I've kept a keen eye on Victory Heat Rally ever since it was successfully crowdfunded back in 2020. Promising a revival of Sega's legendary 'Super Scaler' arcade games from the '80s (most notably, 1988's undulating Power Drift, which got the 3D Classics treatment on Nintendo 3DS a few years back) this cute racer has been in development for what feels like forever. Now that it's finally here, we're pleased to report that it's jolly good fun – if a little on the shallow side.

At the heart of Victory Heat Rally is a drift system that's clearly inspired by Mario Kart. By holding down the right shoulder trigger you place your vehicle into its "drift" state, building up a boost meter at the same time. This has three stages, with each giving a progressively larger jolt of speed at its conclusion.

Mastering this mechanic is instrumental to success in Victory Heat Rally, and it's also a massive part of its appeal; there's some genuine satisfaction to be had from sliding around corners and overtaking rivals after executing an inch-perfect drift.

All of this is accentuated by some gloriously colourful visuals, great music and effective sound effects – and I also appreciated the fact that the career mode offers some nice variety thanks to its mix of standard races, grand prix events and novelty challenges, such as avoiding obstacles, popping balloons or drifting through gates.

The circuits are also excellent, taking you through plenty of fantasy locations such as deserts, forests, castles and even a rollercoaster – all set against beautiful blue skies, just like Sega's classic coin-op racers. You've got 12 drivers to play as, too, most of which are unlocked as you move through the career mode.

The single biggest issue with Victory Heat Rally is that, while it's a lot of fun to begin with, it's perhaps a little too shallow for prolonged enjoyment. Unlike Mario Kart, there are no weapons to use, which reduces the scope of its appeal (you can, however, smash lapped cars off the course by hitting them at high speed, which is amusing but has no tactical purpose). Once you've finished the career mode – which will take around four to six hours, depending on your skill level – there's little reason to return outside of the (admittedly great) four-player split-screen mode.

Still, while it lasts, Victory Heat Rally is undeniably entertaining and does a good job of paying tribute to the arcade classics of yesteryear – just don't expect it to offer much in terms of depth or longevity.