Originally announced under the name "Vertigo",[5] the game focuses on special motorcycles that reach up to 450 km/h racing through dangerous tracks in a dystopian year 2021.

Reviews typically commented that despite its prolonged development cycle, Scorcher's graphics were still cutting edge,[14][18][19][20] but that the gameplay design is flawed and overall mediocre.

[14][17][18][19][20][21] Lee Nutter of Sega Saturn Magazine, for example, called it "A graphically excellent racing title where the gameplay appears to have been more of an afterthought than an integral part of the game.

[21][a] Jeff Gerstmann, writing for GameSpot, said that it was simply too generic,[17] while James Price of Saturn Power cited a lack of variety in the tracks.

[20] Sushi-X of Electronic Gaming Monthly felt these competitors offered no challenge, and the track obstacles suffer from poor collision detection.