Racing the clock in Coast Racer, Games by Zaweba

The clock is the real opponent in Coast Racer, a 16-bit road race along a sunny coast road on the Retro arcade shelf of Games by Zaweba. There are other cars about, but what matters is reaching each checkpoint before the timer runs out. You race through bends and over hills across five stages, and every checkpoint you reach gives you more time to get to the next.

It's drawn in the style of a 16-bit home computer, and like the rest of the shelf it's a game you can pick up in seconds and keep coming back to for a better run.

The controls

Up or Z accelerates, Down brakes, and Left and Right steer. X or Shift changes gear. There are two gears, low and high, and getting the most out of them is a large part of driving well.

Using the gears

Low gear pulls away quickly but tops out, so it can't give you full speed. Shift up to high for that. The pattern is simple: use low to get going from slow, and move to high once you're up to speed. If you slow right down, after a mistake or a tight bend, dropping back to low helps you get your speed back sooner.

There are two habits to watch for in your first few runs. Staying in low too long caps your speed and costs you time on every straight. Forgetting to shift down after a big slowdown leaves you crawling back up to pace in high. Both are easy to fall into, and both are easy to fix once you've noticed them.

Staying on the road

The coast road has sand beside it and palm trees along it. Stay off the sand and out of the trees. With a timer running, a slightly slower line through a bend is better than one that runs wide onto the sand.

Braking a little before a bend and accelerating out of it is usually quicker overall than charging in and running off the road. The brake is there to be used, and a short touch at the right moment is often what keeps a good run going.

Rivals and points

There are rival cars on the road too, and overtaking them earns points. Passing cleanly is the aim, and with the clock running, a careful pass on a straight is usually safer than forcing one on a bend. If a rival is in your way through a corner, a moment's patience costs less than a tangle.

Checkpoints and stages

Each stage is a run between checkpoints, and each checkpoint adds time, so a clean section builds you a cushion for a harder one later. There are five stages in all. A good way to approach a new stage is to drive it steadily the first time, learning where the bends are, then push harder on the next attempt once you know what's coming.

Esc pauses, F11 gives you the whole screen, and the title card and F1 explain the controls if you need a reminder about the gear change. Games by Zaweba keeps your best score and how often you've played on your own PC, and shows your score beside your best at the end of each race. It all runs offline, with the car, the coast and the engine noise made in code.

Shift up early, stay on the tarmac, and treat every second you save as time in the bank for the next stage.