When it comes to futuristic racing games, few names are as iconic as WipEout. For decades, the series has been one of the first games that comes to mind when talking about anti-gravity vehicles, impossible speeds, futuristic tracks and races where every corner can turn into a spectacular crash.
But what if you have already played WipEout and are looking for something new?
There is a racing game that may have escaped your radar: Antigraviator.
Released by Belgian studio Cybernetic Walrus, Antigraviator takes the classic anti-gravity racing formula and pushes it towards an even more chaotic direction. Its philosophy is simple: go as fast as possible, exploit the track, sabotage your opponents and try not to crash.
And yes, there is one particularly important detail: there is no speed limit.
Welcome to the future of racing
The premise of Antigraviator is set in the year 2210, in a future where advances in terraforming and anti-gravity technology have transformed racing into a spectacular intergalactic competition.
Instead of traditional cars, players control futuristic vehicles known as Gravs, hovering machines designed to reach extraordinary speeds while navigating tracks filled with twists, jumps, hazards and environmental traps.
The result is immediately recognizable to anyone who grew up with futuristic racers: glowing sci-fi environments, floating vehicles, enormous tracks and races where the difference between victory and a spectacular crash can be measured in fractions of a second.
But Antigraviator doesn't simply try to recreate the experience of classic anti-gravity racers.
It adds its own particular ingredient: chaos.
Forget about simply being the fastest
Speed is obviously at the heart of Antigraviator. The developers even built the game around the idea of having no speed limit, meaning that the player can keep accelerating and pushing the Grav further and further.
But going fast is only part of the challenge.
The tracks themselves can become weapons.
During a race, players can activate environmental traps to disrupt their opponents. Hover mines can be placed in strategic locations, rockslides can cause tunnels to collapse, and rocket launchers can turn an apparently safe section of the track into a dangerous obstacle course.
In other words, winning isn't necessarily about having the fastest vehicle.
Sometimes, it's about making sure everyone else has a much worse race than you.
That gives Antigraviator a more aggressive personality than the traditional futuristic racing formula. Every lap can become a battle not only against the track and the clock, but also against the other racers.
The tracks are part of the game
One of the most interesting aspects of Antigraviator is the way its tracks are designed around speed and interaction.
The game features several futuristic worlds filled with dynamic courses, designed to make the most of the game's high-speed gameplay. Official materials describe five worlds with three tracks each in the Steam version, with courses built around hazards, shortcuts and environmental events.
That means that learning a track isn't simply a matter of memorizing every corner.
You also need to understand what can happen around you.
At extreme speeds, knowing where a trap can appear, when to use a boost or when to take a particular line can make the difference between finishing first and watching your Grav explode into the scenery.
And that is where the game starts to reveal its personality.
A racing game where speed isn't enough
At first glance, Antigraviator might look like a straightforward futuristic racing game.
It isn't.
The game combines boosts, power-ups, environmental traps and vehicle customization, giving players several ways to gain an advantage.
The customization system is particularly important because upgrades involve choices rather than simply making the Grav better in every possible way. Choosing one improvement can mean giving something else up, forcing players to think about the kind of vehicle they want to build.
Do you want more speed?
Better handling?
A setup designed around a particular style of racing?
That small strategic layer gives the races another dimension and encourages experimentation.
And yes, it can be played with friends
If you prefer to experience futuristic racing with other people rather than competing against AI opponents, Antigraviator also includes multiplayer features.
The game supports local split-screen multiplayer for up to four players, alongside online multiplayer and rankings.
That makes it particularly interesting for anyone who remembers the appeal of sitting on the sofa with friends and turning a racing game into a chaotic competition.
Except here, instead of ordinary cars, everyone is flying through futuristic environments at absurd speeds while trying to sabotage one another.
It is difficult to ask for a more appropriate recipe for a multiplayer racing session.
A forgotten alternative for WipEout fans
There is an obvious comparison that follows Antigraviator everywhere: WipEout.
And honestly, the comparison makes sense.
Both games are built around futuristic anti-gravity vehicles, high-speed racing and spectacular sci-fi environments. Even contemporary coverage described Antigraviator as a racer inspired by the spirit of WipEout.
But Antigraviator shouldn't be approached simply as a clone.
Its emphasis on environmental traps, its aggressive approach to overtaking and its obsession with speed give it its own identity.
The philosophy is almost absurdly simple:
Go faster.
Then go even faster.
And when someone tries to overtake you, make the track as dangerous as possible.
Why should you try it today?
The biggest problem with games like Antigraviator is often not the game itself.
It's that people don't know they exist.
The anti-gravity racing genre has always had a dedicated audience, but it remains a relatively small corner of the racing world. Once you've played the most famous names in the genre, discovering another game with the same futuristic appeal can feel surprisingly difficult.
That's exactly why Antigraviator is worth a look.
It combines the familiar appeal of futuristic anti-gravity racing with its own ideas: unlimited speed, dynamic tracks, environmental traps, boosts, customization and multiplayer.
It may not have the enormous legacy of WipEout, but that isn't necessarily the point.
Sometimes the most interesting games to discover are the ones that never became household names.
You can try Antigraviator for free on indiexpo
If all of this sounds like your kind of racing game, there is an easy way to find out for yourself.
Antigraviator is available to download for free on indiexpo, making it possible to jump straight into its futuristic races without having to commit to a purchase first.
So, if you are a fan of WipEout, futuristic racing games, or simply games where going ridiculously fast is the whole point, Antigraviator deserves a place on your radar.
Turn on the engines, choose your Grav, hit the boost and prepare for the inevitable crash.
After all, in a racing game with no speed limit, slowing down was never really an option!
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