BlastTrax Review
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BlastTrax Review

Our Review by Carter Dotson on August 29th, 2013
Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BLURRED EVERYTHING
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A clever concept, adaptable controls, and stylish, Minter-esque, blur effects make BlastTrax a winner.

Developer: Jayenkai
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Controls Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

BlastTrax is a chaotic rainbow cornucopia of fun from the man who brought such dislike of spikes into our lives with Super Spike Dislike. This time, he tackles a space shooter that takes place on a curving track much like a racing game, but with shooting of space aliens instead.

Oh, and blur effects. Lots and lots of blur effects.

Jayenkai decided to go full Jeff Minter on this one and add in four levels of blur effect: None, Subtle, Plenty, and Extreme. Don’t play on anything below Plenty because the blur makes the game look super rad. Colors are everywhere! And at a full 60 frames per second, everything is still super smooth. The Plenty blur setting is like eating a satisfyingly-spicy buffalo wing; the Extreme setting is like eating one that will make one suffer for days, but the experience is worth it. Plus, look at all the pretty colors! So shiny! I don’t know what’s going on, but it looks really cool!

Seriously, the minimal sparseness of the graphics combined with the visual effects at high levels makes the game a visual treat - something that isn’t really said about the programmer art in Jayenkai’s games! But this one needs to be seen in motion.

The controls are simple as touching and dragging to move and fire in a certain direction, with iCade support as well. The game is aspect ratio independent so it can be played in portrait, and actually works really well for one-handed play! No longer must simple word games be played while holding on for dear life on public transit, now it is time to shoot space aliens in a hallucinatory vision!

Over time, things can get a bit repetitive: there’s a limited number of enemies and the increase in difficulty is generally just a matter of “Longer levels! More enemies!” versus a lot of new challenges, but hey, it’s 99 cents. And the game is mad stylish. Check it out, and crank that blur up to Extreme. Watch the video below. It’s so worth it.

iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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BlastTrax screenshot 6 BlastTrax screenshot 7 BlastTrax screenshot 8 BlastTrax screenshot 9 BlastTrax screenshot 10
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