Cranks and Goggles

I've put time into a lot of budget racers, and Cranks and Goggles sits in a specific, honest niche: it's a top-down physics racer set in the late 1920s and early 1930s, where the handling isn't just a cute aesthetic choice but a real mechanical commitment. Each car behaves differently, and the physics simulation is tuned to reflect how genuinely sketchy pre-war automobiles were to drive fast. That alone earns it some respect. The core loop has you creating an avatar and working through circuits across fictional versions of England, Italy, France, and other European locales. The track variety gives the campaign some shape, and the period atmosphere - dusty roads, blocky vintage cars, the general vibe of gentlemen racing before seatbelts existed - lands well enough for what is clearly a small indie production. There's a Quick Race mode if you want to skip the career altogether, and online PvP is in the mix for those who fancy humiliating strangers with a 1928 motorcar. Here's where I have to be straight with you, though. Keyboard controls are a genuine problem. The steering oversteers badly on most cars, and community feedback has flagged this since launch. A controller sorts things out considerably - the game has full controller support, and playing with a gamepad transforms it from frustrating to actually enjoyable. If you're planning to use keyboard only, lower your expectations or prepare to lose the first several races to the physics rather than to other drivers. The developer did ship a patch (v1.1) that reconfigured steering and wheel setups across all cars, so it's improved from its roughest state, but it still skews simulation-leaning rather than arcade. Multiplayer is online only - there's no split-screen, which is a real shame for a game with this kind of casual-friendly visual style. The active player count is essentially zero at this point, so the online PvP listed on the store page is theoretical unless you bring your own lobby. Steam leaderboards are still live, so time trial chasing is a valid solo activity if that's your thing. The "Difficult" tag in the community tags is earned - this isn't a game you'll master in a session, and it's probably too punishing for very casual players who just want a breezy retro racer. For the right player - someone who likes top-down racing with a simulation edge, appreciates the historical novelty, and will use a controller - there's a genuinely charming little game here. Rock, Paper, Shotgun noticed the visual charm early on, and they weren't wrong. It's not a deep game, and the thin multiplayer scene means you're mostly buying a solo experience in 2025. Mac users should also note compatibility issues with macOS Catalina and above before purchasing.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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