Summary

Who doesn't remember that scene from Star Wars, where Anakin Skywalker needed to win the so-called podrace? Real Star Wars fans will know what I'm talking about. I was immediately reminded of this podrace, where every possible kind of creature tries to battle it out in space-age sleighs. I thought of this when I read through Protoxide: Death Race's description. You'll find out why my association wasn't too far off, as well as what sort of adventures await you in today's app test review!

Protoxide: Death Race is nestled in a apocalyptic world. Gangs ransack the abandoned cities, there are no more rules and only the strongest and quickest survive. In this ravaged world, conflicts are settled in a death race. And I don't even need to mention that the racers shoot at each other and don't give out any favors.

Right at the beginning of the Protoxide, you need to chose an avatar and a name. Then the racing begins. Protoxide offers three different game modes:

• speed race
• campaign
• multi-player

I would like to start with campaign mode, which I find really gets to the heart of Protoxide. In this mode, the player battles their way through the world damaged by the apocalypse, against a horde of varying and strong opponents. For example, you need to beat various gang bosses and overtake the ruling of city neighborhoods. These battles take the shape, of course, of pod races. Each race holds a few goals, which need to be attained before being able to successfully complete the campaign. For example, you need to get a high ranking place or destroy a certain number of opponents. The story behind Protoxide is recounted with the use of comics, which flash between every race. As you go through the campaign, new war-gliders and race tracks are unlocked. These can also be used in other game modes.

Let's talk about the speed races. You also have the choice of various racing modes, which also all exist in the campaign mode. In this mode, you obviously race against your opponents and the primary goal is to the be the fastest and number one. There's also the end game race mode. In this mode, you need to destroy a certain number of enemy racers, before other racers do it first. In the survival game mode, the player needs to destroy every single opponent, in order to win the race. For those who want a little bit of practice first, they can do this in the tutorial. When all pod-racers and racetracks are unlocked, the player has a total of 12 different war-gliders and 16 racetracks to chose from. This game also offers a lot of diversity, since all pod-racers have their own unique characteristics and the different tracks offer varied landscapes and create the perfect setting for exciting races.

Like I mentioned earlier in my text, there is a multi-player mode. This mode can and should only be used when you are using WLAN and is based on AllJoyn. What's more, you can also sign up for YourCraft and share or take part in a competition.

All these game modes are of course based on the same racing principals and I would like to go into a bit more detail about the actual races themselves. The player starts with the war-glider that they've chosen. The starting point is based on the end point of the previously fore-run race, or at least in the campaign mode. The races are quite action-packed, which is definitely added to with the numerous power-ups. There are a bunch of different shooting methods, as well as power-ups like nitro and other ones, which increase the damage that your shots make. You have the use of shields to block attacks. If you manage to get the right power-up, your enemies will have no chance. However, getting the right power-ups isn't what determines whether you win or lose: only the gamer who strategically chooses the right war-glider for the right racetrack and challenges will win.

What's more, the player can deactivate the sound and vibration in the settings, which happens when you are shot by an opponent. The camera and steering settings can also be changed.

Bottom Line

All in all, Protoxide: Death Race left a very good lasting impression on me. This isn't only because of the app's huge scope, but also because of the compelling and action-packed race principals, which I find were really well created. The various game modes brings a good level of diversity, so that you can play and have fun with Protoxide for longer periods of time. My one and only point to criticize: Campaign mode could have been a little bit more multifaceted. But other than that, Protoxide: Death Race is really fun.

Now I would like to take the time and talk about Protoxide: Death Race's graphics. This is my opinion and it didn’t at all reduce my level of fun. This game doesn't hold high-end graphics, which knock you off your socks. The graphics personally don't bother me at all, but I can see that some users might see this differently. On the other hand, I was really satisfied with Protoxide: Death Race's controls. Of course at the beginning, it takes a few games to get used to it, but after one or two, you're fine. This is where the tutorial is handy. It gives you good way to ease into it. Here, you also learn how to shoot or shield yourself from oncoming attacks. Thanks to the many setting possibilities, in particular those for steering, the user can modify the controls to their liking. In total, I give this game four stars, because Protoxide: Death Racer simply deserves more than three and the overall impression in this category is quite positive. 

Protoxide: Death Race worked very well throughout the entire game, without any hitches or delays. Even when the race needs to be re-loaded again and again, this game works problem-free and shows its smooth side. 

Protoxide: Death Race can be bought for a fair price of 70 cents in the App Center. In my opinion, this isn't too much to ask for a game that is so rich and diverse like this one.