Remember the Micro Machines games? The top down little racing games where the courses are household objects? That’s the kind of game Nano Rally channels, and for a $US0.99 game, it does a good job at that.
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| This is how all bedrooms look, right? |
For starters, there’s a mass of content for that $0.99. The game features six different environments, each with multiple tracks to race around. There’s a single race option if you’re strapped for time, and a championship mode which takes place across multiple tracks.
The championship mode is good fun – depending on where you place in each race, you’ll earn points (just like in a real Rally), so unlike in many cheap iOS racers, there’s no requirement to come first. It’s a small touch, but it saves the irritating “quit, restart” urge. Placing well in one championship opens the next environment, so there’s some play time in there just to unlock everything.
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| Spiralling into insanity |
On the iPad, the game controls nicely – there’s only left and right, accelerate and brake to deal with, and they’re placed in comfortable positions around the screen. The courses are well designed and in no time you’ll be speeding around the screen with confidence.
It’s a lonely experience – there’s no other racers on the course, though there are some ghosts to give you an indication on how quickly you are getting around.
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| We did not expect this many tracks for $0.99 |
And that’s about it – if you’re used to the modern trappings of racers – customisable cars, nitro boosts and AI… you’ll feel a bit left out here, but then that’s not what Nano Rally is about. It’s a disposable little game that sits on the iPad, and is a good quality alternative to the other $0.99 games.
Well worth a look.
