by By the eighth entry across nine years, you usually know what to expect from a game franchise – and in the case of Gameloft’s Asphalt, that typically meant solid but inconsistent production values, and decent arcade-style racing action that never quite matched the flashy console games it emulated. It was “pretty good – for a mobile racer,” but Asphalt 8: Airborne finally sheds that qualifier, and essentially feels like a reboot in terms of quality. It’s actually a rather amazing feat, especially for a mere dollar.
As hinted by the title, Asphalt 8 embraces a lively, raucous tone, littering the larger and more diverse locales with a bevy of ramps – including curved ones to send you spiraling through the air. But it’s more than a bit of four-wheeled flight that makes Airborne a much, much better and more enticing mobile racing experience. Fluid controls are paired with more realistic interactions with other vehicles, making for more satisfying takedowns of rivals and crashes that don’t just look like Matchbox cars slamming into each other.
The resulting sprints feel energetic and exciting, and unlike Real Racing 3 – the year’s other glossy, genre-leading affair – Asphalt 8 actually includes real-time online action for up to eight players, making it the top iOS racer around for live, on-the-spot competition. Even playing solo is an entertaining and long-lasting venture, thanks to a sprawling career mode that spans eight seasons and 180 events across multiple play modes. With a few dozen vehicles to unlock and upgrade, and no real need to shell out for in-app purchases (unless you want to speed up the progression), it’s an impressive and entertaining time sink.
Airborne also features an impressive presentational upgrade, with much more detailed tracks, a bevy of on-screen and lighting effects to punch up the action, and even cinematic pre-race camera shots that make for a more stylish and refined affair. And it runs impressively well, to boot: on an iPhone 5, we noticed only occasional frame rate drops, despite large, animated track elements – like a rocket launching and filling the track with clouds of smoke – and shattered glass sprinkled about. The licensed, bass-heavy soundtrack only further amplifies the action.
What began life as a passable mobile diversion nearly a decade ago has finally blossomed into a racing experience that’s frantic, hearty, and really rather impressive throughout. Asphalt 8: Airborne blurs the line between mobile and console racers, with an amazing asking price to boot, and it’s easily the best racer of its kind on the App Store today.
The bottom line. Fast, slick, and startlingly affordable, Asphalt 8: Airborne redefines iOS arcade racing.
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