RazorianFly

Designed and developed by Cobra Mobile, described as ‘.. the ultimate iPhone racing experience’, and very much compared to the (highly successful) PlayStation space-racer franchise Wipeout comes Low Grav Racer, a high-speed, fast paced, futuristic racer for iPhone and iPod touch. I took it for a test drive, and I have to say, I was impressed. Actually, I was highly impressed.

Lets first start off with the visuals. There’s some stiff competition these days with titles like Fastlane [App Store], Wave Blazer [App Store], and Snail Mail [App Store]. The question is, How does Low Grav Racer compare, graphically? We’ll, I’d first say it’s somewhere between Fastlane and Snail Mail. Game play is very realistic, and the accelerometer controlled movement is great, but it can be a bit .. well … sensitive. With no current visible options to change the sensitivity of the accelerometer, this is one thing I think this title could benefit from.

Exclusive to iPhone and iPod touch, the firm describes the title:

“Set in the far future, mankind has spread throughout the solar system, terra‐forming planets and moons such as Mars and Titan and edging ever farther to the depths of space. The spirit of the Wild West is alive and well in this new frontier however, so is the profiteering and the danger. The largest of the independent Space Corporations have developed a number of extreme ‘space sports’ for entertainment and gambling; Low Gravity Racing is the number one sport. It is a dangerous but speedy way for brave or just plain crazy pilots to make a name for themselves and get rich quick.”

General Gameplay
Low Grav Racer [App Store] is set in a futuristic environment, where the laws of gravity are nothing but defied. Launching into the game you’ll find two initial playing modes; single race and competition. Choosing ‘Single Race’ mode throws you into the garage were you can pick your ride. There are four classes of ship you can pilot; Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. Choosing a type of ship then brings you to the ships currently available in that category. The further up the scale you go ( Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta), the more modifications and features your ships will gain. With it, you’ll also gain speed, agility and armor. You’ll probably notice Gamma and Delta class are locked by default, you have to complete and place in races at certain speeds and positions to unlock the better of the ships.

Taking Alpha class as an example, described as fast, sleek and easy to handle, these ships can only reach a top speed of 200kmph. There are three ships unlocked for you use by default, including; the Arrowhawk, Scarab and the Iron horse, each with their unique racing properties.

Tracks
By default, you’ll also find three unlocked tracks for you and your ship to mercilessly rip up, including; Martian Skyline (located on Mars), Asteroid Run (through the asteroid belt), and Nebula Turmoil. Further levels to be unlocked include; Space Junk, Red planet, Ice Planet, Martian Mayhem, Trials of Titan, Asteroid chase, Return to Titan, Martian Mashup and finally Hyperspace dash. Each track taken on in ‘Single Race’ mode requires you to compelte a certain number of laps around the twisting course, until you finish.

So that’s Single Race mode, but what about Competition mode? – Well as the title suggests, this is a race against a current. Survival of the fastest. In this mode, you have the same tracks as in Single Race mode, but each is locked until you beat each level’s ‘best time’ located on the description of the current level.

Racing
Controlling your ship is as easy as tilting your device. Acceleration of your ship is automatic, but you can brake using the ‘brake pedal’ located on the left-hand side of in-game playing screen. Tip – braking when approaching corners heavily decreases your chances of crashing into the side reservation.

Pickups & Weapons
Throughout Low Grav Racer, you’ll find a slurry of weapons you can pickup on the track, and use against your opponents – you’ll have to be fast though – if your opponent gets to the weapon point before you, your dust. Ranging from one wave energy blasts, to mines, to three wave energy blasts, once a weapon is lauched it stalks the track in sight of your opponents, or in their case, you. You’ll also find object packs which will help you, the most notable being shields. Pick up a shield in-game and your ship will be encapsulated by a pulsating red bubble. Your shield. Hurry though, it’s only active for about 6 seconds.

Things we’d like to see added:

- Wifi Multiplayer
- Sensitivity options
- More ships
- More pickups/weaponry

Overall
Low Grav Racer is just that, a futuristic, polished, fast paced, action packed racer which boast pretty much incredible graphical game play and reasonable reply value. It’s graphic-full environment is what will ultimately sell it to the App Store crowd, but don’t be fooled, this racer has great game play elements to it too, and with a few in-game additions it could become even better. Definitely recommend this one.

We’ll have a video up shortly.

Reviewed at: v1.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 2.2
Download size: 25.1MB
Released on: 01st Dec 2008
Retails for: £3.49 / $5.99

Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G