Asphalt 7: Heat Review
PROS
- Energetic, thumping soundtrack keeps you in the groove.
- 15 gorgeously rendered stages; plenty of familiar touches for fans of Arcade Racers.
- Silky-smooth controls; responsive drifting, if still very unrealistic.
CONS
- Career mode lacks depth; no real sense of agency in your development as a racer.
- No difficulty options; AI presents almost no challenge until the mid-stages of the career.
- Rewards spamming of social media feeds; utterly unnecessary to progression.
VERDICT
While just as unrealistic as its predecessors, Asphalt 7 manages to turn up the notch on its presentation, game modes, AI and career progression, making it a hard to ignore example of fun Arcade Racing.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
It seems to be taking many small incremental changes, but the Asphalt series by Gameloft is slowly approaching something akin to the coin-swallowing racers that still dominate modern arcades. Gorgeous in its presentation, utterly unrealistic in its racing, but still challenging thanks to fierce AI opponents, Asphalt 7: Heat keeps things simple, but nails the mindless fun inherent in the genre.
Each of the 15 eye-popping stages feature a range of hidden, and not so hidden short-cuts that will eventually become the difference between finishing on the podium. The game itself is split in to 13 cups, requiring players to complete a series of fixed events before competing for the cup itself and unlocking a special car should you take out first place.
The range of vehicles on offer is nothing short of impressive, with anything from fast-fours to super-cars and everything in between being available, albeit for a price. Each handful of cars are split in to one of seven tiers, with players being given one car to start with that can also be upgraded. New cars are unlocked as you earn stars from races or completing mini-missions, but if you're after an edge you can also 'rent' a car in the appropriate tier for a reduced price.
The career mode initially presents itself asa very linear experience, starting (predominantly) with lower tiers of cars and slowly working its way towards the final tier. However, in a surprisingly refreshing change the game mixes things up by going back to earlier tiers and introducing harder AI opponents to test your ability to drift, conserve turbo or 'adrenaline' boosts, and manipulate short-cuts to your advantage. This manages to stave off the usual fatigue from repetition, though lengthy play sessions can still feel same-ish.
Once you've unlocked a few cars it's worth checking out the multiplayer as well - hosted mostly through Gameloft's servers, it's hard not to find a race or three and despite some latency, the games ran smoothly (though drop-outs from other drivers were quite common).
The only thing missing from Asphalt 7: Heat is an evolution to the gameplay itself - the gameplay tweaks and career balancing make for an intense and entertaining Arcade Racer, but it's still the mindless drifting and turbo-punching gameplay we've come to expect, albeit pitch-perfect in its execution.
Screenshots
$4.99
