Another Road
Hit the highway and be driven to distraction
$1.99 From Kevin Choteau, kevinchoteau.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 9.0 or later
Another Road is a casual isometric driving game that balances risk and reward. The goal is to get as far through the procedurally generated level as possible without running out of fuel or wrecking your car. Various obstacles are placed in your way, from barriers that rise and lower to moving ramps that can flip you over.
Fuel cans, repair pickups and coins are scattered along the road, often requiring you to make a cost–benefit decision on which you collect: Do you use precious fuel to get that bunch of coins? As you progress, you can unlock better vehicles
with the money you amass. Later vehicles are more durable and have bigger fuel tanks, but are often harder to maneuver.
The temptation is to drive extremely slowly, carefully avoiding the roadblocks and using as little fuel as possible. Were this feasible, the game would likely be very boring. But Another Road ups the tension by placing a tornado on your tail — go too slowly and it catches up with you, dealing damage to your vehicle and ultimately destroying it.
The mix of procedural generation and perilous incentives makes Another Road very good at convincing you to have “just one more go” — something that quickly turns into an entertaining little time-sink. It’s not going to blow you away and is straightforward to play once you’ve learned the ropes, but it will keep you busy on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
THE BOTTOM LINE. A game that makes you think, but not too much. Perfect for dipping into.