Swipecart Review

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a graphics snob. So when I initially saw Swipecart’s 8-bit visuals, I was certain I wouldn’t enjoy it. In fact I’d already made up my mind. A 2D, side-scroller, with 8-bit graphics? My idea of a nightmare. But you know what, I could not have been more wrong.

Swipecart is likeable as soon as it loads. With a very cool retro synthy heavy metal backing track and an appallingly hilarious sense of humour, it’s impossible not to smile. You are greeted with an account sign up that is so simple it doesn’t even seem like an account sign up. Pop your name and click your gender and boom, driver’s license complete with license number appears and you’re ready to get on that extreme sports wagon.

In the future extreme mine cart racing is like you know, the bomb. As you are told in the intro, you come from a family of miners, but mining isn’t all that runs in the blood, you have “the need for speed” and as such take to extreme mine cart racing like a duck to water. Coolest game premise ever?

The beauty of Swipecart is in its utter simplicity. You literally drag your mouse back and forth to build up speed and then let your cart fly! Tapping the mouse again will use the brakes, and this mechanic is used to navigate the tracks. You’ll need to jump over broken rails, slow down enough to change your direction, pass over rickety see-saws and much more to reach the finish line and your goal without dying.

Every track can be restarted as many times as you like to complete it or to race against a ghost version of yourself to best your placing (you are given a 1st/2nd/3rd depending on how you do). Sometimes this incessant repetition can become a freaking pain the ass, but this game has the advantage of short levels which leaves you with that “argh if I can just finish this last one” feeling. It’s a lot like the Trials franchise, where the sections are short enough for you to not mind repeating until you beat it. Of course, the fact that if you don’t make it to the end it’s your fault and not the game’s is a real motivator. You think that if you just click one extra time here, or there, that you’ll master that track.

As you complete each trial you are award with fans, xp and money (and gems). As you gain xp, you’ll level up, and unlock rewards as you do. Things like the garage and the shop become available as you go up in the ranks, allowing you to mod your kart and you avatar with super sexy, pixel-perfect gear; that yellow helmet you always wanted? It’s yours for the taking my friend.

Swipecart also has the inclusion of a level editor which lets you build your own tracks and send them to your friends to try out (or for you to overcome if you don’t have any extreme mine cart racing buddies to play with). Be warned however, as the editor is not for the faint hearted. While the parts to make the race tracks are straightforward enough, there is no snap feature to make everything connect instantly, so you have to be REAL precise. There is a grid format to give you some guidance, but it is still a very time consuming process that requires you to pay very close attention to what you are doing.

It is a great addition though, and with workshop on the cards soon, it will no doubt become even better. I imagine that with a strong community behind it, some fantastic features can become available, with some really kick ass tracks for you to try your hand at.

The game isn’t without its flaws, and it is obvious that Swipecart is more suited to its other platform, the tablet. With the clue being in the name, the touchscreen nature of these handheld devices will lend itself much more to the core mechanics. If you do have a tablet then I would strongly urge you to try this out.

That isn’t to say that it isn’t good on the PC, because it is, it’s just that navigating can sometimes be a bit of a pain. For example, when choosing the trials, you can see six at a time, and you need to swipe your mouse to get to the next menu. This is a huge pain in the ass and may lead to you shouting angrily at your screen as you try to reach the next page. It would be greatly improved with a click to go next button added in, as it would negate this frustration entirely. If a game is difficult to play, then fair enough. If the game is difficult to GET to play then that is a problem that needs addressing.

Swipecart is loaded with charm and the designer obviously has a wicked sense of humour which absolutely shines through here. The little hints and instructions that pop up in the trials are brilliant, and really endear the game to you. It is obvious that it is, while a small production, a real work of love and it is a fun, addictive little thing to play. It is being updated all the time too, so things can only get better.