Galactic Racer seems nice, nevertheless it’s lacking what made podracing so iconic

The Recreation Awards 2025 was residence to some unbelievable reveals, however by far two of probably the most thrilling had been Star Wars associated. The announcement that kicked off The Recreation Awards 2025’s essential present, Star Wars: Destiny of the Outdated Republic, was many followers’ spotlight of the night. Not solely did it promise a follow-up to one of many most beloved Star Wars video games of all time, however it is usually being made by KOTOR‘s unique director. However an in depth second for a lot of was Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

Being developed by Fuse Video games, a brand new studio shaped by ex-Criterion builders who labored on the Want for Pace and Burnout sequence, Star Wars: Galactic Racer will see gamers rise within the ranks of The Galactic League, a brand new racing event funded by the galaxy’s greatest crime syndicates within the wake of the Empire’s collapse. Whereas no gameplay was proven throughout Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s reveal, it already feels prefer it might be the true non secular successor to Star Wars Episode 1: Racer that followers have been ready a long time for. However there is a key ingredient of the 1999 traditional that is lacking in Star Wars: Galactic Racer: podracers.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer Is Lacking a Core Piece of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer’s Identification

Star Wars’ Podracers Have Turn out to be Icons In Their Personal Proper

When Star Wars: The Phantom Menace hit silver screens in 1999, it was met with an infamously divisive reception from critics and followers alike. Together with critiques of its commerce dispute-centered story and the Jar Jar Binks of all of it, Phantom Menace‘s Podracing action sequence was met with some criticism. Although its particular results had been actually groundbreaking, the Podracing sequence was criticized for missing substance and for being overly lengthy.

In fact, as is the case with a lot of the Star Wars prequels, many followers who’ve grown up watching The Phantom Menace now have quite a lot of respect (and a complete lot of nostalgia) for its Podracing sequence. And once more, very similar to most Star Wars films, even probably the most inconsequential background characters throughout Star Wars‘ Podracing scene have grow to be beloved icons over time.

Sebulba, Ben Quadinaros, and Ratts Tyerell is probably not family names, however they’ve all garnered much more followers than anybody would have guessed again in 1999 due to latest meme tradition. In fact, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer was additionally instrumental in cementing these minor Star Wars characters within the hearts of many youthful followers, and the sport’s Aspyr-made port in 2020 would have helped to remind many followers of those distinct characters.

However to many, it is not the racers themselves that they bear in mind, however the Pods they pilot. Whereas Sebulba has a recognizable silhouette, the Mammoth Break up-X engines of his Podracer are arguably much more identifiable, as is the long-lasting “thudding” sound of them bearing down on one other sufferer. That is possible true for many of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace‘s Podracers, with all of them having distinct shapes, sizes, and colour schemes that set them aside from each other and the remainder of Star Wars‘ huge catalog of iconic automobiles.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer Might Endure From a Lack of Distinct Automobiles

Sadly, it would not look like Star Wars: Galactic Racer is tapping into this deep properly of iconography. Based mostly solely on Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s reveal trailer and the official screenshots that developer Fuse Video games has launched thus far, Podracers appear to be lacking from the upcoming non secular successor altogether, as an alternative being changed by “repulsorcraft” that look Star Wars-y, however do not have practically the identical visible aptitude that Podracers have.

As an illustration, the M-68 and A-A4B landspeeders from Solo: A Star Wars Story will be noticed in Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s trailer, as can a souped-up speeder bike and a later mannequin of Luke’s X-34 landspeeder. Whereas these automobiles clearly all go well with the worlds and motion Star Wars: Galactic Racer is delivering, all of them look a tad generic, that includes related muted colour schemes and modern however repetitive designs. With these present automobile designs, Star Wars: Galactic Racer is not fairly capturing the vibrancy of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, at the least not but.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s trailer did finish with a tease that an older Sebulba shall be within the sport, doubtlessly as a playable character. It is potential that Galactic Racer may embody a couple of extra Podracers in its roster, which might assist to provide the sport’s automobiles extra selection.

Why Star Wars: Galactic Racer’s Lack of Podracers Might Be a Good Factor

To play satan’s advocate, what Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s roster lacks in visible variety, it may simply make up for in gameplay selection. By bringing in utterly totally different repulsorcraft sorts, Star Wars: Galactic Racer has extra room to make every automobile really feel actually distinct from each other, not simply with minute stat variations however with main modifications in how a craft feels to maneuver across the observe and the way it reacts to the atmosphere it is hovering above. This does appear to be a aim of Fuse Video games, because the official description of the sport on the PlayStation Retailer mentions every repulsorcraft having “distinct physics and playstyles.”

Star Wars: Galactic Racer may be hiding a lot of its visible vibrancy and aptitude behind its customization system, the place gamers will presumably be accountable for how distinct their automobile seems. Not a lot data has been given about this customization system, however in accordance with Galactic Racer‘s store description, gamers will be capable of “construct a trip that showcases [their] fashion and offers [them] a aggressive edge,” hinting on the means to create some distinct-looking automobiles. Hopefully, by way of this customization system and their distinctive gameplay components, Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s repulsorcrafts can dwell as much as the lofty legacy of The Phantom Menace‘s Podracers.