MX Moto

At the risk of over-stretching the analogy I started in my recent Dirtbike review, if Polarbit’s anaemic stunt bike racer was like a stripped-back motocross bike – fun but inherently limited – then MX Moto adds mirrors and mud-flaps.

It’s still primarily used for throwaway fun, but it adds enough features to make it a little better suited to long haul journeys.

The basic premise of Camel’s latest game is very similar to Dirtbike. The goal is to guide your little dirtbike rider from left to right, correcting his orientation as you negotiate bumps and jumps.

MX Moto is an altogether more involved ride, though. For one thing, you have complete control over the throttle by touching the right side of the screen (the left is for brakes).

Shifting your weight forward and back is achieved here by physically tilting your handset accordingly. Fortunately, it’s not too sensitive, so you have to make a really deliberate movement to set your rider spinning.

Before long you’ll be starting such a spin deliberately, as completing flips helps drive your time down come the end of the race. Getting a quick time and beating other racers on the online scoreboards is the main focus in MX Moto.

It’s a good job the game has this competitive element, as there are only 12 tracks available. While the online leaderboards, allied to an alternative Bomb mode (the same tracks but with explosives to avoid) extend the game’s lifespan considerably, it’s a shame there aren’t more levels.

MX Moto is very tidy and efficient. The doodle-esque graphics won’t set your heart racing, but they’re technically proficient and fulfil the needs of the game admirably. For example, the grid-paper background serves to inform you of your speed and bearing when airborne.

There’s not much wastage on display here, although the ability to pick up and drag your rider post-fall seems like a leftover from an earlier build.

Overall, MX Moto is a tightly-made casual racer that manages to wring a decent amount of replay value from its limited track list.