Review of the smart health connected circuit car game smart health innovation

Small cars have changed! We almost all knew this game which rocked our childhood. Build your own circuit, then launch your racing cars at top speed on the loops and other launching ramps. The Anki Overdrive makes you rediscover this classic, improved by new technologies.

Mark : Anki

Category : smart health connected game / toy

Sign in : Bluetooth

Compatibility : Android and iOS

Price : 150 €

Availability : Available

Tested with : Samsung grand prime, Galaxy S6

Buy Anki Overdrive :

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crU9t3qss9g (/ embed) 

Unboxing of Anki Overdrive

The Anki Overdrive is delivered in a fairly classic reinforced cardboard box of this kind. With a cover design based on cars, explosions and lasers. An opening in the box allows you to see the cars that can be used with this "Starter kit" which contains the basics necessary to start playing. The box, in addition to informing about the contents of the box, provides ideas for building circuits in order to avoid always playing with the same configuration.

After opening the box, you can get a closer look at the cars. They are attached to a false part of the circuit (it is indeed a piece of cardboard and not a real piece of circuit). We also discover the station for recharging vehicles, accompanied by several adapters allowing it to be smart health connected to all types of earth connection. Finally, we can see small arches, which will be used to create bridges on the circuit.

Below are the different sections of the road: four straight and six curved sections. As is increasingly the case with all types of objects smart health connected, the notices give almost no indication. Rather, you will have to rely on the application and the natural handling of the product.

Design and ergonomics of the Anki Overdrive

In terms of design, the Overdrive is simple, but works. Here, no surrounding constructions, loops or great heights, cars must be able to advance on the circuit with the automatic game system, which limits design madness.

Cars offer rather classic looks in these kinds of games again. An electric blue car with salient angles, and the other more rounded with a black and red color scheme marked with skulls.

Regarding ergonomics, the Anki Overdrive is a very good surprise. If you had trouble building the circuits as a child, it should be better with this one. The different parts of the circuit clip into each other with disconcerting ease. They are flexible and seem weakly magnetized, which guarantees both ease of installation and a much lower risk of breaking something.

Application of Anki Overdrive

The app is more like a ehealth game than anything else. And that's a good point. This is a very good surprise. She does everything that can be expected of her: both it helps you prepare the circuit and the cars, and it offers a very well done game.

We can blame him fairly dated design and music, but who participate at the same time in this impression of going back 15 years back, which can be quite enjoyable.

Single player campaign, multiplayer mode, convincing recorded voices for the many non-player characters, unlockable items, vehicle progression … Everything is there to offer a real experience and not just a quickly forgotten mini-game. The application used primarily to play the game, let's go directly to use.

Using the Anki Overdrive

We've tested three different game modes advancing in the single player campaign: a classic mode where you have to be the first to finish a given number of laps, a speed competition where the vehicles try one after the other to make laps as quickly as possible, and finally a mode where you have to shoot down the opposing car a certain number of times.

Because yes, you read that right, you can attack and (virtually) destroy your opponent in this game. Each car is equipped with specific weapons, each with their own characteristics, range and effects. You can see all their statistics on the app and they are represented on small cars by light and sound effects. For example, you can equip a harpoon, which only works if you are behind your opponent, and which allows you to slow it down to stick to him and then unload your weapons behind his back. There is also a bomb that you can charge and then detonate at the right time to inflict damage all around you.

And these are just a few examples, weapons and special items are very numerous and create a truly surprising wealth of gameplay. In addition, non-player characters, weak at first, do not waste time before taking the lead. You may encounter your first difficulties much sooner than you imagine. Artificial intelligence is very successful and adapts to your playing style. It slows down or accelerates according to your movements, and can even shoot you from a high bridge if you pass in its line of sight on the lower section of the circuit.

The cars follow the circuit alone, but are free to move. You can perform three different actions: manage your speed, go right or left of the track, and use your weapons and special items. Gamleplay is very easy to understand and you will have assimilated it by the end of the tutorial (which is very well done, by the way), but to master it perfectly, it is another story. You have to juggle between its objects, which all have different ranges and effects, remember to line up on the side to let your opponent pass or exceed, while managing his speed to make the best use of his weapons.

This game would be honestly nice without the interaction it has with the real circuit, but this feature makes it extremely addictive and effective. It’s a perfect compromise between board game and ehealth game. For reasons of poor WiFi connection in the room where we built the circuit, we could not Review the multiplayer, but if no bug is present, we are convinced that the experience would be extremely pleasant.

The Anki Overdrive against the competition

There is not a lot of competition in the market for smart health connected circuit car games. The biggest competition in Anki Overdrive is the Scalextric Race Control App. However, it doesn't have an entire ehealth game, and the cars are still riveted to the track like in older models. The choice is quickly made.

Conclusion

Good points

• A ehealth game with real credible content

• Very simple installation

• Very pleasant to play

• Not so expensive considering what it offers

Negative points

• Very classic design

• The starter pack alone quickly becomes limited

Use / Getting started

Overview

Design and ergonomics : A design that is not very original, but that works.Features : The game is really surprising, and offers rich and interesting content for this type of product.Application : The real success of the product. It transforms a simple toy into a real rich and addictive game.

Use / Getting started : Very easy to set up and use. No problem.Value for money : The price / quality ratio depends on how much you are ready to invest in a game. However, in view of the equipment and the technology of the device, the price is really not excessive.

(Review) Anki Overdrive: between ehealth game and board game 

Reviewed by Geoffrey  

we 2016-09-01

   Design and ergonomics : A design that is not very original, but that works.Features : The game is really surprising, and offers rich and interesting content for this type of product.Application : The real success of the product. It transforms a simple toy into a real rich and addictive game.

Use / Getting started : Very easy to set up and use. No problem.Value for money : The price / quality ratio depends on how much you are ready to invest in a game. However, in view of the equipment and the technology of the device, the price is really not excessive.

Rating: 4 

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