Game Reviews

How does Hovercraft: Takedown compare to Crossy Road and Horizon Chase?

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How does Hovercraft: Takedown compare to Crossy Road and Horizon Chase?

There are moments in Hovercraft: Takedown where you won't be able to contain your gleeful cackles. You'll swoosh through traffic, lasering it to bits with your auto-firing weapons, and grin all the while.

Sure, it gets a bit repetitive. And while the clunking graphics are endearing to start off with, they never really spark into life.

But these are pretty small niggles in a game that's about hovercars blowing up hovercars. I mean, what more do you really want out of life?

Another endless arcade blast then?

It is, but it's riffing off a different strata of the arcade legacy than the likes of Crossy Road. There's a solid basis of racing DNA in this one, as you duck through traffic, blowing it up with machine guns and lasers.

You control your hovercraft by tapping on the left and right of the screen. There's a frictionless feel to the steering, and it captures the concept of not actually touching the ground pretty well.

Basically if you were just dodging through traffic this would be a 7, but there's more to it than that. You also have weapons. Laser sights stream out from the front of your vehicle, and when they land on traffic you start firing automatically.

You get more points for destroying other cars, but the carnage you create adds another level of difficulty to the game. The shattered wreckage of your fallen foes litters the highway, flying at you from all directions, which forces you to dart around to survive.

Some vehicles fire back as well, spewing red blocks into your path that take out fat chunks of your health if you're careless enough to smash into them.

The health system is an interesting one. The more damage you take, the less capable your hovercraft becomes. Eventually you're just a collection of blocks trundling along to your inevitable doom.

But the game adds another surprising twist here - you can build your own hovercrafts to take on the challenges it throws at you. It's a reasonably in-depth process, and adds longevity and creativity to what could have been a throwaway experience.

So is it worth my time?

It is, yes. There's a lot to scrape through here, and each new layer of game you uncover will leave you wanting a little bit more. The compulsion loop isn't super tight, but the chance to create your own death machines negates that a little.

It's still not the deepest game you're likely to get your fingers on, but there's plenty here that'll keep you interested, and that's not a bad thing at all.

How does it compare?
  • Crossy Road - The two games come at mobile arcade gaming from a similar angle. While you'll probably get more addicted to Crossy Road, the customisation options in Hovercraft: Takedown probably make it a better bet.
  • AG Drive - A premium package, and that shows in the quality. It's a different beast to Hovercraft: Takedown, but worth it if you're looking for a meatier racer.
  • Horizon Chase - A more sedate take on the arcade racer, full of blue skies and smiles. It's probably worth playing both of them to be honest, but if you've got a penchant for violence check out Hovercraft: Takedown first.
Check out our tips on how to build the best hovercraft here.

How does Hovercraft: Takedown compare to Crossy Road and Horizon Chase?

A smashy arcade racer with hidden depths, this one's well worth a look
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.