Atmosphere is created by a combination of sensations, for an arcade game they mainly revolve around loud engine noises screeching tires, the thrill of speed, and the feeling that you're on the very brink of losing control, at almost every turn. Asphalt 9 Legends understands that, and it understands it better than we can explain in a single pithy paragraph.
In fact it understands it so well that it's confident enough to strip back almost all the frippery, in turn becoming a blistering assault on your senses that's super easy to deal with, and that's the point. this is a lightning injection of all the chaos that makes the very best arcade games so much fun to play. after a brief fling with one of the supercars you're trying to unlock you dropped into the lower leagues of the street racing world.
You get a car, a bit of money, and need to work your way up to the top of the driving really fast tree. the default controls are simplicity itself, steering and acceleration are taken out of your hands, leaving you to concentrate on the important things, like drifting, pulling off jumps, and using your nitros. now if you're understandably worried that might narrow the scope of the game, let us put your mind at ease, there are still multiple branching paths on each track, which you get to with a swipe when you're using the default controls, and importantly you can turn the assistance off, taking full control of the steering yourself if you'd prefer.
There are pros and cons to each of the control systems, but whichever you choose you're gonna have a breathless time as you plow through skyscrapers, dodge enormous waves, and try and hit those jumps weak spots just right. it's partially those surroundings that make the game such an enjoyable experience, they combine to create a maelstrom of insanity, around which you're flailing with a ridiculously expensive car. There are crashes there's rubbish to, drive through sometimes you'll get hit by a train.
The free-to-play here is solid as well, each of your cars has its own gas tank, when it's empty you need to use the other car, wait for it to refill or buy some more gas. in the time that we've spent playing, we've not hit anything close to a hard paywall.
As thought nine legends knows what it is, and it isn't afraid to stand on the roof of its supercars barking it out to anyone who'll listen. It's a brilliantly balanced game of skid and flying, that makes you feel like a stunt car racer from the get-go. the learning curve might be relegated to an option, but they're still challenged here. And the simple fact is that being able to jump in a car and flip it off a giant ramp, feels absolutely brilliant. Atmosphere is everything, and this is a neon slashed glittering howl of engine revving madness. There may well be a new arcade racing king in town.
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