Atari is known for a lot of legendary properties. Indeed, it would be difficult to tell the story of the early arcade scene without mentioning titles like Pong, Asteroids, Breakout, etc. The company's Sprint series, conversely, is not exactly a household name. Still, it had a rather successful run from 1976 to 1989, turning out a handful of engaging top-down single-screen multiplayer racers, one of which — the original, called Sprint 2 — broke ground with its semi-intelligent CPU racers. Several decades later, Atari and developer Headless Chicken Games have brought the moribund franchise back with NeoSprint, which retains the single screen formula and adds 3D isometric visuals, several new game modes, and a track builder.

Although NeoSprint brings the Sprint series into the 21st century, it retains the foundational gameplay from the 70s and 80s. That means single-screen racing, simple controls, and an emphasis on local multiplayer. While the game has some advanced moves, including drafting behind other racers and drifting around corners, the basic commands couldn't be simpler: steer, accelerate, and brake. As a result, it enjoys a welcoming, approachable, breezy vibe. The other, less positive side to that is that racing isn't all that complex or varied. Still, it benefits from a certain pick-up-and-play arcade accessibility.

It also benefits from a lot of content, although not every feature and mode is great. Perhaps the most disappointing is Campaign Mode, the heart of the single-player experience. It's not bad by any means, but it's not at all what's promised. The game suggests that you will "become the champion of an amazing racing story" but there's no narrative — apart from some one-dimensional rivals that challenge you at the end of each cup. It lacks any sense of drama or conflict or even progression. All the cars are already available, and the playable "characters" are limited to two generic male and female avatars. You can unlock car skins, which is nice, but it never feels like you're advancing a story or moving up the ranks. 

That said, the maps — all 48 of them — are fairly interesting, and the cups gently increase in difficulty and complexity as you go.

In addition to Campaign, the game provides several other single-player modes: Grand Prix, where you can create your own four-track cups, pulled from existing courses and/or online uploads; Free Race, a one-off race; Time Trial, with easy, medium, and hard benchmarks; and, perhaps most enticing of all, Obstacle Course. This mode pulls all the tracks from Campaign but remixes them with hazards. The goal is to finish the course as quickly as possible, but be warned — colliding with an obstacle will add seconds to your final time. 

If you somehow manage to beat all the cups, collect all the cosmetics, and unlock each and every medal, you might want to move on to the Track Builder, a flexible, easy-to-use tool where you can create the speedway of your dreams. Not only that but you can upload your creations online and download those of players from around the world. 

Unfortunately, that's where the online connectivity ends. NeoSprint doesn't include any form of online multiplayer, which is a shame since it plays best with a bunch of human players weaving through traffic, jostling for pole position, and occasionally combining to form an eight-car pile-up. Luckily, the game supports simultaneous four-player local multiplayer on PS5.

What it doesn’t support, however, is a great aesthetic. Built in Unity with humble assets, NeoSprint looks very much like a budget title. In fact, the game’s visual identity is its weakest element. The models, tracks, and backdrops all lack detail and texture, and the rival portraits are simple cartoon drawings. Overall, there’s a certain artificial quality to everything. As for the soundtrack, it’s fine, forgettable background racing music.

Even though, in general, NeoSprint underwhelms when it comes to presentation, it does introduce two interesting visual features. The first is that it allows players (in solo modes only) to switch the camera perspective from the traditional locked single-screen viewpoint to a car-focused angle that follows the player around each track. The second is a lovely little flourish: if any two cars attempt to cross the finish line on the final lap at approximately the same time, the game zooms in and slows down the action, allowing for a photo finish. It never gets old.

While NeoSprint didn’t spend a lot of money on graphics, it did invest a good amount of time and energy on value and replayability — which is ultimately what helps it become a fairly good entry in the Sprint series. Thanks to multiple single-player modes, four-player local multiplayer, and the (theoretically) endless user-generated content of Track Editor, the game provides hours of entertainment. Its Campaign Mode is a letdown, and the lack of online multiplayer hurts its longevity, but NeoSprint is an overall okay arcade racer suitable for both solo play and game night with friends.