World Rally (1993)

Release Date: February 1, 1993
Developer: Gaelco

World Rally is a road rally-themed driving game. Licensed by Gaelco of Barcelona, Spain, it is suitable for both street and arcade locations. World Rally is a 1- or 2-player alternating driving game. Controls include a steering wheel on a mounting pod, a high/low gear shifter assembly, and an accelerator pedal. Players select 1 of 4 rallies to start, each progressively more difficult than the one before. A rally is composed of three stages, offering a variety of different track layouts and road surfaces. Asphalt, dirt, night driving and snow-covered roads require players to adjust their driving skills accordingly. Players maneuver their way through hairpin curves, jumps, bridges, puddles, and other obstacles. Completing each stage within the 60-second time limit allows players to advance to the next stage for free. After the finish of each stage, and at the completion of all 12 stages, players' times are displayed and compared with other top drivers. It became notable in recent years due to being extremely difficult to play on emulators like MAME, as the arcade hardware implemented an advanced anti-piracy system until Gaelco co-founder Javier Valero provided unencrypted keys for the PCB in 2008 at a Spanish gaming conference, allowing it to be emulated and played. Gaelco later made its ROM image available as freeware.