When British indie developer Hello Games first emerged onto the scene way back in July of 2009, they aimed to make a name for themselves by creating a new and exciting racing platformer. Joe Danger turned out to be a runaway hit, winning the studio numerous awards and solidifying the series as an important landmark in indie game development. After performing extremely well on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms, the company took on the challenge of bringing their series to mobile devices and passed with flying colors. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t pass on their latest creation.
Joe Danger Touch is a brand new racing game made exclusively for iOS devices. In this day and age where high profile games are ported over from one platform to the next, it’s fresh and rewarding to see a title of this stature made completely from the ground up. For starters, the touchscreen interface gameplay controls are intuitive and easy to use. Players can simply pulloff wheelies and backflips by swiping the screen in any given direction. However, executing jumps and ducking require precise timing because you have to account for obstacles that you’ll encounter along the way.
The game features 50 new challenging levels to experience across 10 world tour divisions. Each level has a set of 3 objectives, which include collecting coins, scoring perfects, and completing the lap. Coins are essential because they can be used to purchase new costumes for bonus laps, and grant access to other tours later in the game. Additional objectives such as collecting gold stars and pro medals may appear to switch things up from time to time. Lastly, you also must compete in one-on-one races against AI controlled characters. Successfully beating these characters will unlock both them and their costumes for you to use in future gameplay sessions.
Conceptually, each course is designed in a way in which the driving is automatically done for you. This dynamic keeps the player solely focused on steering and dashing throughout the course from beginning to end. The game does a great job on familiarizing you with the basics quickly and teaching you new skills as you progress through each tour. As expected, the difficulty level rises once you get to the later contests and encourages you to elevate your skills accordingly. Failing to maneuver past obstacles automatically generates a comical crash sequence that evokes slapstick humor. Playful moments like these deliver on two fronts by persuading players to keep trying all while keeping them thoroughly entertained all throughout.
Graphically, the game captures the essence of the same signature cartoony style that made other entries in the series great. The palette of colors used in both levels and character designs give off a very fun and exciting feel to the game’s entire environment. The soundtrack is equally engaging and guaranteed to have you humming tunes long after you’ve stopped playing the game.
While Joe Danger Touch has so many positives, there is at least one negative that some people may find annoying. The game doesn’t have a dedicated multiplayer mode built into it. However, players who do extremely well in races and score Pro medals can then challenge their friends times through iOS gamecenter integration. With up to 59 Pro medals to collect and 24 character costumes to unlock, fans are guaranteed to be playing this game for quite a while.
Joe Danger Touch currently retails for $2.99 and is available for both the IPhone (3GS model and up) and iPad devices. If you’re a fan of engaging racing platformers and Joe Danger, then picking up this game is an absolute no-brainer.
This review was based on a retail download copy of the game for the iPhone 5 provided by Hello Games.
