Out at midnight: Pixel Boat Rush is a retro-looking powerboat racer with a twist for iPad and iPhone

Pixel Boat Rush is a lot tougher than any game about pixel boat racing has any right to be.

And the good news is it's just landed in New Zealand, which means it'll be hitting the UK App Store at midnight tonight.

The game sees you piloting a retro powerboat over a decidedly lumpy sea. You've also got a gun, and a bunch of other competitors who want nothing more than sending you off to the big powerboat race in the sky with a super explosion. Jerks.

The controls are somewhere between Tiny Wings and a more straightforward racer.

You push the accelerate button to go faster, but you need to release it at the crests of the waves you're bouncing across to get some downforce and stick to the water.

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Sometimes you want to fly though, to grab power-ups or dodge the race-spoiling obstacles that are sometimes littered across the track.

Tapping on the left side of the screen makes you fire your gun. You've got limited ammo, but the addition of firepower adds an interesting new later to the speedy proceedings.

Everything is pretty slick, and there's a good wodge of content to race your way through. There are boats to unlock, challenges to complete, and license tests to pass.