Hovercrash

MORE CRASHING THAN HOVERING...

AVAILABLE FOR BOTH iPhone and iPad, Hovercrash places the player in control of a hovercraft-cum-spaceship that races along a never-ending fluorescent course reminiscent of the ‘Rainbow Road’ level from Mario Kart 64. Using just one finger, you can move the craft left and right and then lift your finger to engage your score multiplier. Sounds simple, right?

Unfortunately, controlling the craft through the oncoming obstacles isn’t actually that easy. Some shift from side to side, others rotate, and some obscure your view of what’s ahead, meaning you have to rely heavily on your powers of reaction and foresight.

You will crash a lot, you will restart the game a lot, you will get frustrated a lot, and you will most probably watch a lot of ads if you don’t fork out the $2.99 to get rid of them.

We would recommend playing this on iPad, as you have a finer degree of control over your craft, due to the bigger screen. It’s colourful and fast, there are coins to collect and we can feel the tendrils of addictiveness beginning to work their evil charms on us. “Just one more go. I didn’t do well on that last one, I’ll just try again.”

However, after a while, it feels samey. Yes, you get a rush when you push past your previous high score, but the obstacles are familiar, the course tilts back and forth in the same slightly annoying manner and the fast-paced music will start to grate on you, especially after you’ve been squashed by that wheel AGAIN. Fasten your seat belts, because we’re going careening into an oncoming wall at great speed. [ CARMEL SEALEY ]