15 Minute App Review: Disc Drivin’

Disc Drivin’ – by Pixelocity Software is a fun asynchronous (turn based) game you can play with friends over the internet, locally, or with random opponents on the net.  With the local option you can either Pass and Play or race over wi-fi or Bluetooth.

The basic premise is that you are racing a disc and during each turn you flick the disk a certain direction and at a certain speed determined by how you push your finger across the screen.  If you ‘flick’ either to the left or right, the path of the disc will change accordingly.  Likewise, if you flick slowly the disc will move slowly.  Sometimes you want this depending on where you are on the track since there are often obstacles in your way.  Each track plays a little differently so, I suggest practicing a couple times before taking on other opponents.

You can invite challengers over facebook, twitter or email and as mentioned above you can be matched up with a random opponent within the game.  Disc Drivin’ also allows you to customize the color of the disc with some free basic options.  You can purchase additional colors and textures for a fee.

Entertainment value – 4/5

I really enjoy playing this game with my friends and the asynchronous play makes this a real winner.  Each of us can take a turn at our leisure and when it’s time for the next person to take their turn they get a push notification from the app.  You can earn multiple different power ups during the game and try to use them to your advantage (speed boosts, jumps) or to your opponent’s disadvantage (oil slicks).

Another fun feature is the ability to replay the last turns of you and your opponents – I’ve messed up pretty bad a few times and I’m sure my opponents get a kick out of watching my disc fly off the track.  They usually let me know through the in-game chat system.

Ease of Use 5/5

The game play is very simple; you flick a disc.  OK, it’s a little more complicated than that with the power ups but it is very intuitive.  I play with my 6 and 4 year old children and they have no issue understanding the game play.  The have yet to apply strategy to the turbo boosts but they understand how to drop an oil slick to block my path.  While it’s easy to play, not all the tracks are simple.  Most have either open walls where you can fall off or jumps, bumpers, oil slicks, puddles or other obstacles that you have to try to navigate successfully to win.

Likelihood of replay 5/5

I’ve played this game for months and keep coming back.  Other games have come and gone but this one continues to be a simple but enjoyable game on the iPhone.

Graphics and Sound 3.5/5

There’s nothing terribly special about either the graphics or sound but they work just fine