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The iPhone has already seen its fair share of racing games, but the water-based racer is a sub genre with less competition. Aqua Moto Racing from Resolution Interactive puts you on a jetski as you race around some gloriously blue water trying to win races, earn points and upgrade your ride. It’s simple stuff, but the package is so nicely put together and, at £1.79, it’s a tempting prospect for all seafaring gamers.
Aqua Moto uses a traditional progression structure that sees you competing in six increasingly hard race championships before trying your luck in the final GP event. Each championship consists of a number of races, with your performance in each awarding you points towards your overall championship position. If you manage to place in the top three at the end of each race series you’ll unlock the next championship, and so on and so forth.
Key to the success of Aqua Moto is the feel of the jetski on the water. While we’re not up to Wave Race levels of brilliance here, tilting the iPhone subtly (even at the default sensitivity) produces excellent results and you’re able to navigate the buoys (essentially what mark out each course) without having to turn the iPhone so sharply that you can’t see the screen.
A boost system is also in place, giving you an injection of speed for as long as your boost meter can take. This meter can be replenished by riding your jetski as close to the buoys as possible and by performing mid-air tricks after hitting ramps. By thrusting your iPhone upwards while in the air you’ll be shown a selection of tricks, performed by holding down one of the on-screen moves. Time it well and you’ll get a boost replenishment, but try something you don’t have time for and you’ll slow down, giving the opposition a chance to catch up.
While the courses on offer in Aqua Moto aren’t the most diverse, the visuals here are extremely solid. The water is the highlight of the package and a smooth frame rate helps give the game an old-skool arcade feel. The soundtrack isn’t up to much, but considering you’re likely to be playing in short bursts it’s not a huge problem.
All in all Aqua Moto is a fine addition to the AppStore, combining intuitive, fun gameplay with smart visuals and a decent amount of content. It’s a shame that you’re restricted to playing alone (this would have made for a brilliant multiplayer game), but even so we reckon Aqua Moto is well worth a download.
