Price: Free (optional buy-ins)
Platform: Android
Developer: Fingersoft
opening splash screen
First Impressions I haven't posted an app review for quite some time now mainly due to the fact that it don't really get the chance to play games or fiddle about with android apps these days.
Games in particular are a rare occurrence unless something brilliant comes along to distract me.
Enter Hill Climb Racing 2!
I'm already a fan of the original Hill Climb Racing which I used to play quite a lot. Seeing this updated version brought back all of those good memories from a few years ago and the fantastically addictive original.
Would this new version expand and improve on the old one? Time would tell.
The games origins
Hill climb racing 1 was a single player side scrolling driving game where you were rewarded for travelling as far as you could through a level. Coins that were collected were turned into new vehicles, levels or upgrades to your cars.
This original racer had loads of levels to unlock and loads of vehicles to own.
The anticipation of getting further through a level through upgrades or new cars was what keep you coming back for more. It really was brilliant!
What's new then?
Hill Climb Racing 2 builds on that successful foundation by adding an online multiplayer mode allowing four cars to compete in a cup together and climb the international leaderboards.
Timed rewards have been added to bring players back to game regularly.
More advertising in this version it would seem although most of the reward based adverts can be bypassed. It isn't too heavy on advertising I would say.
The one player/offline mode remains but has been drastically overhauled.
Every statistic is recorded for posterity
Hill Climb Racing 2 features a new driving license section which is in essence your game profile. All of the racing stats from every vehicle you own is stored here.
This is where you would add or edit your name.
The one player/offline mode is not bad
The screen shot above shows the menu screen of the one player mode of the game. So far there is only four available levels to unlock in one player which is dramatically less than that available in HCR 1.
Four levels doesn't seem enough to me. If you happen to be offline and away from the wi-fi then it's easy to become bored with just these few to mess about with.
Multiplayer mode is fun and very addictive!
Multiplayer mode is where the real fun is to be had with this game. It's simply awesome.
The screenshot above shows the menu screen of the multiplayer mode. Next to the course up next are three reward boxes. These can be opened either by using gems or by simply waiting the alloted time shown underneath.
In the upper part of the screen towards the middle is the player rating badge/award - notice mine happens to be Legendary - this is the highest rank in the game (I wasn't bragging there btw, just explaining the screen!)
Anyone downloading this game will find themselves in this menu more than any other.
You can customise your cars of course!
What also makes this game good is the vehicle purchase and upgrade section. Like in hill climb racing 1 any collected gold coins can be traded here for a faster engine or a new moped for instance.
There are enough vehicles and upgrades to keep players busy for a few weeks. Every upgrade means another attempt to see how far you can get.. simple stuff but highly entertaining!.
Playing the Game
The controls are simple. On the left side of the screen is a brake pedal and on the right side is a throttle pedal.
There is nothing more to it than that.
All lined up and ready to go!
Players compete in various cup competitions consisting of three or four different races in each.
Coins are collected during the race and a bonus prize is awarded for coming in the top three overall. Simple racing.
Bloody tricky inside the mountain
Overall there are thirteen separate cup competitions to unlock and master each with its own unique style and difficulty.
Currently I have only managed to open twelve of the thirteen.
New update featured the Xmas Cup
Just before Christmas came a game update which was full of good stuff to keep the game fresh over the holiday period.
Included in the update was a new Xmas Cup which comprised of three races with a wintery theme. A new monster truck vehicle was added to the garage and many other little character upgrade became available such as a Santa suit and different heads.
I'm hoping fingersoft bring out a new update with more levels in the new year.
Overall it's a brilliant and simple little game with great playability. Easy to pick up for a few minutes and put down again.
It's not necessary to buy anything in this game to complete it. Upgrade currency is earned during every race and the timed award boxes provide enough extra coins and upgrades to progress.
The adverts can be avoided 90% of the time.
Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
Another five tick review and rightly so! It's a great time killing game with a good reward system and nothing to buy! Free free free! Recommended oh yes!
My Current Rankings (like anybody's interested!)
World Rankings
Local UK Rankings