Retrowave 2 Review Summary

Synthwave atmosphere and beautiful visuals improve on the predecessor, but inferior controls, scarce new content, and repetitive gameplay make it feel dull.

Synthwave atmosphere praised: The synthwave soundtrack, neon aesthetics, and retro atmosphere are repeatedly highlighted, creating an immersive 80s night-drive vibe that players love.

Improved over predecessor: Players consistently praise the sequel for enhanced visuals, physics, content, and customization, noting it surpasses the original in nearly every aspect.

Beautiful visuals and maps: Stunning visuals, beautiful maps, vibrant pixel-art, and neon lighting are frequently praised for their aesthetic quality and immersion.

Relaxing retro racing: The game provides a chill, relaxing, and retro-style racing experience, ideal for unwinding and enjoying nostalgic arcade vibes.

Rich car customization: Extensive car customization options, including paint, wheels, spoilers, vinyls, and tuning, are well-received for depth and variety.

Inferior controls and steering: Controls and steering are notably worse than the first game. Handling is imprecise with excessive sliding, and the interface is a downgrade.

Little new content: The game does not add much new content, lacking significant improvements or additions over the first game.

Worse UI needing improvement: The user interface is worse than the first game and needs improvement. Menus are a step back, and the exit button is hidden in settings.

Repetitive and boring gameplay: Gameplay becomes repetitive quickly, mainly involving driving straight and dodging cars. This monotony leads to boredom.

Very short content: The game offers very short content, completable in under 2 hours. Achievements are also too easy and short.

Extensive car customization and upgrades: Players emphasize the extensive car customization and upgrade system, allowing tuning of performance and cosmetics, which is a core mechanic for progression and personalization.

Synthwave soundtrack enhances atmosphere: The synthwave and vaporwave soundtrack creates an immersive 80s atmosphere, with many players praising the music selection and the option to add custom tracks for a personalized experience.

Arcade racing with multiple modes: Described as an arcade-style racer similar to Traffic Rider, the game offers multiple modes like one-hand, two-hand, time attack, and speed bomb, providing varied casual racing challenges.

80s nostalgia with traffic dodging: The retro 80s aesthetic combined with traffic-dodging gameplay provides a nostalgic and relaxing arcade experience, with AI cars using turn signals for realistic lane changes.

Varied car handling and road curves: Cars have distinct handling characteristics, and roads feature curves and turns that test player skill, breaking the monotony of straight endless roads.

Map-specific performance issues: The Miami and Night City maps are frequently cited for significant performance drops and stuttering, even at high frame rates. Optimization on these specific maps is a clear pain point.

Steam Deck performance mixed: Players report that the game runs well on the Steam Deck, with multiple reviews confirming solid performance. This suggests the handheld experience is generally positive.

Smoother than original: The game runs smoother than its predecessor, which is a positive sign for performance improvements over the original.

High-end hardware issues: A player with high-end hardware (RTX 4070, i7) reports blurry graphics, jagged edges, and flickering, pointing to poor optimization even on powerful systems.

Game crashes reported: Crashes are reported, which is a critical issue. Stability varies, but this suggests a need for crash fixes.

Original Retrowave is superior: A strong consensus advises buying the first Retrowave game instead of this sequel. Players feel the original offers a more complete experience.

Aesthetic appeal for synthwave fans: Many players recommend the game to fans of synthwave, 80s aesthetic, and retro driving games. The atmosphere and style are the main draws.

Not worth buying or recommended: A number of reviews simply state the game is not worth buying or recommend against it. Some consider it a waste of money.

Good for achievements and items: The game is recommended for quick achievements or earning items for Steam profile decoration. Some players see it as a points shop tool.

Relaxing atmosphere and style: The game's atmosphere is a major positive point. Players enjoy the wave, sunsets, and neon lights for a chill experience.

Community fair range: $1.99 - $3.99.

Game completion: 2.0h.

The game starts fun with exciting chases and rapid progression, but repetition and lack of depth cause enjoyment to drop sharply, often within the first hour.

Casual Chiller: Casual cruising at low speeds, listening to music, enjoying visuals without pressure to score or compete. Motivation: Relaxation and immersion in a retro synthwave atmosphere. Stance: buy.

Achievement Hunter: Methodically completing achievement lists with minimal grind, often using guides or repeated runs. Motivation: Unlocking all achievements efficiently, often for profile cosmetics or Steam completion. Stance: buy.

Disappointed Veteran: Compares every aspect to the predecessor; may try sequel but finds it lacking or regressive. Motivation: Expectation of meaningful improvements over the original game. Stance: no buy.

The lower VRAM cohort (<8GB) reports poor optimization and unplayable performance, while the 8-11GB VRAM cohort reports generally positive but with performance drops on certain maps.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Users with less than 8GB VRAM report very poor optimization, with even high-end hardware failing to render properly and the game appearing blurry.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Performance is generally good, but some maps (e.g., Miami, Night City) cause significant frame drops and headlight toggling can cause brief freezes.

Steam Deck: The Retrowave 2 Steam Deck experience is largely positive with most users reporting smooth gameplay. However, a notable complaint about poor performance casts doubt on the accuracy of the Steam Deck Verified badge for all configurations, suggesting possible optimization issues.

Linux and Proton: User feedback on Steam Deck (Linux) performance is split: one review strongly criticizes performance despite verification, while another praises it. No specific tweaks or workarounds are mentioned, but the conflicting reports suggest minor compatibility quirkiness rather than a fundamental blocker.

Developer abandonment concerns: Many reviewers believe the game has been abandoned by the developer, RewindApp, which has a history of releasing shovelware and asset flips. The game remains in Early Access with a last update nine months prior, and Valve has placed warnings on other RewindApp titles for lack of updates.

Minor improvement over predecessor: The game is seen as a minor evolution of its predecessor, Retrowave 1, with improved graphics and maps but losing some charm (e.g., VHS filter). Some users find it not different enough to warrant a sequel, while others note it has less content and similar music to the first game.

Purchased for Steam cosmetics: Numerous reviews indicate the game is primarily purchased for Steam Point shop cosmetics, profile customization items, and badge/achievement farming. Players often discover the game through Steam Points items, and the game's cosmetic rewards are considered its main draw.

Quick and easy achievements: Reviewers consistently report that all achievements can be unlocked in approximately 1-2 hours, making the game a quick and easy completion target for achievement hunters. The achievements are obtainable in a single session, even on medium difficulty.

Arcade driving game modernization: The game is a modernization of a 1970s arcade driving game with pixel-art graphics, including Soviet Union themed content and a Polonez car. It resembles classic arcade racers like Crazy Bigfoot Racing.