RoverCraft Racing
Latest
Build and race your own space vehicle with RoverCraft Racing
RoverCraft Racing is a game for iOS in which you are an astronaut driving your rovercraft around on Earth, or perhaps foreign territory in our galaxy. The game doesn't really so much involve racing other than trying to beat your own records, but it does include vehicle physics and complete customization of what your rovercraft looks like and what it's capable of. RoverCraft Racing is free with in-app purchases for both iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 7.0 or later. The game's graphics and UI look strikingly similar to Angry Birds, which is probably on purpose. Being that Angry Birds is so massively popular, it makes different aspects of the game seem pleasantly familiar yet new at the same time. You start out with two different game modes unlocked automatically: the Daily Challenge and Earth, the planet we're all accustomed to. The Daily Challenge provides a different task for you and your rovercraft to accomplish every 24 hours. The vehicle is pre-configured so customization is limited in this mode, but it keeps you coming back every day for more. It's innovative in a game of this genre and it doesn't take too long to complete either so that it would feel like a chore to do every day. The object of the game is in contradiction with what a standard racing game implies. There's no need to go too fast here, in fact it's sometimes encouraged to slow it down a bit. Tapping and holding the right side of the screen is like hitting the gas and the left is hitting the break. The physics are decent and graphics again are reminiscent of Angry Birds, though I did find that the vehicle crashes or breaks a bit too frequently for my taste. Even basic hills cause your wheels to break off. You can remedy this problem somewhat with upgrades. More on that later. The other game modes are just different settings. There's Earth, Mars, PSO318 and Charon - the latter two of which are less recognizable objects in space. The latter three cost coins to eventually unlock. You gather coins by passing through them with your rovercraft on Earth and completing challenges, or earn them by watching ads. In addition to buying new locations to travel with coins, you also use coins to upgrade your rovercraft. The shop offers various types of wheels, frames, batteries, engines, cockpits and helmets for you and your vehicle. Prices range from 120 coins for a basic wheel to around 15,000 coins for high-end cockpits or the "Super Sport" fast wheel. Other than earning coins, another option is to just buy them in packs. US$1.99 gets you 15,000 while $19.99 gets you 250,000. Not too shabby. Though I'm not too crazy about how the physics are implemented, RoverCraft Racing is intriguing to say the least. It's great for customization junkies who want to go all out on building a cool vehicle, while at the same time encouraging you to keep playing to overcome obstacles, collect coins and advance in the game. The in-app purchases aren't that unreasonable either. If it tickles your fancy to roam the galaxy, give it a test drive with RoverCraft Racing free in the App Store.
