Monochrome Racing is a PlayStation Mini that has the player racing with a simple premise. Is it enough to make the game worthwhile? Let me tell you about my monochrome experience.

Screeching Tires for Fun?
Monochrome Racing is a top-down perspective racing game, and its main premise is that the racers drive colorful cars in monochrome tracks and environments. Players begin Monochrome Racing in a garage, and are allowed to buy 3 of the available 10+ cars. Then players are allowed to customize their cars by equipping them with weapons or armor, yet this process appears to be entirely optional. There are a total of 85 tracks to beat, but only a few are available at the beginning of the game, with other tracks being unlocked as you beat the ones that are available. Including the player, there are four cars racing at once, each with a different color scheme. The life bar depletes quickly when the car crashes into anything, and should the car's energy be depleted, the car becomes monochrome and loses the race. Energy bars can be restored by passing over speed arrows that are located on the asphalt. Power Ups can also be picked-up on the track, helping the player against the other opponents.

The Rush of Adrenaline? Not So Much
The main problem with Monochrome Racing is that the races only last about 5 to 10 seconds. This is because the camera doesn't follow the player, but rather it follows the leading car. If a car is off of the screen, they are immediately disqualified, and if a car takes too much damage, they become monochrome and blowup. Either way, the makers of Monochrome Racing made it extremely easy to lose the race. This means that you must be very lucky if you can last just a few seconds without getting too far behind the leader.

The gameplay is poor, making the car spin without control by turning around a little. Keep in mind, the Monochrome Racing doesn’t support Analog Sticks so players are forced to play with the D-Pad. Even the AI is affected by this, as they usually crash for no apparent reason. For example, in my very first race I won because the 3 enemies were stuck in a curve because they crashed. Every other feature of the game is just a gimmick such as the premise of the car becoming monochrome, because the races don’t last long enough to appreciate such things. I didn't have time to use most of weapons given, since the races are finished shortly after they start. One should be aware that the track layouts aren’t important, since the player won’t even have time to drive too much through the tracks. Winning only unlocks some achievements (which are useless), money, and more tracks. Even if the player loses, choosing the “Continue” option will put the player in the next race. However, when the player loses, no money is gained from the race. Money is used to buy other cars, power ups, and repair the car.

Of course, the game would be better if the presentation was better, but sadly, it isn't. The game boasts that there are 85 different tracks, but there are actually just 10 or 12 tracks that are reused in different positions. The audio is awful, because the game has only one song for the races and the sound effects for the menu are annoying. The menus themselves are boring and have a lack of options. It is a good thing the game comes with a handy Software Manual, because the power ups are never explained in-game and are left for the player’s interpretation. The graphics don’t play a large role in the races because they are dull and the environments are repetitive. The cars look bad, and some sections of the tracks are completely blurred.

Conclusion
Monochrome Racing is a dreadful experience. Even though racing games are not my favorite genre, I have been able to enjoy a select few that I recognize as being good quality games. This is also my first PlayStation Mini, but I can already say that this is one of the worst. Lazy design, awful gameplay, and poor execution completely destroy this title. Coupled by the fact that you can complete most tracks in mere seconds, and that progress is left up to luck, it is obvious that the title is a disaster. I was only able to appreciate the inclusion of multi-language feature and the software manual. Even if you can get this Mini for free, I suggest that you avoid wasting your time.

Monochrome Racing was released on August 2nd, 2011, by developer Nordcurrent. It is available at the PS Store as a mini for $4.99. Prior to writing this review, I played the game for 1.5 hours between my PSP and my PS3.