AiRace: Tunnel (Nintendo DS) Review

What would otherwise look like a simple technical demonstration of a developer's gameplay and graphics engine, AiRace: Tunnel is actually perfectly suited to the Nintendo DSi download service. Players take control of a futuristic vehicle that starts slowly flying through a tunnel. Using either the touch-screen or face buttons, the craft can be moved around and tilted either left or right. The correct position must be assumed in order to guide the ship through tight spaces and gaps created by both static and moving obstacles ahead, whilst an unfortunately repetitive piece of music loops in the background.

The game displays a small percentage notification to highlight exactly how far through a stage you have progress, with the speed increasing the further you get and the complexity of the incoming barriers increasing more and more to the point where every ounce of concentration is required to ensure no crashes occur. In a way, it almost becomes like a 'bullet hell' shooter, in that close control and all your attention must be focused on the movements of the spacecraft, with the slightest of incorrect movement or tilt causing a complete disaster and the end of your near-perfect run.

Anyone with a poor constitution and/or shaky hands should give this a miss, since after several sessions of attempting to manoeuvre the ship safely passed the hazards and through the twisting and turning tunnels, AiRace: Tunnel can play havoc with your nerves, testing your reflexes and resolve to maximum! There may only be a few stages on offer, but for such a low price and given how even the easiest stage is actually quite tough for new starters, it is perfect for coming back to every once in a while for just one…more…go… In essence this may only by a test project from QubicGames, yet in reality it has turned out to be a highly engaging little product that is so moderately priced that DSi owners looking for something a little different, or a warm-up for the full-fledged racer AiRace that only launched in the past few weeks, should definitely check out.