REVIEW – Cliché or not, unfortunately, it’s true that there aren’t as many racing games on the market these days as there were during the PS1 or PS2 eras. Assoluto Racing fills this gap, but we can’t overlook its origins. Although a few such games have been ported from mobile to handheld before, including on the DS, it’s perhaps worth stating that the era of handheld racing games is unfortunately behind us.

However, we should point out that the game’s name bears an uncanny resemblance to Assetto Corsa. True, Assoluto Racing isn’t in the same price range as Assetto Corsa…

Could This Be the Switch Family’s Gran Turismo?

Microsoft has Forza (unfortunately, no longer Motorsport, but Horizon), and Sony has Gran Turismo. However, we can’t name a racing franchise of this caliber in Nintendo’s lineup. AR can’t deny that it drew inspiration from Polyphony Digital’s IP. There are also licensing challenges, and the jingles might remind you of Gran Turismo. Of course, the two aren’t on the same level in terms of background music (there’s no budget for it, which is understandable). Still, it’s an online title because we race against the best times set by others. This can easily have a mentally demoralizing effect because we’ll often feel like we’re in a completely different league compared to them.

Fortunately, the mobile version doesn’t have many paywalls because we earned these items through our performance. More than once, the items were based on 1990s Japanese domestic market (JDM) cars. It feels similar to what Metropolis Street Racer, the predecessor to Project Gotham Racing on the Dreamcast, offered. That game still holds up today because it rewards clean driving. Stay on the track, hit the apex of the turns just right, and, of course, maintain a fast pace. A tenth here, a tenth there, and little by little, our lap time will improve.

Over time, we may find ourselves achieving lap times that were initially difficult with ease. We can fine-tune them further by adjusting our car’s settings. It’s not as simple as Gran Turismo 2, where you can kick the AI’s butt with a car that’s only half as powerful by dialing downforce to the max and using a short-shifted gearbox. (We speak from experience.) Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned that the simulation is on par with Gran Turismo. It’s almost impossible to talk about AR without bringing up GT; we need that point of comparison.

Here, the physics beat us soundly more than once, not least because the cars’ handling didn’t feel entirely authentic. Infinity Vector may have fallen short in this regard. At least the cars are licensed, unlike in Burnout, where they’re just random, made-up things. (Although that’s an arcade game.)

The Ugly Duckling on the Beautiful New Hardware

AR – uh, how should we put this – isn’t exactly impressive on the Switch 2. If we’re playing on the regular Switch, the graphics aren’t impressive there either. It’s clear that the game was ported from iOS and Android, albeit about ten years later. There’s something else that disappointed us. While it’s true that we can also get our hands on a high-end race car, one you’d call end-game, pretty early on in Gran Turismo, we can also jump into an S+ category hypercar early on here. Yes, we also felt that there’s a world of difference between a D-class and an S+ class vehicle.

However, we have to ask ourselves if we’re willing to invest significant time in AR. If so, we’ll improve over time. If not, it won’t hold our attention, although it’s true that there are drift and rally races. But it lacks the handheld magic we last experienced during the PS Vita and 3DS era. In our opinion, it doesn’t capture the vibe of going for a few laps on the bus and calling it a day. The Ridge Racer franchise, for example, was great on Sony’s two handhelds, though the Vita game ended up lacking content.

It Smoked Itself

Assoluto Racing has become more arcade-like in terms of handling. Anyone looking for a more serious simulation will be disappointed. In our opinion, Asphalt Legends is a better choice for the Switch 2 because everything isn’t blurry and gray there. The user interface also didn’t seem up to par. The influence of the original mobile game is evident here, too.

Ultimately, we have to ask: is this a good game? We wouldn’t call it that – it’s weaker than that. It’s playable and inexpensive, but it can’t hide its origins. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, or even Mario Kart World, is a better choice.

The only ones who stand a chance here are those who spend countless hours burning rubber on the Nürburgring again and again and again and again. Ultimately, the only one who can win is the one who stays on their feet and on the road. But that won’t be us because we’d rather say the most apt part of “Assoluto” is “Ass…”

rating: 63% correct

final word: There wasn’t much to be gained from this, and it didn’t really pan out. However, for those who are patient, it might be a good choice.

-Gergely Herpai „BadSector”-

Developer: Infinity Vector
Publisher: Infinity Vector
Release Date: July 16, 2026
Genre: Racing