innocent - to - manoeuvre games often look sympathetic , but it ’s difficult to know at a glance whether the business model is insidious and fun ruin , or sensible and worth pump a few bucks into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a recent destitute - to - maneuver iOS game , put it through its pace , and permit you hump if it ’s really deserving your clock time ( and money ) .
If you ’re one of the gazillion of people that clump to seeFurious 7this weekend , you might be eager to relive some of the braggy - screenland shiver on your iPhone or iPad — andFast & Furious : Legacyis quick and waiting for you . Here ’s the bad news : It ’s a barren - to - bid plot that features multiple currency systems , timers that coerce you to wait for arbitrary reasons , and fair number of craunch needed to unlock faster car and later content .
nonplus the higher - shit drive ? strike you do n’t bodge this kickoff or leave out your budge discriminative stimulus , you ’ll plausibly take the drag race .
Here ’s the good news : Despite all of that being truthful and totally anticipate for this type of forward-looking movie game , Legacy is actually totally reasonable in most of its freemium design . Better yet , it ’s really quite fun in moments , with plenty of presentational gloss and callbacks to the full movie serial to rive you along . It might not be the richest or most complex racing game around , but it ’s a good companion to the film .
The pitch
look for a directing pad , arguing control , or an quickening release ? You wo n’t find it here , as Fast & Furious : Legacy is n’t a traditional racing game . rather , it collects a series of driving - based event that boast round-eyed control and interactions . You ’ll rev up your railway locomotive and slam on the gas to start each missionary work , but from there , the game shifts into one of a few forms .
Drag races are very similar to freemium smashCSR Racing , in which you must shift geared wheel to keep accelerating at eyeshade speeds and thump your foe to the finish origin . Street races , on the other paw , see you tapping to switch lane as you dodge dealings — and occasionally , police cruisers that seek to slow you down by smashing into your drive . And drift events mail your car spinning around turn - toilsome courses , as you slide your finger left and ride to control its arc while whipping around act .
Police cruiser will pop up at times during street races , and they like to take sudden turns to draw a blank your path . Whoops .
None of the case are in particular complex , but they ’re all nicely execute for what they are , and the game pose the polish on thick . The glossy cars are impressively supply , the backdrop have middle - catching neon mark and other vivid detail , and the rainbow core while boosting nitrous adds some play flair . And while only the B - players from the motion-picture show have their likenesses quicken here ( with still images and text ) , there ’s enough light feel to the dialogue to recall the film ’ notable characters and events .
That ’s high praise — thanks so much , Tyrese … I stand for , Roman . The story scrap are loose , but they assist touch base the events to the film reality .
Much of the action spread out through a account modality that recoil between Rio , Miami , Los Angeles , and Tokyo as you complete the various events . Challenge races ditch the tale to provide excess ways to earn credit rating , plus particular ranked events pop up from time to time . There ’s quite a snatch here to play , although if you require to dig deeply into the storyline , you ’ll require to get into the cycle of constantly upgrading your ride(s ) to meet the arise challenge . Which is where freemium element fare into play , of course .
The catch
Make no mistake about it : While attainment has some part in the proceeding , Fast & Furious : Legacy is very much a numbers game . mother a motorcar that ’s rated higher than your opponent ’s , due to how much you ’ve upgrade it ( or how telling it was in the first place ) ? You ’re likely to win , assume you do n’t intentionally bash into traffic , miss your shifting clue , or leave your nitrous tank untapped .
Constantly raise your ride(s ) is the name of the game . That big yellowed number assure you how much of a shot you have against another driver .
The game will even tell you how difficult the forthcoming outcome seems based on your car military rank , as if to nudge you into the shop to well prepare your ride . Like , “ You do n’t really think you ’re operate to win this one with that lump of rubble , do you ? ” Legacy does n’t have any militant online play , but working your direction through the story mean facing new and better - outfit computer rivals in the various events . And that requires incessantly pumping your earned gold , silver gray , and repair tokens into upgrades .
fortuitously , there are consistent opportunity to earn all of those up-to-dateness character if you play slowly and steadily . You ’re given currency for advancing the account , completing challenge races , joining a crew , and logging in daily , and if you ’re patient enough to play piddling chunks here and there , you could probably dally for a long time for gratuitous .
atomic number 79 is used to purchase young car crates , optical enhancement , and to append your other funds when it comes to repairs .
Legacy does have some convoluted freemium element , however , which are here only to stymie anyone eager to play declamatory amount without paying . The most obvious of them is the motivation to perform an oil change on your car after five events , which take up two or more hr of genuine clip . you may own multiple cars , luckily , but if you ’re focusing your money on upgrade for one , opportunity are the others wo n’t be as well equipped . Elsewhere , you ’ll postulate to shell out gold for supernumerary mechanic one-armed bandit to repair multiple rides at once , plus “ part ” and “ upgrades ” are two unlike elements for some reason , which only direct to confusion and frustration .
Eventually , I hit a rampart a few chapters into the story mode , where I ran out of coins for upgrades but the movement consequence ahead were understandably designed for faster car . I could loop back into the challenge consequence for a few days and build some capital there , or I could spend real money to buy more atomic number 79 for upgrades .
special - sentence car crate pop up from clock time to fourth dimension , but you ’d have to spend $ 20 on gold to grab one in a rushing . Saving up that much gold without paying must take weeks , if not month .
A third selection emerged : Dropping $ 10 on a large number of in - game gold great enough to buy a random “ premium ” car instantaneously , which end up being a 2013 BMW M5 with dramatically unspoilt specs than my lower-ranking 2012 Hyundai Veloster . I jumped back into those drift events and straightaway boom through them , conveniently bunk my enemy by a few seconds apiece . See , it pays to pay in Fast & Furious : Legacy . Surprise , surprisal .
The verdict
And still , I felt like it was n’t totally necessary . Sure , if you ’re eager to make easy progress through the plot , you might desire to spend a few buck early on to append your gold supplying and buy a insurance premium car . Just like purchase a car pack inReal Racing 3 , it can only help ensure you ’ve got more to do without hold off .
But there ’s plenty to enjoy about Fast & Furious : Legacy without pay off your fashion through digital oil change and stamping ground . It ’s not nigh as intense or rousing as the film it ’s inspired by , but the quick - hit events and silklike presentation add up nicely and ensue in a freemium digression deserving stick with .
