Star Wars Episode 1 Racer: Nintendo Switch Controls Guide

While the debates surrounding the prequels will continue for decades – perhaps with less heat following more recent releases – but few deny the spectacle that was witnessing the Boonta Eve Classic.

Star Wars Episode 1: Racer represents a classic age of Star Wars in gaming, with the Nintendo 64 release being fondly remembered for its deep roster of pod racers to unlock, range of tracks, and the ability to upgrade podracers.

Now, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer is back as basically the same game but on modern consoles, thanks to developers Aspyr.

To help you jump straight into a podracer and take on the likes of Dud Bolt, Gasgano, Ratts Tyerell, Ben Quadinaros, and Sebulba, the table below contains all of the Switch controls for Star Wars Episode 1: Racer.

Star Wars Episode 1 Racer Switch Controls

With more controller buttons and formats available, there are a few different ways to play Racer on the Nintendo Switch, from advanced dual joy-con controls to single joy-con controls.

For the purposes of these podracer controls, the analogues are noted as (L) and (R), with the buttons on the d-pad shown as Up, Right, Down, and Left. If you need to press an analogue to activate its button, (L3) or (R3) will be shown.

How to use Boost in Star Wars Episode 1: Racer

While using the Racing Controls for Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, you’re given the option to use a boost.

To activate the boost, you first need to reach full speed. You’ll know that you’re going at full pace when the curved bar to the bottom right of the screen fills up to turn the dot at the top of the bar green.

Next, you’ll need to push forward the left analogue to make your podracer to go even faster. Doing this will result in the full blue curved bar being taken over by a red bar.

You have to maintain speed and not steer too far either side: otherwise, the filling of the bar will be disrupted.

If you manage to drive straight for long enough while pushing forward on the left analogue, the bar will fill red, and the dot at the top will turn yellow.

When the yellow dot shows, you can then press the boost button (A) to activate a tremendous speed boost. While you hold down the accelerate button (ZR), you’ll continue to boost.

However, boosting for a prolonged period will start to damage your engines. So, when the temperature warning starts to show in the bottom left of the screen, it’s a good idea to release the accelerator for a second to drop speed and avoid overheating.

Once you’ve evaded the ‘Temp Warning,’ you’ll notice that the coloured curved bar has receded. To perform another boost, get back up to full speed again, push the left analogue forward, and press boost.

It should be noted that steering while boosting is significantly hampered, but one of the quickest ways to regain control is to release the accelerate button just before pulling off a manoeuvre.

Now you know the controls needed to take on the galaxy’s greatest racers and unlock the podracers for your own use.

How to hover over gaps and slow your landing in Star Wars Racer

One aspect that will frustrate many podracers is the inability to simply hover over small gaps.

Others will have also found trouble with taking severe damage when landing from big jumps, or not even being able to fly far enough to get to the other side of a big jump.

In the later races, such as Dethro’s Revenge on Ord Ibanna, being able to hover and slow your descent becomes a necessity.

So, when you see a short gap coming up, want to stay in the air for longer, or want to soften a landing, pull back on the left analogue.

This will slow your speed, but it redirects your thrusters to allow you to maintain track height when going over gaps. This action will also slow your descent, which means that you can fly further and land slower.