A racing game about beetles was not what anyone expected on the Nintendo 64. Beetle Adventure Racing turned out to be one of the platform’s best surprises, built on wide courses, secret paths and a simple joy that holds up.
Behind the Wheel
Beetle Adventure Racing puts players behind the wheel of the New Beetle, shown in six forms across a set of large courses. Each course conceals more than one path, ramp and short way through, and finding them rewards players who look past the main road. Finding those paths changes how each race plays out, turning known courses into something new on every run.
The courses span settings that push the N64 hardware further than most racers on the system. The view reaches far into the distance, the courses feel wide and open, and the game does not stop to hold that view together.
Modes And Races
Beetle Adventure Racing offers a race mode built for a single player along with races for two people on one screen, giving the game a long life beyond a single run through. The mirror mode turns every course around, in effect doubling the number of courses without new work behind the scenes. Time trial mode rewards players who want to learn the short paths and cut down their best times.
The way cars turn stays true through every mode. Cars quickly answer to the controller, and the way they act off ramps lets them catch air without feeling loose or broken.
This is rare on a console from this time.
Look And Sound
The music keeps energy high without growing dull, matching the pace of the courses. The look tends toward bright and simple rather than dark, a choice that fits the tone of driving spirited Beetles through forests, deserts and open roads by the water.
Beetle Adventure Racing
is the title itself, and it says plainly what the game delivers: a fast, simple racer that never takes itself too seriously.
The Numbers
- Platform: Nintendo 64
- Car: New Beetle, six forms
- Modes: race mode for a single player, races for two people on a shared screen, mirror mode, time trial
- Score: 9.0/10
Few racers from this time on the Nintendo 64 gave players this much reason to return to the same courses again and again. The short paths reward memory, the mirror mode doubles the value of every course, and the shared screen mode still gives two players a fair, fast contest today. Long after most of its rivals from the same period faded from memory, this one still holds its place among the console’s finest. Score: 9 of 10.
