Wind Rider! - 4 games to play when you're finished
Four flighty games that'll really get your heart racing
Like a human-sized flying squirrel hurtling through the air, Wind Rider! has zoomed unexpectedly to the top of the App Store charts in the US and the UK.
As is my wont, I downloaded Voodoo's latest hit to see what all the fuss is about.
Sure, it's a colourful enough multiplayer flight-racer with a likeable premise. But there are far more entertaining alternatives on the App Store.
Like what, you ask? Well, like these games. Don't mention it.
1
ReRunners
You want to race against other players online - but, like, not an actual racing game with cars and stuff? Check out ReRunners. It's a really cool, quirky 2D speed-run platformer, but you're racing against your fellow humans.
The controls are tight, the presentation is brilliantly offbeat, and the whole competitive angle is brilliantly executed. ReRunners crosses a fair few genre boundaries, but what's remarkable is that it masters them all.
2
SUP Multiplayer Racing
Here's another colourful, accessible multiplayer racer. SUP Multiplayer Racing might involve cars, but there's no cornering required - just a simple lane-switching mechanic, as you dash from left to right as quickly as possible.
There's a pleasing amount of argy bargy to its races, as you shunt and block your opponent en route to the finishing line. This is a multiplayer racing game that anyone can play and enjoy.
3
Sonic Forces: Speed Battle
Sonic Forces is a multiplayer autorunning platform-racer, but it switches things to a 3D third-person perspective that's not too dissimilar to Wind Rider.
Of course, the colourful world and chunky 3D graphics here are way, way better. This is a Sega game, for crying out loud! But Sonic Forces also plays a lot better than Voodoo's game, with pacy loop-de-looping gameplay and entertaining power-ups.
4
Ava Airborne
If it's the whole 'flying through hoops' thing that you love about Wind Rider - and who can blame you? - then check out a little game called Ava Airborne.
It's a highly polished 2D autorunner in the Alto's Odyssey vein, but with an aerial twist. Guide your little hang gliding heroine through a series of go-faster hoops and other momentum-sustaining gizmos.