Fromto Beta Report

Fromto: Toy Cars in Hell

Release Date: November 14, 2019
Platforms: PC
Current Status: Steam Early Access
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I was lucky enough to be provided beta access to play Fromto, developed by Studio Erikson, and surprised me more than I expected. Since this is a beta report, I wont dwell too much on technical issues because they can be ironed out from now until release. Unfortunately, due to the continue system in single player it was difficult to continue my progress without it being annoying, but fortunately Fromto has great multiplayer settings, so I took advantage of the “hot seat” local multiplayer to use as a sandbox to test the game for myself.

Fromto is a 2D racing game with plenty of sandbox elements to keep the gameplay fresh and maintain plenty replay value for the players. The game supports both controllers and keyboard, I used both, but unfortunately it felt like the controller was causing my play to be laggy, so I switched back to keyboard. Fortunately, the keyboard use is not that much of a disadvantage, as I felt I was able to control the cars easy, as well as navigate through the UI with ease. Where this game clearly shines is the amount of customization a player can do to the current track, whether it be adding obstacles, using an item to destroy terrain, or just simply adding platforms. There is a scoring system and shop where players can spend points to buy items of their choosing.

I tried a bunch of the multiplayer tracks and was pleased with the different layouts provided. Where I was somewhat confused and surprised was the fact I was able to reach the finish line on a map without laying down any platforms or objects to aid my finish. This happened on the Strawberry map, and I was shocked I was able to pull out a finish on my first turn without anything on the field. Given that the premise of the game is being a sandbox racing game, I would think that race courses would be ‘unfinishable’ without having to lay down at least one platform. If maps can be won without an object it could make multiplayer a bit bland and defeat the purpose. That being said, I was only lucky enough once to beat a map on my first turn, so maybe it was just that, luck. The maps were generally well done though, also with infinite new possibilities for the future.

Fromto does give me minor vibes of Crayon Physics Deluxe just from the visuals. What really intrigues me the most about this game are the various obstacles that can be laid down, with infinite possibilities both in experience and future add-ons. I can actually see this game turning into a game that can become a decent chess match at a high level between two people.

I look forward to playing Fromto when it is fully ironed out because this game really stands out from many games released in 2019 so far.

httpv://youtu.be/R8rdt_j4EIE