Driving a car really, really fast doesn’t just require precision, it requires concentration and effort. That’s something that Assetto Corsa Mobile tries to capture, demanding that you’re at your best at every corner. It can sometimes be exhausting, but it’s also pretty darn entertaining.
If you’re expecting a soft experience, then you’re going to be in for quite the shock. Even with the assists turned on and the game taking control of most of the more complex parts of the experience, you’re still going to have to be on your toes. This isn’t a racing game as much as it’s a racing simulator.
You’re not jumping straight into the supercar of your dreams, either. Things start off slow, with production cars that you might see driving past your window on a normal day. You have to work your way through the classes, winning races and time trials and earning the coins you need to collect the more powerful driving machines.
There are different control schemes, using tilt or touch or a controller. You can set the game to control your acceleration, show the racing line and when you should be braking. Or you can turn all of that off and take the track on with only your own skills.
Some people are going to find the lack of arcade thrills and spills here disappointing. Assetto Corsa Mobile takes itself seriously, and it builds its excitement through mastery. This is a game that trades in fractions of a second, asking you to dig deep, learn the tracks and focus on hitting that tricky corner perfectly.
Things can, and will, go wrong in the blink of an eye. You’ll be taking a bend only to be shunted from behind, navigating a hairpin only to miss the line and end up in the gravel. It can certainly be frustrating, and how you deal with those failures is going to define how much enjoyment you get out of Assetto Corsa Mobile.
This is a game that deals in purity – even when it’s holding your hand, its grip is loose and careless. You’re on your own, just you and the track. It might not be the best looking game, or the most exciting, but if you’re looking for a racing experience that does its best to capture what pushing a car to its absolute limit is really like, Assetto Corsa Mobile is your best option.
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