#DRIVE | Nintendo Switch Review
#DRIVE is an endless runner driving game developed by Pixel Perfect Dude and published by PM Studios and it is currently available on Nintendo Switch, Apple and Android. For the purpose of this review I was playing the Nintendo Switch version.
First of all, I want to address the wee elephant in the room here. #DRIVE is an absolutely horrendous name for a video game. So with that out of the way, let's talk about the game.
This is an endless runner driving game with the addition of some nice mechanics to add a bit of variation to the gameplay. The idea is a simple one. Choose your car, decide which track you want to play and then you drive, and you keep driving until you either crash the car or empty your fuel tank. When you first start out, you only have one car and one track at your disposal. Each track has 20 different levels you need to complete to progress. In each level there are 3 objectives you must achieve in order to reach the next level. Some of these objectives might include refilling your fuel tank 5 times, repairing your car 10 times or collecting a set number of bottle caps which are dotted around the road. You will also pass numerous police patrol cars on each run who will give chase to you. You will need to avoid these and try not let them make you crash the car which will end your run. There is however, a funny little thing that will ward off any attention from the pursuing police cars. You can collect confectionary donuts to throw at them which immediately distracts them so you can make a quick escape. I found this to be a quite amusing little game mechanic and it did make me smile on more than one occasion. Another collectable you will come across on your runs are the “special” question marks which will grant you a temporary ability such as adding a demolition scoop to the front of your car so you can wipe out any other traffic on the road or the “learner driver” perk which slows your car down and makes it easier to steer.
The controls in #DRIVE are very basic. The accelerator is automatic so there is no need to hold your finger on any button. There are two different button configurations to choose from to determine which buttons will work the steering, brake and hand brake. I found the steering and control of the cars to be very sensitive so it does take a few tries to get used to but once you master this there is some great fun to be had.
Visually the minimalist art style in #DRIVE looks pretty great and really fits well with the style of game. The soundtrack for me didn’t have enough variation with each stage having its own song which just repeats on loop throughout the whole stage. The song did fit really well with the stage however because you are on that stage for such a prolonged period, the soundtrack gets very repetitive and quite annoying. Personally I had the game audio on mute while I listened to my own music on Spotify. Another low point with the audio is the addition of the voice actor playing the guy who is driving your car. He has some one-liners which are trying to be comical but they really fall way short of the mark and again, become quite irritating.
There are over 90 cars to unlock which are all modelled after real life vehicles and most of them are given quite humorous names. With 8 stages to unlock and play through, there really is a lot of play time in #DRIVE so I feel the price point of £9.89 on the Nintendo store is fair.
Overall, despite the downfalls of the game audio, I really quite enjoyed #DRIVE. I see this as a fantastic, easy to play endless runner game which you can pick up at any point to pass a vacant hour or so.
PaultheBrave09’s Rating: 3.5 dunkin donuts out of 5.
For more information on #DRIVE please use the following links...
Pixel Perfect Dude - Developer | Facebook | Twitter | Website
PM Studios - Publisher | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Many thanks to Pixel Perfect Dude for the Review Key.
#DRIVE | Nintendo | Apple | Android
#DRIVE #PixelPerfectDude #PMStudios #ArcadeDriving #IndieGame