We’ve all played with Matchbox cars; I remember my favorite was a white ice cream truck — it was as fast as a Maserati and was even able to fly. I was brought right back to my childhood when I started playing Reckless Racing by Electronic Arts ($2.99), as it offered a great new perspective on handheld racing. It feels like racing a bunch of Matchbox cars. Along with a great angle on racing, it felt like it was designed specifically for an iOS device, rather than being made to work on one.
Tap the app and you will see the Reckless Racing splash screen as the app loads. After a banjo-filled musical interlude, you’ll arrive on the main screen; I really enjoy how they put this together with the road racing by in the background. Your options are, from top to bottom: “Single Player,” “Multiplayer,” “Options,” “About,” and “More Games.” Tap “Single Player” to begin learning to race recklessly.
The app starts you off with a tutorial by walking you through the interface and allowing you to race for an unlimited amount of time around one of the tracks. At the top of the screen, you’ll find the name of the current steering style that you are racing with; tap the right or left arrow to change the current style. After you select the one you like, you can change it in the future from the “Options” menu. When you feel comfortable with your abilities, you can press pause and exit the tutorial. The next time you tap “Single Player,” no tutorial will be found.
The interface is laid out very well. The upper left hand corner offers the pause function, while the upper right hand corner is your “reset” button for getting your car back on track. The lower left, middle, and right change depending on which steering style you choose.
You have a few control layouts to choose from. There is the “Standard,” which puts your steering arrows (right/left) by your left thumb, and your gas/brake arrows by your right thumb. The one I use is called “Tank;” basically, this just means the pedal is automatically pressed to the floor and all I do is steer right and left and tap the brake every once in a while. Along with these there is also “Tilt,” which uses the tilt function of the device to steer. Lastly, the two other layouts which use a steering wheel are the “Half Wheel” and the “Full Wheel.”
Add a few types of racing models, and you have yourself a game! The only thing they could have done better is added some more levels. I thought this was a great addition to my games, and it’s one that I am definitely keeping.
