Galactic Racer already looks like the perfect successor to Burnout

Previews for WITHtar Wars: Galactic Racer have started making the rounds online, and it looks like this arcade racer has a few genre-defying tricks up its sleeve. That said, the detail that caught my eye the most actually comes from another racing series that is deeply connected to developer Fuse Games' past. As far as I'm concerned, one of the most interesting things Star Wars: Galactic Racer is that he resurrects Burnout's Takedowns and Eliminator races—and drags the brutal genius of the franchise with it to a galaxy far, far away.

Several stores recently got a hands-on preview Galactic Racerand each brought to light a number of new and exciting features, especially for what had hitherto appeared to be a simple (though admittedly gorgeous) Star Wars licensed arcade racer. The game seems to take inspiration from all over the world, and as a certifiable fan of the genre, certain roguelite elements stood out as a surprisingly high note for me. However, when I sat down with the details, I'd like to go over why the Takedowns and Eliminator staples for this system were the hardest sell for me, both as a player and as a die-hard Star Wars guy.

The release date of the new Star Wars game has been leaked

The release date of the upcoming Star Wars game is leaking ahead of time.

Fuse Games brings Burnout 3 to Star Wars: Galactic Racer

For those who may not know, Eliminators are multi-lap races in which whoever sits in last place at the end of each lap is completely cut out of the race, lap by lap until one racer is left standing, and originally originated in Burnout especially the franchise Burnout 3: Takedown. According to IGN's preview, these races seem to define the shape Galactic Racer's run-based campaign, because just like your traditional roguelite, there's only one thing standing between you and continuing in a sprawling tournament of races scattered across different planets. That one thing is the league token and it is required for every event in the campaign.

Players can lose their token and wipe out the entire run by earning anything but permanent first place in the Eliminator races spread throughout the campaign tournament, saving only the cosmetic unlocks and power-ups they've already collected along the way. And the most common way to slip into that fateful last spot? Hitting the wall, over Burnout's very own Takedowns. Hitting an opponent's repulsor hard enough to destroy it (or being hit by someone) even triggers a slow-motion shot of the impact at a camera angle almost identical to the one Criterion popularized two decades ago, and just looking at that detail made me a little giddy.

All-or-Nothing racing is Fuse Games' comfort zone

Of course, none of these lineages are accidental: Fuse Games was founded in 2023 by veteran developers straight out of the Criterion studio that built Burnout in the first place. Fuse CEO Matt Webster even served as executive producer Burnout 3: Takedownthe 2004 entry that turned both Eliminator and Takedown into franchise cornerstones and rocketed the series into the mainstream. That background makes it much clearer why Galactic Racer It seems to shoot out of the gate towards the genre's meanest ideas.

Racing in Star Wars should be terrifying

While I'd seen a lot of footage of speeder-bikes falling from the earlier game and was expecting some vehicular combat, I never expected this kind of licensed racing game to even reach beyond the Elimination matches. But even now I can tell that it will work beautifully; racing in Star Wars was always a deadly affair – podrace in A hidden threat he kills several on-screen competitors, has Sebulba cheat with drops of open fire, and turns a single bad line into a canyon dump. Alongside a deeper roguelite system with several unique abilities and vehicle-specific race types and difficulty curves, a mode that can evaporate an hour of progression in a nasty round is the closest a fan can get to being Anakin in a given race.

It's also great that the Eliminator doesn't have to take all the stress out of the mode itself. Tracks on different planets apparently layer on hazards designed to finish you off outright – Lantaana's magma spots will cook your vehicle if you linger, Ando Prime's ice will freeze you if you don't weave through its heating tunnels, and while it's universal, the Ramjet power-up will simply explode your ride if you keep it past the redline. In addition to the advantages and disadvantages Galactic RacerConfirmed vehicles or vehicle types each offer one more way to lose a spot at exactly the wrong moment, and in Eliminator the entire race qualifies as a bad moment.

Full rings and other accessories for Galactic Racer

There's also a full-circle factor underneath it all, as Traxion Webster previewed the podracer crashes from The Phantom Menace as a direct reference point for Burnout's spectacular wrecks back in the day, describing them as “a great reference point for making great-looking, exciting crashes.” Star Wars taught effectively Burnout how to make a wreck look like a movie, and now BurnoutThe architects themselves bring this aesthetic back home to the scene that spawned it.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s)

And practically, a bunch of other new information from these previews seems to wrap up that key element pretty well. Before the race even starts, you can nail the call to the ignition sequence to start with afterburner or shield charged, and then Mario Kart-style gas meter for veering off the starting line. Aside from simply giving you more things to do, these seem great for a campaign format that's so relentless, as these micro-decisions could be the difference between making it through the run and starting over.

My only lingering hope

All things, different views Star Wars: Galactic Racer they did exactly what they were intended to do and I can safely say that I am excited for the release of this game on October 6th. My only real concern is where podracing ends up in all of this. This type of vehicle will be the fastest and most fragile in the range, which makes this racing type Galactic Racerthe ultimate challenge.

The developers at Fuse have said that podracing (and racers like Sebulba himself) have an “interesting” introduction to the campaign, but in my opinion, this should serve as a campaign final exam rather than a bonus on the side. I want podracing to be the ultimate roguelite campaign game where I can really lose everything. After all, in the first one Star Wars a racing game for two decades, a game that was built on terror and consequence, the Boonta Eve Classic is the only place suitable for a run that can end in victory or crash in defeat.