Aaaaa!!!

4 KERSPLAT!
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity – which I will refer to as AaRDG for the remainder of this review for brevity’s sake – is in many ways a perfect indie game.

First off, the concept is unique. Base jumping games have increased in the last year from one that I know of (a single title for a doomed system that was described as “Quake in freefall”) to three. This one applies the Tony Hawk formula to the fall, giving you tricks, scoring plates, and a distinctive X-TREEEEEYUM feel to the whole affair.

Secondly, the sound – usually a pet gripe of mine – is quite good. Studio recordings replace tinny midi or public domain sound files, and it really shows. The atmosphere is greatly boosted by the tracks, and my proverbial hat is off to the fine developers who recorded them. Proverbially because as I now work at a KFC, I refuse to wear any head covering off duty unless it’s 30 degrees, but I digress!

The graphics are solid, and run without lag even on my low-end laptop. A sort of Tron-esque wonderland sprawls below you, all neon and steel, and the still screens really don’t do justice to just how wonderfully fluid this game is.

Then, why does this game not merit a 5-star rating? Well, in short, the controls. The WASD-keyboard mix is intuitive enough for anyone who has played any sort of first person shooter, but I never really felt connected to my little jumper, in fact it often felt as if I was falling at normal speed, but was encased in gelatin at the same time. While this may make a decent portion of the game’s challenge factor, I would still appreciate a third-person mode, so as to better understand just how my frantic mouse-flailings are affecting the motion of the skydiver.

An easy 4/5. Your mileage may vary as always, so check the demo before trying out the full version.