Wave Race is a reflex-based arcade game focused on control and alertness on tight tracks. Rather than just accelerating on a large track, players must continually guide their car through small gaps, dodging barriers, obstacles, and unexpected curves. One mistake can end the game right there.
The initial impression of Wave Race is its basic gameplay. No need to memorize a huge list of keys or manage a complicated update mechanism. The difficulty is in getting the timing of each movement right.
The longer you go the faster and denser the obstacles will grow, providing for more stressful control. A good dodge is typically only a few pixels away from a collision, so players need to watch the road ahead, not just where they are now.
Don't make big motions to manage the car. Shorter, steady movements usually provide you more control of your direction on tight parts of the road. If you detect a tight opening ahead, respond quickly and don’t wait until you are right up to the obstruction to react.
Three very useful behaviours are:
You normally don't have to go so fast on levels with restricted passageways. What’s more important is to stay on course. If a road section keeps changing direction, divide it up into smaller roads and deal with them one at a time, instead of trying to see all the obstacles at once.
Another caution is don’t worry if the vehicle starts to go off course. Trying to fix it with a sudden, powerful move typically makes it worse. A quick, properly timed maneuver will get the car back to a secure place.
Wave Race is for those who like games with simple rules, but which take practice to learn control. Short rounds means if you make a mistake you can retry the level rather quickly so you can gradually learn the dangerous parts of the road.
The essence of the game is the difference between knowing how to play and mastering control. You can comprehend the whole concept in a few seconds, but it's a lot of work to get over the hard parts.
Wave Race will put you to the test with moves that look easy, yet the slightest movement can make or break your turn.
