Posted by Ryan Johnson on 03 18, 2010

Alpine Crawler

Categories: Games, | 3 comments | |

Talk to any off road enthusiast and they’ll tell you there’s nothing better than bogging through the mud, scaling mountains, crawling over boulders, and winching buddies out of water. If you’re the type that enjoys off roading then you may want to checkout Alpine Crawler. Alpine Crawler, created by 3D Magic Kft., is a fun free game app that brings a little bit of the excitement of cross country vehicle racing directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch. This game pins you up against unpredictably bumpy, steep, and fluctuating terrain. You’ve got to get to the finish line as quickly as you can without getting stuck or inflicting too much damage on your vehicle. To advance in the game it requires pushing the limits between speed and safety. Drive too slow and you won’t advance, but make the slightest oversight and you’ll go crashing face first into the ground far far below.

If you’re a fan of driving and racing games than you’ll certainly find Alpine Crawler entertaining. It’s not the type of game that you can just floor the accelerator mindlessly and achieve good results. It’s a 2D style game so there’s no steering required, but the little bit of controls that you do have, accelerator and brake, you’ve got to master. The terrain varies by level. As you’d expect the further you advance the steeper and more unforgiving the terrain. Inclines are both steep and gradual. Often times they’re littered with moguls and sudden drop offs. Declines vary in degree, but for the most part include extremely severe drop offs that require expert braking and perfect speed to conquer.

Each time you launch into the air you inflict some level of damage to your vehicle when you land. The farther the fall and the more severe the landing area, the more damage your incur. Fatal damage and getting stuck are the two things that’ll end your game. You’re able to add additional health if you complete a certain amount of a level successfully. It’s extremely critical that you reach these points because in the more difficult levels you health disappears quickly.

As simple as this game is I found it to be pretty amusing. I’ve been playing it for several days now and seem to keep going back for more. The premise is very simple, but the accelerator begs for you to floor it. If you look closely the tiny driver reacts to the terrain. If you floor the accelerator his head flies back, if you crash into the ground his head whips forward. There’s nothing mind blowing about Alpine Crawler, but if you like racing games like I do you’re going to find it pretty amusing. Besides it’s free! There’s a higher quality paid version available as well called Alpine Crawler World. I haven’t tried it out yet, but I imagine it’s pretty fun.

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