AeroDrift Review

By , on September 15, 2011


AeroDrift
Download on the AppStore
4 out of 5

PROS

  • Mind-bending levels that only get more challenging as you proceed.
  • Quirky 2.5D gameplay; stuck on a 2D plane, but visualized in a constantly shifting 3D world.
  • Simple and highly responsive controls.

CONS

  • Level difficulty can reduce the challenge to rote memorization/practice rather than responsive skill; your mileage may vary on whether this is a negative trait.
  • Would benefit greatly from ghosts/replays; downloadable or local.

VERDICT

jAggy Race is mind-bending and not above exploiting player expectations of traditional 'arcade' racers to make things a real challenge; mastering the ability to mentally swap directions, be it reversing, flipping gravity or a combination of both is the key to victory.


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Time-trial racers can range from the most mundane or vehicular simulators to the most insane of concepts such as flipping gravity. jAggy Race by SevenOnly mashes the two ends of the spectrum, ending up with something that feels more like an arcade racer injected with some seriously whacky psychotropics and despite the handful of levels available you're unlikely to master this game any time soon.

This is, simply put, because the game is not above changing the rules mid-race, often several times in a row in quick succession. While your go-kart is set on a flat 2D perspective, allowing you to move only forwards or backwards, the level you drive on is set in a 3D world, with a camera that often shifts perspective on a whim to highlight the next major stunt you'll have to pull off. Instead of remaining on a relatively flat world, your racer will be subjected to a racetrack that folds in on itself, with cliffs that force you to jump out in to a void while having gravity reversed, requiring you to move forward by going backwards (all the while avoiding deadly blades and lasers ready to blow you up).

Each of the three worlds features only five stages, with a bonus level unlockable if you can clock in at a gold-place time in three of the stages. This is easier said than done when getting a gold on the tutorials is hard enough, let alone while constantly flipping around in the amusingly designed 3D worlds you'll travel to.

What makes jAggy Race so special is the way it teases a bronze victory on a level, forcing you to overcome obstacles and memorize traps and gravity-flips just to see the next crazy stage. It's high-speed fun set on a fine-line of difficulty that may inspire you to greatness or make you see red, so enter at your own caution.

Screenshots

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