by Codemasters has a seasoned pedigree when it comes to racing games, and it shows with F1 Challenge for iPhone and iPad. As the name suggests, F1 Challenge is an officially licensed Formula One game, but this top-down racer’s real draw is its unique control scheme. Instead of virtual buttons dedicated to left and right steering inputs, F1 Challenge uses a vertical slider to control the angle at which your speedster approaches each track’s hairpin curves.
F1 Challenge’s non-traditional controls complement the top-down view, and they’re responsive and subtle enough to handle the Hockenheimring’s breakneck twists and turns; a swipe might be appropriate for spinning a Renault around a switchback turn, but the slightest finger roll will slide you into a slipstream and past other racers. In the tightest curves, F1 Challenge’s camera pulls in and time slows ever so slightly, imbuing your F1 car of choice with a nice bit of tension that’s released on the next straightaway. Even if names like Michael Shumacher and Kimi Räikkönen don’t mean much to you, a great race in F1 Challenge is satisfying to play.
That said, the control scheme isn’t without its problems. On an iPhone, players may run out of screen room when navigating particularly twisty courses – taking your finger off the screen and resetting it in the middle usually causes a sharp turn – and the iPad is simply too large to produce the same tight feeling of its smaller cousin. Given that one measly wheel in the sand can wreck a race, these rare lapses in control are a pain.
Luckily, such concerns don’t wreck the experience, and Codemasters leverages its popular license by recreating the highlights of the 2012 season, as well as including unlockable profiles of real-world cars, drivers, and courses. For all but the most ardent Formula One devotee, these perks are secondary to F1 Challenge’s time trials, one-on-one races, and Grand Prix events, but they’re nice perks to have all the same.
The bottom line. Great visuals and a tactile control scheme combine with the Formula One license to produce a stellar top-down iOS racer. F1 Challenge comes with bells and whistles, but its fundamentals prove top-notch.
Review Synopsis
Product:
