Game: Beat Racer by ZPLAY and Lila Soft games
Genres: Racing, music
Platforms: Android, iOS
Driving down a long stretch of empty road with music blasting from the speakers and the wind in your hair is what a perfect drive means to many of us. How would you feel about having the luxury of choosing the time and place for it? If that appeals to you, check out the app Beat Racer, which lets you drive through a beautiful neon world to the beats of music.
You manoeuvre a futuristic car down a highway, jumping over spikes and switching lanes to avoid a speedy drilling machine that wants to total your car. Like in any other racing game, the controls are simple. Swipe left and right to move and swipe up for jumping. Swipe down to fire a laser beam at the drilling machine and take it off your tail.
On the way, you have to collect red and blue gems that you will need later. The best part is that you will be doing all of this to the beats of music. From the swipes to the gems you collect, you do it in sync with the music. That makes it easier to anticipate when the next gem will materialise. Each long ride is divided into stages that last as long as the song playing in the background.
The graphics are sleek and colourful. Beat Racer looks like it has come right out of the world of Tron. The one thing that they have done consistently is that everything responds to the music, and that includes the graphics. From the hues and colours in the background to the spikes that block your way, everything thumps and jives with the beats.
Music is a key aspect of the game - and the choice and collection of it does not disappoint. There are over 50 tracks of electronic music that deliver varying levels of heart thumping action. You can complete the levels sequentially or pay gems to unlock these tracks. There are also multiple cars that you can choose from, which affect your speed and gem collection. If that was not enough, there are boosters like gem magnet, shield and dash - that you can get by watching advertisements - which help you complete levels.
VERDICT: Beat Racer is not a very unique game. It can be a bit difficult at times to complete and the electronic tracks might not appeal to everyone. However, it is a game that stays true to its promise: it gives you the experience of racing to the beats of music. For that, and its sleek graphics, I'll rate it nine out of 10.
