I almost couldn’t believe it. Coming off the high I felt from Star Wars Zero Company, I was really looking forward to checking out Star Wars: Galactic Racer. As it turns out, I didn’t even need to purchase the game. In a surprising announcement, Amazon said the game would come to the Luna library, its cloud gaming platform. Let’s think about this for a second. One of the most anticipated fall gaming titles was running on my computer in under 5 minutes, with no purchase necessary. Is it the best way to play? I won’t go that far, but here’s a review of Star Wars: Galactic Racer on Amazon Luna for anyone debating whether to try it this unconventional way.
How to Play Star Wars: Galactic Racer on Amazon Luna
If you’re a Prime member, you can play Star Wars: Galactic Racer on Amazon Luna the same day as on other platforms and access the single-player modes. This version doesn’t include multiplayer, but the announcement confirmed Campaign, Arcade, and Scenarios modes. As a Prime Member, I can’t say I’ve used Amazon Luna much. I have good internet, so I’m not worried about poor latency or averse to new technology. More often than not, I buy the games I want to play, and they aren’t always on Luna until after release. In the case of Galactic Racer, I sort of think we might have
In your web browser, visit the Amazon Luna website and log in to your Amazon account. If you have Prime, you’ll get access to a collection of games available via the Cloud. Right now, Galactic Racer is trending as the platform’s top game, so it’s easy to find. Click Play Now to get started on your way to podracing glory.
How is Galactic Racer Performance on Amazon Luna?
When I first booted up Amazon Luna, I jumped straight into Arcade mode to see how the game compared to the original podracing game, Episode 1 Racer. That’s a favorite of mine from the Nintendo 64 era, and this new iteration of its arcade racer action was one of my most anticipated games of the fall. By the time I finished a few races, I was really impressed with the way the game performed on the cloud service.
Amazon Luna delivered a smooth experience while I played. I’ve spent about four hours in Arcade mode and the early stages of the Campaign. During that time, Luna delivered consistent performance. The game runs at 1080p most of the time, dropping to 720p only in rare moments. To be fair, I was testing my internet by streaming content from multiple devices during these instances, so it appears my data, not the platform, is to blame. While not everyone has an incredible internet plan to support seamless cloud gaming, Luna seems to do its best to meet players where they are. Amazon Luna requires a sustained internet speed of at least 10 Mbps for a 1080p video stream, and estimates 10GB of data usage per hour streamed at that resolution.
The Campaign Tells a Good Star Wars Story
You don’t get access to multiplayer modes in the Amazon Luna version of Galactic Racer. Still, the game centers on a great Star Wars story worth checking out in the Campaign. The game takes place during the New Republic era. At this time, a high-stakes underground racing circuit called the Galactic League hosts rivals across unsanctioned courses run by syndicates. With the Empire’s fall, opportunity is bountiful, and lifelong podracing fan Darius Pax has assembled an underground racing league, hoping to create a new golden age for the sport. Players take on the role of Shade, a dreamer as much about podracing glory as about revenge. For what? You’ll have to hop into the game to find out.
The Campaign has great roguelike elements. You’ll not only be selecting your route in races. Different paths offer upgrades that can give you an edge among the galaxy’s elite racing pilots. If you weren’t planning to buy this game, the Campaign will give you a great taste of what it offers. I’m not a multiplayer gamer by nature, so this is a perfect fit for me. Between solid performance and free access for Prime members, the inclusion of Star Wars Galactic Racer on Amazon Luna might go down as the biggest suprise of the fall in games.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is available on Amazon Luna, as well as PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in its full release form.
