The basic premise of this game alone is very clever, but the selected themes are almost certain to grab your attention.

There are nods to both Tremors and Godzilla. And although the latter seems to be 1998 in particular, it was a smart move, given the 90’s renaissance of the disaster genre. Having grown up with this, I detect even further inspiration from the 90’s, including the likes of Mars Attacks! or Independence Day for the UFO stage.

The sense of participating in such films is pretty entertaining. And although the execution has some technical hiccups, the fleeting content itself is solid.

There’s a wide range of commotion in each of the courses, with a fair variety of obstacles that collaborate to tell a little story. The main threats interact with you to varying degrees, but when they do, it can actually feel exciting to end up wrecked.

Each of the courses have an authentic and distinguishable flavor, including both unique pacing and color palettes. But it all retains a cartoonish, arcade cabinet look.

This agrees with Speed or Death’s sense of humor. It has an arcade narrator that makes puns, and a menu full of amusing banners, despite an unnecessary pandemic reference. Some background situations on the course might give you a laugh or two.

Where Speed or Death falters is the technical side of things, even overlooking minor bugs and typos. The handling, speed, turbo, and acceleration don’t function very well, even by zany arcade standards. And the vehicles don’t feel very different, despite their stats.

Some level designs can feel counterintuitive. There are also turns and ramps that have unexpected snags or invisible walls. With some jumps, that can cost you the race.

Final Thoughts

Speed or Death has some noticeable flaws. But it’s brief, the disaster theme is wielded in creative ways, the arcade approach is fun and forgiving, and the over-the-top action is slick and effective. For fans of the genre, it should be relatively easy to overlook the faults.

Score: 7.5/10