Tunnel racing games usually receive a lukewarm reception due to their lack of content and replay value. AiRace Speed by QubicGames manages to produce a challenging experience without using the on-rail gameplay that has plagued games like it in the past.
AiRace Speed includes eighteen levels that unlock as you progress through the game. The gameplay is relatively simple as you pilot a spacecraft through different tunnel systems marred by giant pillars and other obstacles.
As you race through tunnels to reach the finish line, you must avoid falling cement pillars, vertical panels and partial enclosures that leave little room for you to pass through. Luckily, you can avoid most collisions by pressing B button and applying your spacecraft’s ‘air breaks’. Using this ability doesn’t stop your craft, though. You are given just enough time to redirect your craft before it collides with a hazard or the side of the tunnel.
And while you can accelerate your craft by pressing the A button, it usually causes more problems than it’s actually worth. Regardless of which spacecraft you are piloting, they all seem to have a difficult time ‘air breaking’ after you have started to accelerate your speed.
The variety of levels in AiRace Speed prevent the gameplay from growing stale. The first few levels are standard tunnels, but later levels contain elaborate tunnel systems with connecting pathways that work as either shortcuts to the finish line or to dead ends. Some levels are so expansive, it’s difficult to find the exit when you enter the larger connecting rooms. It usually takes a few tries (i.e. crashing into a wall) before you can find your way out.
The in-game controls respond well despite the air break issue mentioned earlier. While the game supports both the analog stick and directional pad, the analog stick is the better choice of the two. For whatever reason, the controls feel too stiff while using the directional pad and they don’t respond fast enough.
When it comes to navigating through vertical spaces, you can tilt your craft by pressing either the Left or Right shoulder buttons. Ironically, the in-game instructions mention that you can ‘roll’ your craft by pressing the aforementioned buttons, but ‘rolling’ is different from ’tilting’. This is a small gripe that has no affect on the game itself.
AiRace Speed is a simple game that offers hours of enjoyment. And since it’s easy to pick up and play, gamers of all ages can enjoy it.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Nintendo 3DS (Available on Nintendo eShop)
Developer: QubicGames
Publisher: QubicGames
ESRB: E (Everyone)
Price: $4.99
AiRace Speed’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Smooth graphics and animation. | |
| Sound | |
| A limited amount of sound effects that include explosions and scarping sounds. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Challenging gameplay that gamers of all ages can enjoy. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| AiRace Speed by QubicGames is a simple, but fun game to play. | |
