paced, more CPU intensive game like Hydro Thunder would tax the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1. This expectation would line up with reality, as the game decidedly feels slower than its contemporaries on stronger hardware. That said, the game still runs well, features fast, good-feeling gameplay, and makes a nice case for itself as a speedy racer on the N64 and PS1.

Meanwhile, on the sound side of the game, the announcer is mostly what you'll hear above the constant revving and roaring of your various powerboats' engines, stating when you overtake other racers, when you find a secret shortcut, and other things of note. Sometimes you'll also get verbally assaulted by police boats that chastise you for speeding and racing in an unauthorized zone, by which it is then oh-so-satisfying to boost into the boat to cause it to tumble and careen into the air. 

Hydro Thunder is a tough and challenging aquatic racer, but it's also highly rewarding with its skill-dependent, strategic boost-rationing, and smart shortcut-taking gameplay. Its 13 races will keep you playing for a good while, as you discern where it's best to boost, smartest to overtake opponents, and where all those stealthy, second-shaving shortcuts await you. It's not technologically as impressive as the arcade or Dreamcast versions, understandably, but if you lack a means to play those, then the N64 and PS1 ports are more than worthy supplements for some powerboat-ing shenanigans. This is an arcade racing game that neither sinks nor swims--it positively shreds!

[SPC Says: B]