Art Style: Light Trax (WiiWare) - Review by Chris

Introduction

While other developers have slowly brought some of their bigger franchises to the WiiWare service, Nintendo hasn't been so forthcoming. Outside of the Pokémon series, none of Nintendo's other bigger hitters have found their way onto WiiWare, no doubt coming as a disappointment to many. Yet while they haven't provided their big franchises, they have continued to steadily provide games into their Art Style series which aim to provide simplistic yet elegant titles at lower prices. Here we have one of those titles, in the form of Light Trax: a racing game that combines elements of a puzzle title.

Gameplay

Based on a previously Japanese only Gameboy Advance games titles Dot Stream, part of the original Bit Generation series of games, Art Style: Light Trax is a racing game with a difference. While many modern racers push to be the most realistic looking and provide an authentic representation of how the cars that you'll be driving handle, Light Trax aims for a more surrealist approach to the genre, which will no doubt bring many to see similarities between it and the likes of Tron. Taking control of a beam of white light that is constantly accelerating forward, it is your job to steer it around the mixture of 2D and 3D sections of tracks in the hope of being the first beam of light to cross the line. It's about as abstract as the genre can get and it works extremely well here, providing an addictive and challenging experience that will keep you coming back for more.

The game is comprised of two main modes of gameplay: A Grand Prix style mode and a Freeway mode. The former is your expected Grand Prix style setting where you'll progressively unlock a series of 5 cups, each containing 3 tracks for you to race on. You'll take on a 6 other beams of light, all of which are vying for the top spot and you'll complete a series of laps around increasingly difficult tracks filled with obstacles, gaining points for your final position. Coming first in the overall rankings after the 3 races allows you to unlock the next cup and this continues with each cup there on. Yet as simplistic as that sounds, the racing here contains more strategy than you'd expect.

Acceleration is carried out for you by the game, allowing you to focus on your steering and placement on the tracks. By positioning yourself beside other beams, you'll begin to draft and build up a boost meter and utilising this at key moments in the race can make the different between where you'll ultimately finish. Similarly, due to the obstacles placed on many of the tracks, you're granted 2 pieces of health for your light beam, with the ability to pick up further pieces lying around the track or various other items which can give you a boost. These health pieces can, if you so choose, be used to give you a super charged boost at the expense of a piece of health. On the earlier tracks, it is safe to make careless use of these as the obstacles are easy to manoeuvre around yet on later tracks, you'll have to strategise and learn the layouts of the track perfectly if you're going to use them, otherwise it'll be game over and you'll end the race with no points.

The Grand Prix mode is particularly lengthy, helped largely by the fact that the tracks become exceedingly difficult as you progress meaning you'll often have to replay through cups in the hope of making a break through. Should that prove too difficult for you, the Freeway mode offers an alternative mode of play, yet one that remains as addictive as the standard racing affair. In Freeway mode, you'll once again control a beam of white light, perpetually moving forward, but the objective here is to see how far you can go and how many points you can amass within the 5 minute time limit all the while driving through a system of freeways, connecting different themed areas to one another. Amassing points is as simple as drafting and then passing other light beams, all the while building up a combo meter on the left of the screen, allotting you higher scores of points for the beams you pass. It doesn't require the same level of strategy as the other mode but remains just as enjoyable.

As difficult as things may become, the game helpfully offers you the option of a tutorial which will demonstrate the workings of the game in enough detail to make you feel comfortable taking on the game's growing challenge. Similarly, you are able to play through single races so you can learn the layouts to help you when it comes to the main Grand Prix mode.

Controls

Art Style: Light Trax provides a simplistic control setup for you to get to grips with, and one that even the most amateur of gamers can figure out. Using only the Wii-mote held horizontally, the game takes care of the acceleration and all you'll need to use in the game is the d-pad and the 1 and 2 buttons for boosting and braking, although the later really isn't something you'll need very often. It's a very simple and effective control scheme that allows for easy movement throughout the obstacle on the track, although a slight delay in the d-pad presses can make later tracks slightly more difficult than they are. The A button also comes into use when you want to give up one of your health pieces for a boost, although this only comes into play in Grand Prix mode.

Graphics

Being part of the Art Style generation of games, Light Trax continues the otherwise surrealist and simplistic visuals seen in earlier games. What you'll see when you play the game is a lot of coloured lines and wire frame structures for obstacles moving on a black background, with little deviation from this. Dynamic camera changes from a 2D to a 3D plane create an interesting effect and will have you driving in all sorts of directions which can at times make it difficult to get your head around, especially as the controls change to accommodate this dynamic changes. Freeway mode shows slight difference in the appearance, with items or attractions occurring around the sides of the freeway creating a unique visual experience. It carries with it its own charm and provides a pleasant alternative from other games which aim to push the boundaries of modern visuals and as simplistic as it looks, it is perhaps one of the most elegant looking of the retro styled games on the service.

Sound

Music takes the form of some thumping techno beats which compliment the visual style and the gameplay of the game extremely well, with some highlight pieces scattered through, and sound effects feel suitably retro keeping in tune with the visual style. Although they are completely new, all of the audio work simultaneously has the effect of being retro, creating a paradoxical effect and showing exactly what the high concept Art Style games are all about.

Final comments

After a few mediocre efforts were released initially on the WiiWare service, Nintendo and Skip seem to be back on track, both literally and figuratively, with the Art Style series. Their latest effort with Light Trax is one of the most unique titles available, creating a head spinning mix of racing and puzzles, all the while wrapped in the most minimalist of aesthetics you'll ever come across in this console generation, that'll leave you exasperated yet constantly wanting more of the unconventional fun it packages. At only 600 points, it's an absolute steal and anyone looking for something extraordinary would do well to check it out.

Pro: Incredibly addictive gameplay, visuals are simplistic yet elegant, provides a great challenge
Con: Can be frustratingly difficult at times, camera shifts can result in some control confusion
Final score: 8

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