TouchGrind BMX is available as universal App for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (iOS). This is sort of a sequel / spin off from the original TouchGrind which situated itself around skateboarding.
Nine bikes can be unlocked and a whole world can literally be cycled through. As you progress through the game you will unlock countries with different terrains and conditions to trick it out in. The variety is fantastic and keeps the game fresh. Having said that advancing from one country to another is very hard. The game is all based on how much adrenaline you have and collecting this is done via completing challenges.
Challenges can be variety of things, from being challenged to ride around a course without crashing to performing ten reverse tricks. Tricks are the basis of most challenges and can be very tricky to pull off. The deliberate degree of difficulty plastered throughout TouchGrind BMX has made me come back for more and more, so it has real replay value.
Despite the difficulty I have had so much fun with this game. Being able to freestyle while riding along a route is very awesome. Shortcuts and variations in paths can be found adding a degree of choice.
Controls are all multi touch based. Two fingers are used to control the bike and perform tricks and they work really well. The simplicity of the controls makes the game pleasant to play and still sits it firmly in the casual category. This is the kind of game you can wack out while cueing or waiting in the car.
The games camera can be quite messy but it's only very occasional and usually occurs when performing tricks. This our biggest annoyance from the title but updates can fix these problems.
Graphically this looks great! Illusion Labs have really focused on the detail of each terrain. The mountains, skate parks, snow, grass, sand and distant views are all impressive to look at. We haven't experienced any frame rate issues and we played this on the New iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4 & iPhone 4S. Retina graphics are incorporated if you own a device that has a retina display. Sound affects and ambiance noises are also finely detailed and the ability to play your music collection is here too.
Illusion Labs are one of the most creative developers on the App Store. Everything we play from them is always a thrill. This is no different. We highly recommend!
