Over Volt Review

Over Volt

Release: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Interactive Project
Developer: Interactive Project
Genre: Mobile, Windows Mobile Reviews
PEGI: E
Comments:

 

Comment

Over Volt Review Review – Introduction

Remember when slot cars were the coolest thing? You laid out the track on your bedroom floor, placed the cars in the slots, grabbed the wired, one button controller, and watched your little vehicle fly around the track. Remember having to be careful around the corners to avoid having your slot car go flying off the track, requiring you to replace it? Good news. You can now enjoy both the delight and frustration you once felt while playing slot cars on your Window’s Phone via Over Volt, a new title from Interactive Project.

Decent Content for a Freemium Title

When it comes to content, some may say that Over Volt is lacking. Players are given the option to play 3 scenarios, totaling 30 tracks; alternatively, they can play mulitplayer – to a maximum of three times a day with the free version – with 40 tracks to conquer. This is a fair amount of content for a free-to-play title, and the limit on your multiplayer plays is not that different from many other games that use the free-to-play mechanic. I would have preferred a few more multiplayer plays per day, however. 

Very User Friendly

The controls are simple, making the game accessible to even the most amateur of gamers. The one acceleration button also gives players the feel that they are truly playing slot cars. The graphics are also appealing, making good use of the environment to change up what could be the repetitiveness and dullness of the black, slotted track. My personal favorite are the tracks that go under the bed, as this is something I did with my own tracks back in the day. With each race, players are challenged to beat their opponent and finish in a set amount of time to receive the maximum three stars, and a higher coin bonus at the end. Coins are used to unlock other vehicles – 28 in total – and for customizing vehicles.

Collecting coins is not always the easiest task, so you are given the option to spend real money instead.Players can also purchase power-ups to use on the tracks. While these power-ups are definitely beneficial to completing some of the tracks, I felt they were implemented poorly. I didn’t even realize they were in the game until I stumbled across them. A better option may have been to put one power up on the track somewhere; alternatively, I felt that the developers could have created a slot machine style mini game at the end of each track, allowing players the chance to earn power-ups depending on the number of stars they scored on that specific track. This way, power-ups are brought to the players attention, giving them a chance to try them out without wasting important in-game currency.

The Eventual Fall of All Freemium Titles

I spent about as much time with this title as I do with many other freemium titles. The difference here is that the mundane, single button press can get repetitive after a while. I never found myself playing for more then 5 or 10 minutes per sitting. Overall, I enjoyed my experience with Over Volt, but not enough to spend actual real money. If you want to relive one of your old childhood toys, definitely give this game a try. The developers have done a good job of recreating the experience.

Positives

• Well executed, brings back memories of childhood toys
• Decent content for a freemium title
• Lots of unlockables
• Good environments/visuals

Negatives

• Repetitive
• Poorly implemented power-ups
• Holding you back in mulitplayer with low daily limits

Trailer