Editor’s Note: After following his mum, the wonderful Meghann O’Neill, to multiple PAX shows, 15-year-old Lyndon approached me for a chance to dip his toes into writing. Ever keen to see the next gen come through, especially given the state of the industry, I was more than happy to make it happen. After you read this, I am sure you will agree that as far as debuts go, this is a banger. Bring on the youth.
PAX Aus 2025 - Angel Hands-on Preview: A Deep Racing Rhythm Matchup
As a 15-year-old high school student, PAX Rising is pretty far from my usual experience. There is a massive selection of interesting games to explore, compared to what my friends play, like Valorant, Roblox, and Counter-Strike 2.
When I played Angel on the show floor, it raised an unexpected question: “What does an angel have to do with a racing game?” Even after playing the Steam demo at home, I’m still not 100% sure, although it hints that the angel may not be the divine protector I was expecting. However, this mashup of racing and rhythm works well, thanks to the sheer speed at which the action unfolds in Angel and the connection to the exciting music. It gave me a new perspective on storytelling.
The aesthetic is “early PlayStation” according to my mum (whatever that means). You are a computer that traverses the aftermath of a dying system (eCho), which was designed to achieve artificial perfection. Many aspects of the story are unclear, but Ripple, who sits on your CRT monitor (whatever that is), highlights your path by pointing towards objectives and will always be there, alongside you for the ride.
One data fragment says, “Something about the urban landscape helps X exist at a distance,” and you can choose from ‘ME, US, YOU, or THEM’ to complete the sentence. Later, in a dream sequence, the story you created is retold to you, and you learn that you are trying to protect your rewriting of history. From the Angel!?! This story is intense. Who are these ‘eChoes’, randomly giving warnings and advice? Should you trust them?
The narrative and gameplay structure revolve around the motif: EXPLORE || CREATE || REFLECT. First, you explore an area and complete challenges, then you create meaning from the fragments you collect, and then reflect upon the story you created thanks to a dream sequence. I interpret this as a meta idea about how language models in this world take from humans (explore), create their own works, reflect and see what they built, and loop until it creates ‘perfection’. I could be completely wrong, though.
Based on my prior experience with games like TrackMania, Forza, and Rocket League, I noticed that Angel is an open world (in story mode, which I found most interesting). I enjoyed discovering reroutes and alternative paths, trying to find the fastest way to get to the objectives, especially because there are paths above and below you that can be accessed by teleporting. Although designers implicitly suggest routes through each area’s jumbled spaghetti, finding another path that works and is quicker felt really rewarding.
The control scheme is very simple, and there are many ways to interact with the areas. There are paths, ramps, boosters, and rings that are both necessary and fun to use. I enjoyed the challenges to unlock data fragments, in which there are three main types: DataStream() – dash to an end goal, Explore.Server() – pass three beacons, and Explore.Traverse() – race to keep up with a competitor. You can also engage with the rhythm game in story mode, but it is more explicit in arcade mode. On the track ‘calibration’, along with the basic experience of racing, you have to tap a rhythm on Xbox controller buttons A and X, for kick and snare, to go faster. The rhythm is partly syncopated (offbeat) on 1, 2, rest &, 4, so as well as trying not to drift into a wall, you have to feel the groove in your head. The music is glitchy and breakcore, with long melodies and eerie voices that get catchy quickly and stay fresh.
I understood how the rhythm game worked eventually, but the game doesn’t always explain itself well. Imagine, in the tutorial, tapping perfectly in time, confused by why nothing is happening, before realising for the last five minutes you’ve just been pressing the wrong button. (Couldn’t be me.) Additionally, when a music track changes, there are a few moments when there isn’t a beat, which really puts me off, especially during a challenge or jump.
Angel is cryptic, and there is a lot under the surface of the story. It reminds me of Portal because both are so much deeper than first impressions would suggest. At my second PAX Australia, I couldn’t have guessed the range and variety of games I’d see. In Angel, the eChoes say, “I think I’m realising that exploring isn’t the same as finding.” I’m glad I played this game because it’s different from my usual kind of game, but also because I appreciated how detailed and deep an indie game can be.
Thanks to my mum for editing and encouraging me to write this piece.
