Tonight I played Byte Driver by Thalamus Digital Publishing LTD. It can be found using the link in the game name on Itch.io where it will cost you $7.99 to play. I'll tell you why this game might interest you under the cut.
I love the retrowave aesthetic. The muted colors, the vague pixelated quality of the sights, the whole vibe makes me feel like I'm back on my clunky television playing weird bootleg games my dad would hunt down and burn for me. Nostalgia to the max.
Byte Driver delivers on not only the visual aesthetic, but also has that harsh but faded chiptune music and sound effects that make me feel like I'm trying to find a specific channel on a very old and disagreeable TV. Choice.
Aside from the style of the game, I also had a pretty good time playing it. I think this is the first game I've touched on so far that doesn't have some kind of underlying narrative.
The setup is that you are driving a car that goes very fast, chasing down cars that are slightly less fast than you so you can hack them and keep going very, very fast. Sounds simple, but you have to control your speed in order to keep the other vehicles in your sights, keep a sharp eye on those sharper turns so you don't hit the sides, and rely on your adaptable gaming nature to pick up the keybinds so you can balance all this while getting distracted by the blur overlaying the retrowave view. Maybe that last part is just me.
You also compete against other players on a scoreboard to see how long you lasted, if a little arcade-esque competition entices you. Genuinely, this was so fun for what it was- a reflex-heavy retrowave themed racing game. Great job, Thamalus.