There are two sides to every apocalypse. On one hand, you have to deal with massive lava flows, monsters mutated by radiation, and sudden plagues of frogs. That’s bogus. On the other hand, a massive incendiary event really does wonders …
There are two sides to every apocalypse. On one hand, you have to deal with massive lava flows, monsters mutated by radiation, and sudden plagues of frogs. That’s bogus. On the other hand, a massive incendiary event really does wonders for clearing away the crowds at the slopes. Radical!
RAD Boarding is a dip-and-soar snowboarding game that’s quite a bit like Tiny Wings. You play as a ’90s border who doesn’t seem to have much cultural relevance anymore, but that’s OK because Armageddon just happened and everybody is about to die anyway.
The action in RAD Boarding is technically endless, though there are multiple courses to unlock and boss encounters break up the regular action. Getting as far as possible is your first priority, though. A flow of lava constantly singes your heels, and if it overtakes you, you no longer have to worry about the possibility of contracting radiation sickness.
RAD Boarding’s one-touch controls are responsive and easy. As is the case with Tiny Wings, you soar when you fly up a swell, and you plunge when you hold down on the screen. The idea is to plunge at the right angle so you can swoop back up the next swell at a decent speed. If you build up enough momentum in this manner, you should be able to keep ahead of the lava for quite a while.
There are extra tricks you can (and should) employ to stay alive. When you’re airborne, you can swipe the screen to perform stunts. Stunts give you an extra burst of speed when you land, and they also fill up your RAD mode meter. When you enter RAD mode, the environment becomes shot with funky neon colors. You move faster, and your tricks rack up more experience.
Performing tricks comes with a risk, though. If you don’t land right, you can potentially wipe out. If you don’t stagger to your feet in time, you’ll get tucked in forever by a lava blanket.
RAD Boarding’s speed and weird sense of humor make for a pretty entertaining app that will make you sway and rock with the on-screen action. There are still some issues with the game that slap you like a frog in the face, however. Ads pop up frequently, though making an in-app purchase causes them to go away. Coin multipliers are bought with real cash, but they’re expendable, not permanent. Unlocking new courses takes a lot of coins.
Of particular note are the game’s graphics. They look great, but once things get moving you begin to realize how busy everything is. The background draws your eye away from the course, and the foreground often blocks your view with trees and other objects. I even experienced some slowdown on my iPhone 5. Sure, the whole game is supposed to be extreme and radical, but RAD Boarding is a bit over the top.
Regardless, fans of Tiny Wings and games like it should give RAD Boarding a try. It’s not perfect, but it’s still way better than sitting in a bunker and eating a can of wadded beef.
