Phantom Spark Review: Otherworldly High-Speed Racing
Phantom Spark is a compelling time trial race that successfully encourages you to keep trying. Our full review.

Calling a racing game peaceful feels strange, yet that’s precisely how I’d describe Phantom Spark. Much as I love chancing risky overtakes in the latest Formula 1 game or casually touring the countryside in Forza Horizon 4, Ghosts’ time-trial racer presents a refreshing change of pace with its beautiful otherworldly setting. A curious air of mystery pervades this calm yet inviting world, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Phantom Spark sees you traversing three visually appealing realms that house ten levels, each ruled by a champion. A brief tutorial helpfully teaches you the basics, and Phantom Spark doesn’t attempt anything complicated; simply accelerate, turn, and brake. I appreciate that upon making a mistake, you can restart your run with a quick button press without any loading screens or fade to black. Jumping immediately back into action without breaking your momentum is nice, and a strong soundtrack complements each stage.

As a time-trial racer, Phantom Spark doesn’t place you against other AI opponents in the traditional sense. Instead, levels require clearing them at least once within a specific time before offering “ghost” opponents, which places you against your fastest time and the realm’s champion. Trials, which are much shorter stages that don’t use rankings but require beating the AI’s ghost, add some welcome variety between these missions.
Phantom Spark uses a momentum system that poses several considerations. How closely should I commit to that upcoming turn? Do I need to brake or lift off the throttle to avoid hitting a wall? The fastest way to get anywhere is in a straight line, after all, and losing momentum after a wall collision can set you back considerably. That’s before considering how one domain increases your speed when driving over set tiles, while another challenges you with slippery terrain.
Each course is well-designed to fit this approach, and I’m consistently pushing myself to set better times for the online leaderboards. A three-tier ranking system grades your finish time, and getting top marks requires a near-flawless attempt that’s always challenging to achieve. Shaving off fractions of a second to improve my overall run feels more satisfying than I imagined, and earning top marks in Phantom Spark feels like an accomplishment.

The game isn’t exactly unforgiving since you can restart levels freely, but a single mistake can derail your entire run. That can be slightly annoying on each realm’s lengthier final stage, but it’s never frustrating. Cornering feels tight, and every mistake I made was always my fault. Eventually getting through is quite satisfying, and I’m still returning to these levels after finishing the campaign.
Since I didn’t have the chance to try split-screen multiplayer yet, this review is only based on the single-player experience. Even then, Phantom Spark is worth jumping into. Completing every level doesn’t take particularly long, but that doesn’t matter. What’s here is a highly engaging time trial racer with strong replayability, tight controls, and a lovely presentation. I’d consider it one of my favourite games so far in 2024.
8/10
Phantom Spark was reviewed on Steam, and a review code was provided by the publisher. It's also available on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.
Rewinder uses a 10-point scoring scale in our reviews, and we've detailed our review scoring policy here for more information.
Notice
This review was initially published on Henry's Medium account on August 13, 2024. The following text remains mostly unchanged beyond minor grammar edits and the addition of a score.
Comments ()