I’d hate to be putting out a racing game on the iPhone right about now, what with Real Racing redefining what Apple’s device is actually capable of. Fortunately for All Pro Crash Off Road, it sidesteps that insurmountable competition by approaching the racing game from a slightly different angle.
As its name suggests, we’re looking at an off-road stock car racing game, which is as much about testing your destructible truck to its mechanical limits as it is about winning races. And destruction is always fun and ultimately the saviour of this entertaining though shallow game.
With bouncy, nitro-powered pickup trucks dogging at each other’s heels around undulating dirt tracks you'd expect the 3D graphics to tax your handset heavily, though they don't. The racing speed stays well up scratch even as the trucks muscle each other for elbow room around the rough hewn courses.
One unique feature of the vehicles in All Pro Crash Off Road is that they’re actually destructible, and body parts and vital engine pieces will quickly wind up littering the track as you bounce from pillar to post.
The physics of the game are delightfully eccentric, throwing the trucks about the screen like rubber balls, though just within the bounds of believability. It’s this sanctioned recklessness that injects most of the fun into All Pro Crash Off Road, as tumbling around the corners or nose diving into an opponent after hitting a ramp too fast is superbly entertaining.
Another unusual aspect of this game is the controls. It’s very difficult to fathom why the developer has taken a system with inherent analogue controls (read: 'the accelerometer') and asked you to steer your truck with two digital virtual buttons.
Surprisingly, this system isn’t as bad as it sounds, but neither does it hold a candle to proper accelerometer steering, which on face value would seem to fit the chaotic, unruly nature of the gameplay ideally.
To make matters worse, the left button is very close to the edge, which results in your finger regularly wandering off the screen. With winding, unpredictable tracks, this will leave you seriously off course for the majority of the time.
At times All Pro Crash Off Road appears to be overly forgiving - allowing you to plough headlong into the barrier, floor or opposition, bounce the truck every which way (including loose) and always land on your wheels ready to get back into the action.
Despite this generosity lending a helping hand when it comes to the physics, it’s still quite a significant challenge crossing the line in second place, which is where you’re required to be if you want the next level unlocking.
This probably works out to balance the gameplay quite evenly, though a little more emphasis on the amount of damage your truck can sustain, or harsher penalties for not bothering to steer accurately, might add just a pinch of vital realism to the racing.
New tracks and trucks are unlocked as you continue to race, which you undoubtedly will do, despite the control quirk. All Pro Crash Off Road is a great counterpoint to the serious, realistic nature of most iPhone driving games, and there’s no denying the sheer entertainment value of smashing up your ride for want of getting a tyre’s length ahead.
All Pro Crash Off Road
Perhaps a little rough around the edges and with a poor choice of control mechanics, this is a game packed with entertaining destruction that seamlessly plasters over the majority of gameplay cracks
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.