Digimon Racing
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| Box Art | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Digimon Racing  Digimon Racing
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| System | Game Boy Advance |
| Release Date |  April 01,2004September 13,2004 April 30, 2004
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| Language | Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian |
Digimon Racing (デジモンレーシング, Dejimon Rēshingu) is a video game.
Story[edit]
Gameplay[edit]
Summary[edit]
Digimon Racing is a racing game in which six Digimon at a time compete to place first in each track. The game is split into three modes; Cup Race, Quick Race, and Time Trial. Cup Race is the game's main progression mode, and is where the player is able to unlock new tracks. Earning a trophy in each of the first three cups will unlock a respective boss battle, and beating that boss battle will unlock four new tracks, and the next cup. After beating the third boss, the player will unlock a series of smaller three-track themed cups, ending with the Boss Cup, requiring all three bosses be beaten back-to-back. Quick Race allows the player to do single races on any track they've unlocked, and Time Trial allows players to race solo on unlocked tracks to try and beat their times. Completing any of these modes will unlock a hidden racer.
Controls[edit]
Aside from typical racing game controls, Digimon Racing also adds a jump button, a central mechanic for good play. Jumping allows the player primarily to take shortcuts and attack other racers by landing on their heads. Jumps can also allow racers to cross off-road more efficiently and, with good timing, dodge items. Turning is particularly slippery, as the game does not have drifting, and racers will take turns wider the longer the turn button is held. Holding the turn button for too long will cause the player to spin out, so careful preparation and letting go of the button is required for more difficult turns.
Digivolution[edit]
All racers have an energy meter, akin to F-Zero. This meter is split into three bars, and starts with one and a half bars full. When one bar is full, racers will be in their base form; when no bars are full, racers will devolve into a weaker state; when two bars are full, racers will digivolve to a stronger state. Once all three bars are full, they will get a unique item that they can use at any time until either it is used or they lose digivolution. At each stage, racers' stats will improve, making them hard to keep up with for racers that are behind them in energy. As well, during racer collisions, if one racer is at a lower digivolution state then they will spin out. Energy can be gained by passing over certain sections of the course, or will be gained automatically when below halfway full. Energy is lost when being hit by items and other racers, or can be lost due to map obstacles. Item usage automatically expends energy as well, so careful managing of the meter is necessary to not lose digivolution.
Items[edit]
There are two types of items in the game. Common items can be picked up from item boxes and are available to any racer. Unique items are available only to their respective Digimon, and are unlocked when filling three bars. Racers can hold one unique and one common item at a time.
Common[edit]
The game features seven common items[N 1], all of which cost one quarter of a bar. Common items are:
- Blue Orb: Fires directly forward, and briefly traps any racer it hits in a bubble.
- Red Orb: Targets the racer ahead of the user, and upon hitting them briefly traps them in a bubble.
- Bomb: Drops a bomb behind the user which will explode on contact or after a certain amount of time.
- Speed Boost: Instantly gives a burst of speed.
- Meter Boost: Instantly fills the racer's entire energy meter.
- Lightning: Instantly hits and causes every racer ahead of the user to spin out.
- Shield: Temporarily protects the user from items, and causes any opponent who collides with the user to spin out.
Unique[edit]
The game features eleven unique items, all of which cost three-quarters of a bar. Unique items are:
- Mega Flame (Greymon): Works the same as Red Orb, but causes its target to spin out.
- Foxfire (Garurumon): Works the same as Red Orb, but causes its target to spin out.
- Chikuchiku Bang Bang (Togemon): Fires three projectiles in three directions which work the same as Blue Orbs, but cause their target to spin out.
- Heaven's Knuckle (Angemon): Works the same as Lightning, but only targets the first racer in front of Angemon.
- Mega Blaster (Kabuterimon): Works the same as Red Orb, but causes its target to spin out.
- Fire Flap/Meteor Wing[N 2] (Birdramon): Works akin to Speed Boost, but provides a lasting speed increase after the main boost.
- Cat's Eye/Neko Punch[N 2] (Tailmon): Temporarily reverses the racer in front of Tailmon's controls.
- Harpoon Vulcan (Ikkakumon): Fires three projectiles directly forward which work the same as Blue Orbs, but cause their target to spin out.
- Exhaust Flame (Growmon): Works the same as Lightning, but only targets the first racer in front of Growmon.
- Flame Shield/Knuckle Fire[N 2] (Fladramon): Works the same as Shield.
- Corono Blaster (Vritramon): Works the same as Red Orb, but causes its target to spin out.
Maps[edit]
There are twelve race tracks and three boss fights in Digimon Racing.
Race Tracks[edit]
The race tracks in Digimon Racing are as follows:
- Desert Oasis: Racers drive around a desert track avoiding sinkholes in the off-road. Etemon and Tyumon feature as minor obstacles.
- Toy Town: Racers drive around a walled grassy track with many speed panels. Many Numemon are on the track and will slow racers down if collided with.
- Desert Cliffs: Racers drive around a desert tracks with many holes that can be fallen down. Cacti litter the track and will drain energy if collided with, and Ponchomon will roll boulders around that can also drain energy if collided with.
- Swampy Bog: Racers drive through a wet map surrounded with water hazards. Piccolomon hover around and will slow down racers if they get too close.
- Jungle Ruins: Racers drive around a grassy map filled with water and rock obstacles. Digitamamon walk over the track and will drain energy if collided with.
- Coastline: Racers drive through a beach map with many shortcuts possible by jumping over the water. Shakomon litter the end of the track and will briefly trap racers in the air if collided with.
- Underwater: Racers drive through a walled, aquarium-like track. Many pools of water filled with Rukamon scatter the map and risk being fallen into.
- Polar Ice Land: Racers drive over an icy track with lower traction than normal. Particularily icy patches are present that will severely hinder turning, and Snow Goburimon prowl the track, draining energy if collided with.
- Volcano: Racers drive through an ash-strewn track, avoiding lava and harsher than usual off-road. Peti Meramon jump from lava pools and will slow down racers if they get too close, and Gottsumon appear in a large group and throw racers that collide with them backwards.
- Snocap Mountain: Racers drive through a snowy course with many difficult tight turns. Many ravines with tight bridges are present, and Mojyamon throw snowballs that freeze racers on contact.
- The Caves: Racers drive through a tightly walled underground course, evading pits and minecarts.
- Cloud Kingdom: Racers drive through a sky map with many shortcuts from jumping over the many gaps. Opossummon will throw bottles at racers which drain energy on contact.
Boss Fights[edit]
Boss fights are staged against a powerful Digimon, and racers must collect Red Orbs to fire at the boss in between the boss's attacks. Each boss take three hits, but the player must defeat them before one and a half minutes pass. Boss fights are as follow:
- The Factory: Red Orbs appear on conveyor belts, while Omegamon uses Garuru Cannon to attack the racer.
- Digital Space: Red Orbs appear on the left and right side of the map, while Diablomon teleports from corner to corner and uses Catastrophe Cannon to attack the racer.
- Deep Jungle: Belial Vamdemon hides in the center of a maze, throughout which Red Orbs are strewn. It will use Pandemonium Flame on the racer, and being hit will teleport the racer back to the start of the maze.
Cups[edit]
There are nine cups in the game, with the first three having four races and the remaining five having three. Completion of the first three cups will unlock a boss, while later cups will unlock the next cup in sequence. Cups, listed in order of unlocking, are:
- Western Cup: Desert Oasis, Toy Town, Desert Cliffs, Swampy Bog
- Eastern Cup: Jungle Ruins, Coastline, Underwater, Polar Ice Land
- Central Cup: Volcano, Snocap Mountain, Mines, Cloud Kingdom
- Burning Cup: Desert Cliffs, Volcano, Desert Oasis
- Frozen Cup: Cloud Kingdom, Snocap Mountain, Polar Ice Land
- Aqua Cup: Swamp Bog, Coastline, Underwater
- Urban Cup: Jungle Ruins, Toy Town, Cloud Kingdom
- Perilous Cup: The Caves, Polar Ice Land, Snocap Mountain
- Boss Cup: The Factory, Digital Space, Deep Jungle
Characters[edit]
Playable characters[edit]
- Koromon - Agumon - Greymon
- Tunomon - Gabumon - Garurumon
- Pyocomon - Piyomon - Birdramon
- Tanemon - Palmon - Togemon
- Tokomon - Patamon - Angemon
- Motimon - Tentomon - Kabuterimon
- Pukamon - Gomamon - Ikkakumon
- Nyaromon - Plotmon - Tailmon
- Chibimon - V-mon - Fladramon
- Gigimon - Guilmon - Growmon
- Flamon - Agnimon - Vritramon
Non-playable Characters[edit]
- Belial Vamdemon (Boss)
- Diablomon (Boss)
- Digitamamon
- Etemon
- Gottsumon
- Mojyamon
- Numemon
- Omegamon (Boss)
- Opossummon
- Peti Meramon
- Piccolomon
- Ponchomon
- Rukamon
- Shakomon
- Snow Goburimon
- Tyumon
Staff[edit]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Developer | Griptonite Games |
Trivia[edit]
- As this game was developed by American studio Griptonite Games rather than a Japanese studio like most Digimon games, the original version of this game is technically the English version with it being localized into Japanese from English. This is the first game to do so, followed by Digimon Battle Chronicle, with it and Chronicle made in 2004 by American game studios.
- Despite Agumon being playable, the computer racers will never pick it, and so it will only show up in a race if player controlled.
- Agnimon's portrait on the racer select screen is lacking a black background, despite every other racer having one for theirs.
