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Given the warm reaction to the release of the new and staggering MAD MAX: FURY ROAD trailer, I thought this would be the perfect time to share some thoughts on Anki DRIVE (Anki being the name of the company which made the product, DRIVE being the name of the product itself).
How are the two connected? Battle Cars and combat racing. As TRONishly smooth and slick as the design of Anki DRIVE is - and it is very slick in presentation - the heart and soul of the product is undoubtedly driven by titles like the DEATH RACE films and, yes, even MAD MAX. How so? More on this momentarily.
At its core, DRIVE is an action/racing game in which players have the option to control their vehicles through iOS or Android devices.
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‘Steering’ isn’t as precise as some might wish it would be (this is accomplished by tilting your phones or pads - the cars respond broadly although not necessarily surgically). But, interestingly, game dynamics work wonderfully all the same. As Steve Jobs once said, ‘It just works.’ Vehicle speed controls, cannon controls, tractor beam controls, and game pausing were all extremely responsive and highly functional - no lag was noticed, reactions of the vehicles on the track were lightening fast.
Cannons? Tractor beams? Yeah. Let the Geekery begin. It is completely feasible to conduct a normal race on DRIVE. You know? Cars going in a big circle, trying to beat each other? But if you’re reading this site and are still reading this article, there’s a greater than not chance you’re more interested in wrecking some kind of havoc, or hurling forth some level of in-game carnage. Because, that’s what Geeks like us tend to respond to.
In DRIVE, it’s possible to tractor your opponent from a considerable distance, slowing down their vehicle - allowing you to either pass them, or move into position to blast them. Blasting them can also be accomplished without the use of tractor beams - doing so is all about getting your car into the right position, getting the right angle while on the fly, etc. Both the tractor and cannon functions involve specific lighting effects on the vehicles themselves, and elicit specific on-track reactions from the target vehicle. Both incorporate crisp and dynamic sound work (via your mobile device), which also displays status graphics and vibrates accordingly.
DRIVE’s vehicles are equipped with some kind of spooky, magical AI - there are moments when you wonder who is controlling whom. This is especially useful as it allows DRIVE to be fully playable with only one human participant (with the AI operating the other car or cars in the race - I believe the AI can support one human player and up to three AI opponents, or combinations there of).
The starter set - which immediately and smartly evokes a darker riff on Apple packaging efficiency and sterility - comes with two cars, one sizable track (over 8’ long and about 3 1/2 feet wide), a plug-in charger allowing players to charge more than one vehicle at a time (the cars are housed in little computer-mouse like shells when charging...
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...and a few other goodies. The all-important App is easily downloadable via Apple’s App store - or whatever the Android equivalent is called.
Alternate/additional vehicles can be purchased separately, as can differing configurations of the heavy vinyl race track (the DRIVE cars do not function without this track. They know, somehow, and it doesn’t seem wise to test their resolve).
The functionality of cars can evidently be tweaked and upgraded as players rank up and so forth - but I haven’t gotten this far yet, because I’m having too much fun just mastering the basics. Player profiles allow for the selection of futuristic, TRON-like avatars who will be omnipresent throughout on-screen displays. The DRIVE training seminar is voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart, immediately setting a standard for the coolness and sophistication which persists throughout play.
Anki DRIVE feels substantial, and also consequential. It is a triumph in conception and engineering, and a brilliant amalgam of classic, old-fashioned Slot Car racing and modern video gaming sensibilities. It’s a classic “race track” approach with a does of Bayhem, and a video game made real yet toyetic. Smartly conceived, brilliantly executed, there’s certainly a great many ways in which Anki DRIVE can be evolved in the coming years, but for the moment they’re off to one helluva start. And, somehow, this all feels pivotal - in an exciting, provocative, ‘where can they go from here?’ sorta way. I can’t wait to find out. As many times as my 7 year old son has smoked me in matches (he cheats - he really does!), Anki DRIVE is a total win.
Anki DRIVE is now available via many retailers - but watch the pricing on Amazon, as something is whacked with this item’s listing there at the moment. The starter kit should officially run between $99 and $150ish - Amazon has it listed for over $300 at this time, which is bunk. Check Toys R Us, Target, or Best Buy, or visit Anki’s website for more.
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Glen Oliver
“Merrick”
