Geometry Shift Demo

Ever since cars have been invented over a century ago, people have ached to go faster and faster, although we now reached a limit when it comes to safety. Even if the land speed record is actually a bit over the sound speed right now, we obviously cannot put the same power into a regular car. On the other hand, once new technology becomes available and we figure out how to prevent accidents, other cool things might start to become possible.

Geometry Shift is not your usual type of racing game, but it certainly has what it takes to increase your adrenaline level by quite a bit. In essence, you get to drive spaceships around weirdly shaped tracks, while trying to compete with other racers and stay inside the track as well. The gameplay is more challenging than it sounds, since it only takes a small mistake to leave the designated area and reset to a previous position.

The reset is actually the most frustrating part, because there are certain checkpoints you regress to if you don’t pay enough attention to the track. Given the fact that there is no actual speed limit, due to the fact that your ship can accelerate as much as you want, things can get out of hand in a hurry. The trick is to make use of the particle break, which allows you to both reduce speed and improve your steering to deal with tight corners.

If speed is what you are after, there is one more way to go even faster. The booster can be activated at any time with the press of a button, but you need to use it wisely in order to get the most out of it. On the other hand, the booster depletes your ship’s energy, and you need that to keep going for the entire duration of the race. Obviously, there are ways to replenish the lost energy along the way.

From a technical point of view, the game does not look bad at all, as long as your expectations are not very high to begin with. Thanks to the Unity engine, the special effects look quite nice, and you can really get dizzy after a few races. The controls are pretty responsive and accurate as well, although you need a controller to get the most out of your ship.

While it is true that Geometry Shift is not your typical racing game, the challenge is there, and it can turn into quite the hit as long as the developers keep working hard on it. However, it still seems a bit too difficult to be appealing to most people, so it would be a good idea to introduce a few slower modes as well.