GET STARTED
Game essentials: Asphalt 9: Legends
Asphalt 9: Legends
Car Simulator: Drive & Drift
There’s really only one place to start with the latest and greatest in Gameloft’s long-running racing series. Asphalt 9: Legends is, quite simply, the best-looking mobile racing game ever made.
You’ll race through the Himalayas, the late-afternoon sun casting a gorgeous golden glow on those snowy slopes as you make death-defying leaps off giant ramps, soaring over chasms and past hot-air balloons.
You’ll speed through the ruins of a giant oil tanker in stormy Scotland, with huge waves splashing over the track and soaking the camera.
And you’ll find yourself hurtling down the dazzling, neon-glazed streets of Shanghai at night, with the local police in hot pursuit. Wherever your racing journey takes you, the views are astonishing.
That’s fitting for a game that’s all about spectacle – and it’s your job to contribute to that spectacle. Curved ramps let you pull off mid-air barrel rolls, and there’s a dedicated button for drifting around corners. Tap it twice, and you can launch into a delightfully improbable 360-degree spin.
Your incentive for doing all this is to refill your nitro meter, which helps give you the edge against your racing rivals. Tap that boost button once and you’ll get an extra injection of speed; hit the blue sweet spot with a second tap and you’ll get a ‘perfect nitro’ which lasts longer.
Fill it completely, and a double-tap will cause a ‘nitro shockwave’, which effectively turns your car into a speeding bullet – and in doing so, you’re all the more likely to barge your opponents off the road. Hey, no one said you had to play fair.
This all makes for races that are as breathtaking as their surroundings. In downtown San Francisco, you’ll find ramps that take you crashing through skyscrapers, while its hilly streets are perfect for grabbing some serious air. You might even catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge in your rear-view mirror.
With so much going on, it’s great to see a control option that handles acceleration and turning for you, letting you focus on showcasing your slick driving skills, and pulling off the kind of outrageous stunts that wouldn’t look out of place in Hollywood movies such as Baby Driver.
Asphalt veterans can, of course, stick with the ultra-responsive tilt controls for more nuanced steering. Either way, each race is a real thrill ride, from the cinematic opening countdown through to the fireworks at the finish line.
A sprawling career mode ensures that early buzz doesn’t wear off. During races you’ll be set individual goals and long-term missions that will boost your reputation and earn you tokens. These let you open card packs containing blueprints for new cars or import parts to give you some extra grunt under the hood.
Whether you upgrade or replace your ride, a recommended rank considerately lets you know if you’re equipped to tackle the next race. You can set yourself a challenge with a car that’s just under, or make things easy on yourself by rocking up in a fully-specced beast of a vehicle.
In other words, Asphalt 9: Legends is much more than a pretty face. As glossy as a high-end car ad, and with the substance to match, it’s not only the best in this storied series, but one of the finest mobile racing games around.