BRICK RACE

Video games these days are chock-full of intense action and dramatic storylines. Every once in a while it’s nice to get away from it all and chill with a simple arcade-style game. Brick Race is a great option in this case.

Graphics: 2

The game features basic 2D imagery that is clear, stable and well laid out. Nothing is outstanding about the aesthetic design, but the simple shapes and colors get the job done.

The graphics design include a black grid for the background. The grid hosts mobile block images that come in different colors including blue, orange, yellow and red. The colors are dull which also negatively affects the graphics quality of the game.

Gameplay: 3

This arcade-style game is meant to test speed. You have a white block image at the bottom of the grid that can be moved from side to side. Other blocks are descending from the top of the grid towards the white block. The descending blocks only move one way and differ from the side-moving block because they come in different colors. The objective is to keep moving the base block side to side to keep it from coming into contact with the descending colored boxes. This gameplay is simple yet fun.

It starts off with a moderate descending speed rated as ten on the first level. Each block that you manage to dodge earns you 10 points. At 100 points, you move the second level with a higher speed rating of 11. The speed continues to increase with subsequent levels making it harder for you to dodge the falling bricks. Other than this increase in speed, there is no further development or changes in the gameplay.

Controls: 3

All you have to control over with this game is the left-right movement of the base brick. This can get pretty monotonous especially with the Wii U Gamepad that the video game was designed for. The saving grace here is the constantly increasing speed of the falling bricks. This makes an otherwise slow game exciting and fun to play.

Replay Value: 4

Brick Race has high replay value. The main reason for this is the infinite possibilities regarding the sequence of falling bricks. This isn’t one of those games whose obstacles you can easily commit to memory. They keep appearing randomly on different columns making it virtually impossible to guess where the next one will fall. However, left-right swiping can get monotonous after a while.

Conclusion

Brick Race is as simple as it gets with the video games available today without compromising on the entertainment value. I mean, which other game would give you as much excitement from left and right swiping as this one promises? With all the amazing features it has, it is safe to say that gamers everywhere are all grateful to Nintendo for giving this classic a chance.

• Graphics 2
• Gameplay 3
• Controls 3
• Replay Value 4

Pros

The gameplay is easy to comprehend.
Clear graphics.

Cons

It can get monotonous and boring with the single motion control.