For Mobile Friday this week is i tried out EigenGauge, from developers BLASTODISK LABS. i played this on my iPhone 14 pro.
I haven't done many racing games as part of this playlist as quite frankly i haven't come across many new ones. there are several popular games in this genre, but most are many years old. so it was refreshing when the app store recommended this game to me. when you start EigenGauge, there are no extra downloads or things you need to sign up to. it takes you straight to the game.
I do appreciate that it get straight to the game, what was a little surprising, especially in comparison to many games we play in this playlist, is there is no tutorial outside of telling you to touch the screen to steer. i would've liked a little bit of information about the two buttons on the right. the orange button, when pressed, is clearly a short turbo. but i thought the blue button was going to be some sort of energy projectile attack as the logo is similar to such an attack in Wipeout games.
There's a lack of information throughout this game. one that i couldn't work out was how the levels are scored. another is that none of the abilities have a description to say what they do. But i will argue that in a game designed like EigenGauge is, it's not a big issue. it's an arcade style racer with some aspects feeling play a PlayStation or N64 game. there are unlockables and you need crystals to unlock them. so playing the game, trying out the weapons, learning what it all means doesn't stop you progressing as you'll be picking up the crystals from the racers.
Graphically i really enjoyed it. at first look, F-Zero is the logical comparison. but there's more going on. the crystals, for example, seem to be 2D but then they rotate and have a 3D look to them. the vehicles in the game look simple and yet they also look unique and impressive from each other. it's what f-zero on GameCube could've looked like if the SNES style graphics were kept but adapted to 3D.
I really liked the music they've paired with it. there weren't many tracks in this video, but i enjoyed what i heard. each planet has a soundtrack, as do the menu options. it felt cohesive and i hope they'll make it purchasable somehow maybe on Bandcamp. it's a soundtrack where i want to know how the other planets sound and adds to the drive to progress through the game.
Overall, EigenGauge maybe a basic arcade racer but it's done well. i feel the controls may need a little work as i think i noticed moments when they weren't responding as i'd like, but the game wasn't going so fast that this became a problem. it's not a checkpoint racer. there is time to worry about but it's generous. it's the same with health. there's just enough challenge so it's satisfying when you finish. i easily recommend EigenGauge to anyone looking for a arcade racer on their phone.
Version 1.0.1 Played.
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