There are a few things that can make people play games nonstop. It could be the storyline, nostalgia, gameplay, whatever. But there’s one sort of game out there that knows how to draw the player in: The ones so addictive, you can’t help but say “just one more go…”
And that is exactly how I felt when I played Race the Sun, which was developed and published by Flippfly.
The concept is incredibly simple; you’re a solar powered plane, and you try to get a high score by flying as far as you can, until the sun sets, you run out of power, or, like me, you barrel into anything and everything, sending little sparks of your plane everywhere, in a shower of smoke and defeat. All you need is the arrow keys and the enter key. Trust me when I say you’ll be pressing enter a lot, as one you crash, you’ll reset straight away, just to get a little further than before.
Along with the high score/distance mechanic, you also get a set of challenges to complete, if you wish to level up. And levelling up in this game is incredibly handy, as they offer you an assortment of power-ups, like a temporary boost, jumping, magnets to grab items, and so on. Without those, you won’t get very far. So Race the Sun has ‘replay value’ down to a T. I found myself pressing restart before I even had a chance to realise I crashed. My hand had a mind of its own, and it just wanted to keep playing, and I gladly accepted my fate to be tied to this game.
If you’re ever played those flash games where you need to get the best distance, you’ll pick this up in a heartbeat. If not… you’ll still get the hang of it in a heartbeat. The controls are fluent, the animation is smooth as silk (even on my laptop), and its minimalistic presentation somehow manages to charm you into play one more time… and again… and again… and, well you get the idea
Available on Stream for $10, for more info visit www.flippfly.com/racethesun