Today, we would like to discuss one of the most downloaded games in the App Store, which is gaining popularity—the racing simulator Traffic Rider.
But first, we can’t fail to mention the game that follows closely behind the aforementioned simulator: Racing in Car. At first glance, they appear to be the products of the same developer, but upon closer inspection, they turn out to be incomparable and, after all, inexorably different. The first game was created by Soner Kara; the second by Caner Kara. There is no answer on the Russian-language internet to the question of the differences or similarities between these developers, so we can only guess (or scour the English-language internet) as to what led to the almost simultaneous release of these similar yet unbearably different games.
The gameplay is simple and painfully familiar: control your bike by tilting your device, overtaking countless traffic participants on an endless highway. And there have already been countless games like this. The last one on my shopping list was Raceline CC, which was deleted from my tablet within the first few minutes of playing. I don’t remember what I didn’t like about it, but that’s not what we’re talking about now. In Traffic Rider, we are invited to get back on the bike, but this time the concept is that we cannot change the view. Only the view from the eyes, only hands on the handlebars, only hardcore. This is the first and unconditional plus—the developers have spared us the torment of choosing the camera position and decided for us that, although it is more difficult than a third-person view, in this game we will see everything through the eyes of the rider. The presence of hands on the steering wheel is the second plus, compared to Raceline, for example. The game is still in version 1.0, but we already have the opportunity to buy gloves in different colors. Imagine what will happen next! But first things first.
Let’s start with the first launch. After loading, we are immediately shown what we will be riding—an unimpressive light blue scooter. Is that all? Don’t rush to conclusions; riding a scooter can also be quite exciting. And if you look in the garage, you’ll find 20 different bikes, from sports models to real classics – choppers. To unlock them, you just need to level up and save money. Of course, games without donations are a thing of the past, so some motorcycle models can be purchased with real money. However, there are not many of them, and they are not superior to other motorcycles in all respects.
So, once you’ve found a nice bike, you can go earn money for it, but there’s something else interesting in the garage:
- Improvement system. Each motorcycle is characterized by three indicators: power, handling, and braking. Each indicator can and should be upgraded, but only to a certain level, which, by the way, is immediately indicated in the same characteristics. The system is not flexible at all, but it is simple and allows you to immediately assess the potential capabilities of each motorcycle.
- Paint job. We can choose the color completely at random by moving the slider across the color spectrum. It’s not expensive, but it’s completely pointless, since you can’t really see the motorcycle during the race, and I don’t think there are many people who want to admire their iron horse in the menu.
- The next option is to purchase gloves, as I mentioned above. Seeing your hands on the handlebars adds to the realism, and the choice of hands is an insignificant detail, but undeniably pleasant.
- Stickers, with the promising title “Coming soon…” I wonder how this will be implemented, but as I said, the external configuration of the bike does not play a significant role here.
Unfortunately, the motorcycles are fundamentally no different from each other, that is, there are no distinctive features inherent in a scooter or chopper in the game, and they differ only in the three characteristics listed above. This is where the main problem with this game lies: as you try out new bikes, you inevitably realize that they all accelerate, turn, and brake the same way. But I want to believe that if the developers don’t stop developing the project and continue on the right path, all of this can be expected in future updates.
So, now that we’ve sorted out the garage, we can hit the road. There are four modes in the game:
- Route. This is the so-called campaign, offering 42 missions with different tasks and requirements. Overall, it’s pretty monotonous, but the constantly growing requirements don’t let you relax and force you to constantly look for a more profitable source of income, as well as risky rides on a motorcycle that doesn’t meet the track requirements. Unfortunately, sooner or later you will have to face the message “This mission is impossible! A new bike is needed” and go to other modes in search of money.
- Before the crash. In my opinion, this is the most interesting mode, offering a theoretically endless race, but only until the first crash. Depending on your driving style, you can earn a lot or a little in bonuses, which means that how quickly you earn money is entirely up to you.
- Against the clock. In this game mode, a one-and-a-half-minute timer will be ticking, which you can replenish by recklessly cutting off passing and oncoming cars, which will inevitably end in a broken helmet sooner or later. When the time runs out, the race is over.
- Free race. The most useless thing in the game. Do whatever you want, you won’t get anything anyway.
