Unirally

Unirally
Cover art by David Harto
Developer(s)DMA Design
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Mike Dailly
Robbie Graham
Programmer(s)Andrew Innes
Artist(s)Martin Good
Writer(s)Steve Hammond
Composer(s)Colin Anderson
Platform(s)Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • NA: December 1994[1]
  • EU: 27 April 1995
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Unirally (released as Uniracers in North America) is a racing game developed by DMA Design and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in December 1994 and in the PAL territories on 27 April 1995.

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot.

The gameplay of Unirally involves racing riderless unicycles around a 2D track.[2] Heavy emphasis is placed on performing stunts, which cause the unicycle to accelerate on race or circuit tracks and earn points on stunt tracks. The stunts that can be performed are relatively simple, primarily involving jumping into the air and rotating around a given axis in 3D space. The objective is to perform these stunts quickly in tight situations while landing the unicycle on its wheels to avoid wiping out, which results in the loss of accumulated speed.

The game features nine tours of five tracks each (two race, two circuit, one stunt), totalling 45 tracks. Completing each of the first eight tours requires defeating computer-controlled opponents for each of the bronze, silver, and gold ranks. The final circuit features the Anti-Uni as the computer-controlled opponent. During this tour, colliding with the Anti-Uni causes several unusual effects, such as rendering the track invisible, reversing controls, and desynchronising the backgrounds from the actions.

The track is composed of bars with patterns that correspond to the properties of the track at or near that point. For example, a solid yellow bar indicates a shortcut, while orange/yellow bars signify an upcoming hazard. There are also various obstacles, including speed boosts, corkscrews, loops, twists, and jumps. Split-screen two-player modes are available as well, including a league mode that allows up to eight players to compete in one-on-one races. There are 16 different coloured unicycles to choose from, each with its own save file and customisable name.

Development and release

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Unirally was known by the working title "1x1" during its development. The developers practised riding real unicycles throughout their offices to enhance their understanding of the mechanics.[3]

Lawsuit

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Shortly after the game's release, DMA Design was sued by Pixar for allegedly copying the unicycle design and concept from their 1987 short film Red's Dream. Mike Dailly, one of the developers at DMA Design, commented, "The problem with Pixar was that they seemed to think that any computer generated unicycle was owned by them". DMA Design lost the lawsuit, and as a result, Nintendo had to terminate production of additional Unirally cartridges. According to Dailly, "The deal was that Nintendo wouldn't make any more carts, so Unirally only sold the 300k initial run". Fellow DMA Design developer Robbie Graham recalled, "They took footage from Red's Dream and compared it to Unirally and the unicycles were virtually the same; this isn't a big surprise as there's not a lot of ways you can bring life to a unicycle without looking like the one Pixar did. The judge—being the moron that he was—agreed".[3]

The limited sales were one of the factors that led to DMA Design being sold to British video game company Gremlin Interactive, and then quickly again to American publisher Take-Two Interactive, to become a subsidiary of Rockstar Games.[4]

Reception

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GamePro gave a mixed review. They praised its fast pace and "hard-drivin' unicycle music" but criticised the sound effects and graphics, noting that the backgrounds are clean but boring and the unicycles "all look identical". They concluded that players should "try this addictive game".[9] A reviewer for Next Generation similarly stated that Unirally is innovative and oddly compelling despite its superficial dullness, but noted that the excitement and novelty of the game diminish quickly.[12] Ed Semrad of Electronic Gaming Monthly remarked, "While it lacks the charm of most ... Nintendo titles, there is bound to be a cult following". However, the other three members of the magazine's review crew gave Unirally a negative assessment, stating that while the graphics and controls are good, the game simply lacks excitement.[8] Entertainment Weekly rated the game a B−.[15]

Accolades

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Nintendo Power ranked it as the 8th best SNES game of 1994.[25] In 2011, IGN named it the 98th best game for the system.[26] In 2018, Complex rated the game the 52nd best Super Nintendo game, stating: "Loops, flips, tricks, Uniracers had it all. It was a bona fide SNES game, with the colors, fun, and music that made the system great. We love this game."[27] In 1995, Total! placed the game 23rd on its Top 100 SNES Games, writing: "It's bizarre, but it works and unusually it's superb in both one player and two player modes".[28] In 1996, Super Play awarded Unirally 97th place in their Top 100 SNES Games of All Time. They praised the game’s original gameplay and graphics, writing: "The enjoyment of hammering around loops and twirls is heightened by the split-screen two-player mode, which makes all the difference".[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Super NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  2. ^ Uniracers instruction booklet (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, US)
  3. ^ a b McFerran, Damien (9 March 2010). "Feature: The Making of Unirally - Whoever said two wheels are better than one didn't experience this wholly unique racing title". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  4. ^ Andrew Webster (15 June 2011). "A reason to hate Pixar: Uniracers on the SNES is a masterpiece". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Uniracers for Super Nintendo". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2019. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  6. ^ Weiss, Brett Alan (1998). "Uniracers - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. ^ Skews, Rik (February 1995). "CVG Review: Unirally". Computer and Video Games. No. 159. EMAP. p. 78. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Williams, Ken (February 1995). "Review Crew - Uniracers". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 67. Sendai Publishing. p. 32. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  9. ^ a b Larry, Scary (March 1995). "ProReview: Uniracers". GamePro. No. 68. IDG. p. 72. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  10. ^ Kirrane, Simon (February 1995). "Reviews - Unirally". GamesMaster. No. 26. Future plc. pp. 58–59.
  11. ^ A_Bkdm (17 June 2011). "Test de Unirally sur SNES par jeuxvideo.com". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Finals - Uniracers". Next Generation. No. 3. Imagine Media. March 1995. p. 103. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Now Playing - Uniracers". Nintendo Power. No. 67. Nintendo of America. December 1994. p. 102.
  14. ^ Garnier, François (February 1995). "Super NES Review - Unirally". Consoles + (in French). No. 40. M.E.R.7. p. 104. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  15. ^ a b Strauss, Bob (27 January 1995). "Uniracers". Entertainment Weekly. No. 259. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  16. ^ Ehrle, Oliver (June 1995). "Spiele-Tests: Unirally". MAN!AC (in German). No. 20. Cybermedia. p. 74. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  17. ^ Noak, Philipp; Appel, Markus (April 1995). "Test Super Nintendo: Unirally". Mega Fun (in German). No. 31. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. pp. 36–38. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  18. ^ Schneider, Ulf (May 1995). "Minimal-Raserei - Unirally" (PDF). Play Time (in German). No. 47. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. pp. 110–112. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  19. ^ Lassale, Guillaume (May 1995). "Tests: Unirally". Player One (in French). No. 53. Média Système Édition. pp. 66–68. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  20. ^ Sanz, Juan Carlos (April 1995). "Equilibrio Sobre Una Rueda - Unirally". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 36. Grupo Zeta. pp. 30–33.
  21. ^ Feldmann, Maris (June 1995). "Test - Unirally". Total! (in German). No. 25. X-Plain-Verlag. pp. 20–21. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  22. ^ De Steene, Julien Van (May–June 1995). "Selection - Unirally". Ultra Player (in French). No. 29. Média Système Édition. pp. 20–23.
  23. ^ Barysch, Jan (April 1995). "Super Nintendo - Reviews: Einerlei - Uniracers". Video Games. No. 41. Future-Verlag. p. 113. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  24. ^ Bieniek, Chris (March 1995). "Power Reviews: Uniracers - "...frantic, funny and faster than a speeding bullet."". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 74. Larry Flynt Publications. p. 62. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Top Games of 1994". Nintendo Power. No. 68. Nintendo of America. January 1995. p. 4.
  26. ^ "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - #98: Uniracers". IGN. Ziff Davis. 27 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  27. ^ Knight, Rich (30 April 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 43. July 1995. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  29. ^ "The Super Play All-time top 100 SNES games". Super Play. No. 42. Future Publishing. April 1996.
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