Today we had the chance to sit down with the new RedLynx title Monster Trucks Nitro for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Originally released as a PC (and Mac) game, Monster Trucks put you in control of these giant vehicles on 24 tracks. The new iPhone version slims the track selection down to 8. It also introduces a new control method more suited to the iPhone -- the Bubble Level Rotation control. The theory behind this control scheme is that the truck reacts to the rotation of the iPhone. The trucks do a nice job here. However, we found the actual view movement to be very jerky and frustrating. If you’ve played Cro-Mag Rally by Pangea, the view movement is similar. If you didn’t mind it there, you should be happy with Monster Trucks Nitro. AppSmile hopes RedLynx fixes this flaw soon, because the rest of the game is we’ll grounded.
Players can choose between 2 trucks initially with 2 more becoming unlocked as you achieve gold metals. We loved the truck designs, kind of made us think we were Mad Max for a second. All trucks are driven by an acceleration and brake pad near the bottom of the screen. RedLynx has also included a Cruise Control button that comes in real handy on the Loop track. Suspension is the name of the game with these robust brutes. You’ll love the incredible reaction between the trucks and the track obstacles. The game takes its name from the Nitros that are availble in each track. Nitros kick up your speed and push you hard to make certain jumps.
Gold, silver, and bronze metals are awarded by your track completion times. In reality, the time increment difference between metals is minuscule. Yet we had a hard time forcing our truck to gold. In fact, we were a little confused trying to wrap our minds around what actually makes your truck go faster. Soon we realized that your speed is, most of the time, based on how you interact with the track. For example, how you enter and land a jump. This creates quite a test in what might seem a simple endeavor.
RedLynx has developed beautiful settings to race in. The menus are creatively designed as well. Unfortunately, we found a few grammar errors in some of the instructional wording. These errors combined with the jerky game movement gave the AppSmile team a sour taste. While initially thrilled to see such stunning graphics, our game play experience left us with a desire to smash things! Maybe that’s the point when you’re dealing with monster trucks…
Great Features:
- Well designed Trucks
- Nice physics reaction to iPhone movement
- Beautiful scenery and menu visuals
- Well suited menu soundtrack
Disappointments:
- Very jerky view updates can kill the moment
- Small grammatical errors
- No way to adjust tilt sensitivity
Monster Trucks Nitro gets our AppSmile 3-Dimple rating:
