To sum it up, Slingshot Racing is a bobsled racing game set in a steampunk style world. All tracks are made of ice, and there is no way to properly steer. Instead, you must lash out with your grappling hook at various rotating poles to sling yourself around corners. This is done by tapping anywhere on the screen. You’ll hang on to a pole until the second you let go of the screen, and you’ve got to time your releases well to keep up speed and avoid collisions. There are a few different modes to mix things up, including time trials, cog collecting tests, and wall avoiding speed tests. I really enjoyed the special race type in which all racers try to outrun the beastly Chomper before it grinds you into scrap. It’s the classic bear in the woods scenario. No need to outrun the bear; just the other guy.
You can play through 64 levels in the single player campaign, or enjoy multiplayer. There is no online multiplayer, sadly, but by assigning each car to a specific corner, you can play on the same device. This is obviously easier with an iPad. Game Center leaderboards and achievements are supported, but I see no way to access them from within the app itself. iCloud saving is also supported, and you can share your scores to Twitter and Facebook if that’s your thing.
Visually, the game is quite impressive, with simple 3-D graphics and complementary effects. The lighting of the nighttime stages was particularly nice. The music is excellent. The controls can be rather hard to get used to for some, but once you do, the game is a blast. My only real complaint is that it can feel very repetitive, but with such inventive mechanics and elegant presentation, I’m willing to forgive it. Slingshot Racing is iOS Universal, and available for one dollar at the time of this review. That’s one dollar temporarily marked down from three dollars for the release, so hurry up and grab it if you’re interested!
Discover more great iOS games here
