One of the key weapons the SNES had in its battle against the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive was the ability to smoothly scale and rotate background layers using Mode 7, a special graphics mode built into its hardware.
This feature was put to excellent use in a wide range of SNES games, including F-Zero, Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings and Contra III, giving the console a unique edge over the competition.
While Sega would add similar capabilities to the Genesis via its Sega CD add-on, the system lacked the same visual trickery – although it's possible to achieve similar effects using software rather than hardware.
That's what homebrew developer Laserbit Games is doing with its forthcoming top-down racing title, Gears of Rage. "Gears of Rage features an innovative Mode 7-like camera that doesn't use any special hardware, just pure blast processing," says the studio, referencing the technical jargon used by Sega's marketing department back in the '90s to explain why its console was better than Nintendo's.
Gears of Rage has been in development for some time (the trailer above is from the start of 2022), but Laserbit has stated that "huge" announcements should be expected soon.
The game certainly looks interesting, so we'll be keeping a close watch on developments. Let us know if you're equally excited by posting a comment below.