Developer: Level Eight
Price: $2.99
Version: 1.0.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS
There’s just something about using motorized vehicles to do crazy, gravity-defying stunts that never gets old. But how can someone top something like back-flipping a dirt bike through a flaming hoop, then sticking the landing? By doing it with monster trucks, apparently.
MEGASTUNT Mayhem Pro is just that: a game about driving off ramps and doing mid-air tricks with machines that couldn’t possibly do that stuff in real life. Not successfully, anyway. The beautiful thing about video games, though, is that they can get away with doing stuff like this. And boy does Level Eight run with the idea. I’ve had my beastly motor vehicle doing flips through fire rings, landing and subsequently grinding on large metal poles, then doing another flip as I dismount before sticking all four wheels on the ground and moving on to the next stunt. Craziness.
Being so crazy is what makes MEGASTUNT Mayhem Pro so much fun. Pulling off all these tricks (most done though on-screen swipes) is satisfying, and stringing them together for massive points is even better. Money earned from a run can be used to upgrade a truck’s performance, and there are plenty of four-wheeled monsters to choose from (a few through in-app purchase). It’s hard not to go back to a level to earn the maximum amount of stars, seeing as it’s just fun to do.
Unfortunately, controlling a truck on the ground in MEGASTUNT Mayhem Pro proves to be much more difficult than when it’s in the air. Of the two options, the virtual steering wheel is by far the weakest. Being able to adjust the sensitivity is a nice feature, but having to use it like an actual wheel (turning at anything less than extreme right or left requires a circular motion akin to real steering) makes it way too difficult. I think a simple left and right slider would have worked much better. The accelerometer controls work the best, but they also suffer a bit due to the camera’s tendency to rotate ever-so-slightly while turning. I’ve run into poles accidentally because I couldn’t see them in time on more than one occasion.
However, as annoying as steering these giant…things…can be, it ceases to matter once the truck is in the air. There’s a surprisingly large amount of moves available, from back flips to barrel rolls, and nailing the landing while an announcer yells “AWESOME” is incredibly pleasing. Anyone who enjoys pulling off insane stunts while flying through the air in something that was clearly meant to stay on the ground needs to check out MEGASTUNT Mayhem Pro.