Dream Track Nation Review

Some car games are realistic. Dream Track Nation is not one of those games. This 2D racing platformer puts players in control of a car that races around wacky tracks with crazy loops and layouts never seen in reality. Thankfully, the car can easily drive forwards and backwards at the same speed, and flip in midair in order to get time bonuses. The singleplayer mode comes with two modes: Time Attack, where the goal is to reach the end of the level before time runs out, and Star Collect, where the player tries to collect all the stars in the level. The game also has a track creator, with the ability to share and download custom levels. Players can also play an opponent online via Game Center in a race to the finish.

Success in the game is very satisfying, especially when figuring out the shortcuts in Time Attack levels. The two game modes, played on the same levels, show quality level design, and force players to approach levels in entirely different ways. The game is a universal app, and the 99-cent price is hard to beat. The Game Center multiplayer works well, and the quick sessions make it great for pick up and play gameplay. The developers have already shown that they are willing to address the game's issues, having released a content update only a couple weeks after release, with 20 new levels and some other minor tweaks introduced to improve the experience.

The tilt controls generally work well, but have some issues with centering, which can make staying upright often quite difficult. With the loops in levels, it can be difficult to figure out whether pushing on the accelerator or brake will actually go forward or backward. The levels where floating powerups come into play only make things more confusing. Fighting the game's physics is a large part of the experience, for better and for worse.

Dream Track Nation is fun and frustrating; I have often rage-quit while playing it, but it made future success so much more sweet. This is a very feature-packed game for $0.99