Ballistics is a 2001 futuristic racer from the Swedish studio Grin, represented here in the arcade incarnation handled by Triotech Amusement. The concept is simple and shameless: no roads, no cars, just rocket-bike machines screaming through half-open tubes at velocities ordinary racing games never attempt.

Grin originally built the game as a showcase for the newest generation of PC graphics hardware, and the extreme sensation of speed is the entire point. Tracks twist into spirals, riders can climb the inner walls of tunnels, and winning is mostly a matter of holding the throttle at the edge of what the eye can process. Few games of the era bet everything so openly on a single emotion.

Moving it into arcades was a natural second life. A short, overwhelming ride is the ideal arcade format, and Triotech specialised in attractions designed to stun bystanders at first glance — a cabinet running something this fast advertised itself. The record lists one or more players, so the tube duels could be fought against a live rival rather than just the clock. Grin would later work with major publishers, but its reputation as a technology-first studio was built on exactly this kind of project.

You will not launch this one in the browser. OldGame.cz brings together the year, the developer and a gallery for the game, and even the static screenshots make it obvious why Ballistics was talked about as one of the fastest racing games of its day.