Crash Test Dummy Racer

Sometimes, simplicity is a good thing. When you consider the daunting levels of complexity embraced by certain popular RPG and sim titles, it can be refreshing to happen upon a game that deliberately funnels your attention toward a single goal.

There's a caveat to the simple game scenario, however. If you choose to base your game around a single mechanic, you'd better be sure it's a damn good one.

Crash Test Dummies Racer is a racing game with no steering, no nitrous, and no drivers - not living ones, anyway.

Instead, like the multi-million dollar-generating CSR Racing, this drag racing title has you tapping a single button to change gear and nothing more.

Actually, the above statement is not strictly true - you also have to apply the brakes at the end of the track to stop your dummy from crashing into the wall. Which is odd, when you consider that the whole point of a crash test dummy is to crash into walls.

This conceptual dichotomy sums up the overriding issue we have with Crash Test Dummy Racer: someone hasn't thought this thing through.

The rules are easy to grasp: watch your car accelerate, punch '5' to cycle up through the gears, and punch it again to slam the anchors on at the finish line.

While the one-button control system works just fine, it's difficult to predict whether your opponent will lag miles behind for the duration of the race, or leave you in a cloud of pixellated dust the moment the chequered flag drops.

Even changing gear at precisely the same moment race after race yields radically different results, making you feel less like a driving god, and more like a victim of circumstance.

To its credit, CTDR offers a good sense of flow, with near-instant restarts available in both Single Race and Championship modes. And, although the difficulty curve is bent out of whack, it does prevent tournaments from being monotonous.

However, to return to a previous criticism, while the core of the game works well (albeit erratically), the test dummy concept feels like it's been crammed into the package simply to save the designer from releasing 'Yet Another Drag Racing Game for Mobile'.

Screw up your braking (which is entirely possible when the 'brake' button is also the gearshift) you are treated to a god-awful three-frame animation of your test dummy crashing into a wall and through the car windscreen.

He looks like a clipart gingerbread man, moves as convincingly, and adds nothing of value to the proceedings. Also: how does he change gear with his lifeless, plastic hands? HOW?

Between its unpredictable opponents and born-to-die protagonist, Crash Test Dummy Racer will likely grind your gears as much as revs your motor, ultimately making it a difficult ride to recommend.