It’s an exciting day for the Dreamcast online community as yet another game has been brought back from the dead thanks to a joint effort between Shuouma and flyinghead! This one has been in the works for a long time now as Shuouma started working on it back around 2017. Being a Ubisoft game, it shared server code with POD SpeedZone and Monaco Grand Prix Online, but Speed Devils proved to be a bit more stubborn. The game lobby would work but there was something missing that prevented online races from starting. Shu eventually decided to put the game on the back burner in order to focus on others. Fast forward 8 years later, flyinghead decided to take a look at Shu’s code and managed to find the missing piece to get it working. Huge kudos to both Shu and flyinghead for successfully getting the game back online!
SDO is a game that clearly has a cult following and as a huge fan of the original offline version, I can certainly see why. Speed Devils is a crazy fun arcade racer and has such a cool vibe to it with its unique tracks that change as you race. One of the most unique features is being able to bet money and even your own car in races. It’s actually very impressive how full-featured the online mode is, carrying over everything from the single player experience including the gambling and the garage where you can customize and repair your car. Every race gives you an opportunity to earn (or lose) money which can be used to repair any vehicle damage incurred, buy new cars, or customize existing ones. All this is persistent, meaning when you disconnect after a hard day of racing, next time you’re online, your money and car will bill exactly as you left them. In other words, if you’re a lousy driver and you’re broke, you’re gonna be stuck with your beat-up jalopy until you get gud’.
Interestingly when it comes to the racing action, the controls in Speed Devils Online changed quite significantly from its original incarnation. If you’ve played the original, the stiffer handling is going to take so getting used to. I imagine the developers had a good reason for this change, most likely related to the online play. Regardless, once you accustom yourself to the car handling, SDO is a devilishly fun time and I’m extremely thrilled to finally be able to play it online!
As per usual, be sure to check the Connection Guide for all the info you need on how to connect. If you have any issues with the server, be sure to report them in the Dreamcast-Talk post here. Big thanks to both flyinghead and Shuouma this spectacular new addition to the modern Dreamcast online library! Hope to gamble away my rides to many online players soon!