Gaming Spotlight: Assoluto Racing

If you wanted a realistic racing game to play on your mobile device, the go-to option would have been Real Racing 3. After all, with its wide variety of content, use of real environments and superb attention to detail, there is little reason to seek another application to fulfil your pocket sized Need for Speed. However, RR3 is starting to show its age with its overly familiar user interface and lacklustre driving physics. What’s more, its freemium structure is sure to leave any user wanting to enjoy most of its features strapped for cash.

Now at this point, I should introduce Assoluto Racing, a mobile racing simulator developed by Infinity Vector, a team of developers based in Japan. The game has no artificial intelligence or live multiplayer so you won’t be doing any on track competitive racing - Assoluto Racing is all about getting the player to maximise their driving skills, either through finding the most efficient line through a course or chaining together a set of drifts, in order to see how they stack up with players around the world. Could this turn out to be the new authentic driving experience mobile gamers are looking for?

In terms of presentation, Assoluto Racing delivers significantly on the three key pillars which matter for delivering an immersive racing experience; graphics, physics and sound. Aside from the absence of a cockpit view, the visuals are up to the standard of last-gen console racers and the game is capable of running at a silky smooth 60fps. As for the sound, the cars sound close enough to their real life counterparts.  As for the physics, this requires its own paragraph as this is where the majority of this game’s appeal stems from.

With Real Racing 3, it feels as though the physics engine “gives up” when the back end of the car steps out, or when you are generally doing anything that doesn’t involve sticking to the racing line. That’s certainly not the case with Assoluto Racing; the game delivers and authentic driving experience whether you are clipping the apex or pulling huge drifts. In fact, I would go as far as saying this feels like a mobile Gran Turismo Game!

As for content, things are limited at the moment but the game is continuously receiving support with regular updates. The car list is currently biased towards JDM performance cars including Nissan Silvias, Mitsubishi Evos, Rotary powered Mazdas right up to the Honda NSX and Nissan GT-R. There are also some BMWs and Lotuses available if you prefer European machinery, not forgetting the fact you start out in a Peugeot RCZ. The player can paint their car and wheels from a selection of colour palettes with more to unlock as you progress through the career mode. There is also a choice of unlicensed but authentic looking wheels to personalise your vehicle that little bit further.

So does this new approach to handheld sim racing deserve to be given a spin on your mobile device? In short, yes! As well as the admirable attention to detail, Assoluto Racing will win your heart by pushing you to become a more skilled driver and build your own collection of hot performance cars. Assoluto Racing is available to download today for iOS and Android devices.