Golden Lap review

Too many management sims are accustomed to throwing walls of stats at you, and unless you have a decent knowledge of what you’re attempting to manage, many new players can be overwhelmed with the details. F1 Manager is a good series but it can be too in depth for the casual player who wants to experience the thrill of the race without being bogged down by the intricacies of the sport. Golden Lap manages to strip everything back to offer not just a more accessible experience but a thrilling one, highlighting the excitement and peril of 1970’s formula one.

After previewing Golden Lap recently, I was left excited to play through multiple seasons and see just how the natural progression felt over the years but also whether it could hold my attention. That simplistic approach also filters down to its presentation. You’re watching a race unfold via a basic overview of the course, with coloured dots racing around it. Overtakes and bumps in the road affect where your drivers shift in the positions, and while it doesn’t exactly sound thrilling, there were plenty of times I was glued to the screen, praying my drivers held out until the end.

At the start of your season, picking the right team, drivers, and engineers on a limited budget already presents you with a challenge. It’s all about the underdog with me, so I went for some of the weaker drivers in an attempt to try and get them a championship as soon as I could. Success breeds money and money breeds success, however, it can come at a great cost. You’ll be able to upgrade your car as you go through the season, and keeping an eye on things like your tyres during a race are some of the factors you’ll consider while getting to the top of the podium.

Risks are part of the process. You can push drivers at different times in an effort to rise through the rankings, but poor weather and taking these risks can lead to the death of a driver if you’re not careful. It’s pretty shocking seeing a notification appear alerting you to the tragedy, and it was surprising how attached you get to a singular cartoon avatar of your driver and their coloured dot on a track layout. That personality also comes through when arguments break out, or a racer comes into race weekend with a hangover, impacting their performance and leaving you pretty annoyed at their reckless behaviour.

Golden Lap is so simple, but that is what makes it a lot of fun. Race seasons take hours to play out in other simulation titles, but things move much faster and make the experience better for it. It has plenty of strategic elements, especially during the race, and you’re always keeping a close eye on your drivers for any opportunity to try and climb the rankings without putting their lives at risk. You’ll take great responsibility for how your drivers perform, and I can’t stress enough just how it manages to portray the dangers of how racing was back in the 70s.