Supermono Grants A Brief Peek At "Drive Forever"
April 27, 2011
iOS, over the last couple of years, has really blossomed into a capable gaming handheld platform. While it's difficult to deny various control issues with the touch-screen-only iDevices, scores of developers have overcome those limitations to release truly unique pieces of video game history. One such title, the dreamlike Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP Micro, is the current App Store game of the week; and its lauded development has received praise from the mainstream gaming community as an inspired take on the future of casual entertainment.
It is in this same direction that the talented Supermono Limited crew hopes to take its newest production, Drive Forever. Already famous for their EpicWin productivity manager, the team hopes to put its new 3D engine (see the video) to good use with their current project.
Drive Forever's premise is almost irritatingly simple. From the Supermono blog:
It’s sort of two games in one. Feeling creative? Build an awesome city, and sketch a winding road running between the towering skyscrapers! In the mood for some arcade action? Race through the giant mega-city that everybody has worked together to build!You can build tracks anytime and race with no limit. The app stitches random user-created portions of road to the end of your current course, allowing you to drive until you (or your iDevice) is literally out of energy. Track segments can be ranked, voted on, downloaded for local play, saved, and shared. Bonuses, unlockables, and achievements will be available, bringing new design elements, themes, and scenery to the world's custom courses. Granted, the premise is novel (if not totally unique) and the developers appear genuinely capable of pulling off the technical tricks required to fulfill the app's lofty vision, Drive Forever will be judged largely on its graphics and control-scheme. If you look at the shots below (from the iPad version), you'll see the former criterion is completely covered: The game looks sublime! As for the latter point, unfortunately, we won't know much until release. Still, there's an overwhelming amount of stuff here to be excited for, so put this looker atop your list of iOS summer blockbusters, and check back in the coming weeks. Drive Forever is designed for iOS 4.0+ devices. No word on if it'll be a universal binary at launch.
