Bridge Builder Racer – Review
One of the impressive structures that mankind has created is bridges. It’s possible to go from point A to B even though there is a huge gap in-between. This kind of subject has been used in games a lot, but Bridge Builder Racer combines the building of a bridge with the costs of it and trying to get it done as cheap as possible. Don’t try this at home, folks.
Story
It would have been nice if there was a narrative or at least something that gave you a goal to work for, but less is true. You’re thrown into the game and ready to go without anything story-driven.
Graphics
The game looks simplistic and clean as the developers chose to use a kind of low poly art. Nothing too fancy and overly busy, which is nice in a way as you won’t get distracted by the environment. Every time you start a new level, the background changes a bit, taking you from the mountains to the sea in merely seconds.
One thing that does stand out is the car, as this is a bit more detailed and the color makes it pop on the screen. At least during the normal playthrough. If you go to the special ‘trick or treat’ section, the screen is just overflowing with redder hues, making everything blend into one. It’s nice to see that the details in the background here fit more with the Halloween theme though.
Sound
If you were hoping to a diversity of songs, you’re barking up the wrong tree. While you’re building the bridges to crash your car into, you’ll hear a few perky songs loop after each other. These repeat all the time at a fast tempo, so you’ll be turning the volume down quite fast. It would have been nice if there was at least a difference between the normal levels and the spooky ones, but this isn’t the case.
Regarding sound effects, there are only a few available in the game. Selecting items from the menu is guided by one for example, while plopping down parts of bridges midair gives you a click-like effect. The most prominent effects are probably linked to the car. Whenever you’re tinkering away in the building mode, you can hear the engine roaring already, waiting for you to take the wheel. When the time is finally there, the sound while accelerating gives you that little nudge to step on the gas even more.
Gameplay
Bridge Builder Racer is sort of a simulation game where building bridges as cost-efficiently as possible is the main key. For each level, you get a certain amount of funds you can use, and building a bridge costs money. It is up to you to position parts of the bridge just right so you can still make that one particular jump while keeping the costs as low as possible. By doing so, you’re able to obtain stars, which are used to get into higher levels and to get onto that leaderboard.
When you enter a level, there is a grid with starting points for your bridge. It’s possible to go horizontal, vertical, and even diagonal. The steepness of the bridge can be controlled by going to the dot that is further away diagonally. Each different kind of way has its own costs though, which is shown when you’re hovering over the possible endpoints. This makes it possible to plan ahead for getting those three stars. Don’t worry though, if you placed down a piece wrongly, you can easily remove it again by right-clicking.
Once you’ve created that perfect bridge, it’s time to test it out. By pressing space, you can switch between the two modes, while the usual buttons make it possible to move the car. You can accelerate and brake, while also having the chance to alter the weight from the front and back by lifting up the front or tail from the car. The deal here is, as long as you are able to get past the finish line, you’re golden and get rewarded by some stars (if you were cost-efficient of course).
For the trick or treat section, the same rules apply but you have to collect floating pumpkins to be able to complete a level. This means that you’ll need to brush off your best skills as some of these are in the weirdest places.
There is also a sandbox area where you can create your own levels or try out the creations of others. When diving into the creating section, you are able to make everything from scratch and add whatever your heart desires. Put the starting area on a huge mountain? Check! Add hot air balloons everywhere? You got it. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that everything is done in a vector, meaning that it’s a different kind of scaling for example.
There isn’t much more to the game, except to keep an eye on the costs while building. It would have been nice if there was more to the game, something that would keep you engaged. Of course, it’s nice to have a sandbox to tinker around in, but it doesn’t still the hunger while playing this game.
Conclusion
Bridge Builder Racer is a bridge-builder simulation game where you have to draw parts of bridges to get to the finish line, and this in the most cost-efficient way. You’ll be able to restart quite easily and even beat your own scores if you want, but the lack of music and sound effects might keep you from doing that. It would have been nice if there was more to the game, something that could keep you immersed because the game doesn’t have much to offer gameplay-wise.
Bridge Builder Racer - Review,
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