My absolute favourite toys growing up were the Transformers. The Thundercats came close, but it was the robots that disguised themselves as cars that really caught Young Mikey’s attention way back in the ’80s.
There have been a few games based on the franchise over the years, including my personal favourite, Platinum’s Transformers: Devastation, but none of them have really focused on the racing side of things. Given the vehicular nature of these particular robots, it’s a gap in the market that developer 3DClouds and publisher Outright Games has decided it was time to fill.
Released last year on PC and console, Transformers: Galactic Trials is the next game to star the noble Autobots and the sneaky Decepticons. Alas, I’ve just not had the chance to play this one, for reasons I’ll not burden you with, but I was offered the chance to put some questions to the people who made it, specifically, the game’s executive producer, Roberta Migliori. And yes, I let them keep the full-caps in the body text because I’m nice like that…
RL: Hello, and thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Let’s start with the big one: what is Transformers: Galactic Trials?
A: TRANSFORMERS: Galactic Trials is a racing adventure game with roguelite elements, with traditional arcade racing when the TRANSFORMERS are in vehicle form and roguelite robot combat when they are in bot form, to capture the famous ‘robots in disguise nature’ via game mechanics. Players can unlock Prime Relics to boost stats for speed, damage and handling, as well as new playable characters, skins and weapons.
RL: You don’t tend to get too many licensed roguelikes or roguelites; how did this whole project come to be?
A: Previously there were no TRANSFORMERS racing games that had been released, and we thought that a racing game based on this iconic series would be something fans would love to play. Racing games have an expected format, however it was essential to us to faithfully capture both the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS vehicle and robot forms, as they are equally iconic to fans. We felt it was an important detail to include both their bot form and their alternate mode, which inspired the hybrid gameplay, as they transform between races to battle opponents.
RL: Given the different genres you’re incorporating into Galactic Trials, what were the challenges when ensuring it all felt cohesive? And following on from that, did the Transformers licence help or hinder in this regard?
A: The biggest challenge in developing this game was executing the hybrid nature of the gameplay. A big priority for us in development was on track design, so that both forms of each character would create a compelling experience for players. TRANSFORMERS was really well lent for this hybrid gameplay; within the franchise, the characters transition from bot form, and we wanted to showcase that duality.
RL: Considering the vehicular forms that the Transformers can take, it’s a bit surprising that there aren’t any racing games based on the franchise. How did it feel to break new ground in this respect?
A: It’s been really exciting to develop the first TRANSFORMERS racing game, and to deliver a new take on the franchise, and the racing genre. With the addition of roguelite elements, we feel it makes for a unique experience in a racing game. We’ve also included a number of playable characters that include many fan favourites as well as some lesser known characters, like Flamewar or Nightbird. TRANSFORMERS: Galactic Trials is the first time that people will be able to play as many of these characters.
RL: What was the thing about the franchise that you most wanted to capture in the game?
A: The game is based on the evergreen TRANSFORMERS brand, rather than specific television series or films, which is a first for Outright Games; we have worked with Hasbro on two previous TRANSFORMERS titles based on more recent TV show iterations. We wanted to effectively capture the core of the brand; our licensor Hasbro provided us with models of the current evergreen brand, which we used as a starting point for the different characters and skins. We then combined these models with inspirations across the brand’s 40 year history, particularly the original film and series, and the style of the Generation 1 characters, into the final product.
RL: How did you use procedural generation and other roguish elements to make the game more replayable and varied?
A: Players are able to unlock 11 characters across three classes, each featuring their own unique skills to bring to combat. The game also features 70 different relics, which increase different stats including speed, damage and handling. These are randomly assigned at the start of a trial, and some artifacts, called Artifacts of the Prime, are more powerful and have stronger effects, like doubling player shields and providing extra resources. We’ve also included procedurally generated tracks, to bring new and exciting gameplay experiences every time.
RL: And finally, if one felt inclined to take a closer look at Transformers: Galactic Trials, what platforms is the game available on?
As you can see in the screenshot directly above, Galactic Trials has a split-screen mode, which is undoubtedly the most fun you’re going to have with a kart racer such as this one, and as such I’m glad that this has been included.
The overall emphasis here is very much on grabbing power-ups and exploiting your abilities in a timely manner, so it’s worth a closer look if you’re after a kart racer with a bit more random chaos. It’s a shame that there’s no online, but at least you can play locally with a friend, if you’ve got one to hand, of course…
Anyway, here’s the launch trailer from last year, so you can see the game in action for yourselves. Roll out!
