Protect The Cash And Escape The Police In Reckless Getaway
Reckless Getaway ($2.99) by Polarbit is a top-down arcade racer from the same developer behind the hit game Reckless Racing.
In Reckless Getaway, you play as a wanted robber that just looted a bank. As if robbing a bank wasn't already difficult enough, there are hordes of law enforcement officials on your tail looking to wreck your ride.
Your goal is to make it to the final roadblock without destroying your car more than four times. In order to do this, you can choose to avoid traffic or simply plow right through other cars by hitting them from the side. The roads are tricky and tend to have ramps, sudden turns, and missing sections.
On each level, you can earn up to four stars, depending on the number of points you amass during the high speed chase. Points are awarded for destroying other vehicles, collecting coins, overtaking cars, and achieving airtime. You lose points for wrecking your car, falling behind, and veering off the course.
Every once in a while, several red question marks will appear on certain parts of the road. These contain random powerups that can help you earn more points and stars by giving you speed and jump boosts. A special powerup sends out a wave around your car that pushes other vehicles away.
The game currently has 16 levels, each on a different track. These levels are divided into four tiers that require a certain amount of stars to unlock. An interactive tutorial level will walk you through the various elements of gameplay. Reckless Getaway has Game Center leaderboards and 12 achievements for you to unlock.
By default, the game uses touch controls with two buttons that can be pressed to shift the car left or right. Your vehicle accelerates by itself, and there is no option to brake. From the settings menu, you can switch to tilt controls and change the sensitivity level.
Polarbit's second top-down racing game is much more casual than their first, with an increased number of arcade elements. Although some of the tracks are similar, none are identical, making each of the 16 levels a new challenge. Every play-through is very fast-paced, and the tracks are just the right length.
However, I believe the current star thresholds that need to be met in order to unlock the next chapter are too high. Generally, you are required to earn three stars or more on each level before you can access the next game chapter. Without any difficulty settings, this makes some parts of Reckless Getaway harder than they should be.
The game also needs more control options. The many control modes in Reckless Racing played a large part in its success, but for some reason, are not included in this title.
Reckless Getaway also pales in comparison graphically to its predecessor. Finally, the entire physics system could use a nice revamp to make the handling a bit more feasible.
Reckless Getaway introduces a new level of fast-paced fun to top-down racers. A large number of unique tracks combined with stars and unlockable chapters gives the game a decent amount of replay value.
Polarbit has stated that new game modes and chapters will be arriving soon in updates. If you like action-packed racers and don't mind simple controls and graphics, Reckless Getaway might just be the game for you!
