Fast Side of the Moon is an online Windows Phone game where you race up to twenty players across space-based racecourses. Fast Side of the Moon offers both online, multiplayer games and an offline single player game.
Graphics are nicely drawn up, the racecourses challenging, but the game is plagued by frustrating steering controls. The game has potential but needs a little work under the hood to give players a fighting chance at victory.
When you first launch Fast Side of the Moon, you will need to establish a profile that consists of your player name and choosing a flag icon. The game will then send you through a tutorial race where you learn the gaming control layout and the general feel for the races.
From there your primary menu for Fast Side of the Moon offers the customary options to jump into game play, choose your race, access the settings and connect to Facebook. Settings cover sound and music levels with connecting to Facebook offering you the option to race against your Facebook friends.
Controls are not very complicated. You have directional arrows in the left and right sides of the screen to control your steering. A damage counter sits in the upper left side and a booster button is in the upper right side of the screen. While the control layout is simple, the responsiveness of the steering controls can give you fits.
The directional arrows are overly sensitive and you will find yourself over-steering more times than not, making it difficult to keep your space racer in the middle of the track. You race in more of a serpentine fashion, bouncing from one side of the track to the other.
Difficult controls asides, Fast Side of the Moon has six planetary racecourses that are progressively unlocked. Each course has multiple races available that will vary in lap number and prize money.
The primary game mode with Fast Side of the Moon is the online, multiplayer mode. You can race up to twenty online opponents in single races or, once you reach level four in experience, race online in tournaments. There is a single player mode that is available offline.
The only way I was able to access the single player mode was to put my Windows Phone in Airplane Mode. This gives you the option to launch a practice race where you have the course all to yourself. When you are ready to compete against others, just reconnect your Windows Phone and you are ready to go.
Racecourses are full of the typical twists and turns, but you also have gates that you have to run your ship through. Bouncing off the walls, trees, billboards and other objects lining the racecourse will damage your ship. Damage your ship too much and you'll lose the race.
As you complete races, you will earn gaming cash and experience points. These earnings will eventually unlock additional racecourses.
Overall Impression
Fast Side of the Moon is a Windows Phone game with potential. I liked the graphics, the challenge of the racecourses and the overall concept of the game. While an attractive Windows Phone game, the one issue that hurts the appeal of Fast Side of the Moon is the gaming controls. As one reviewer in the Windows Phone Store put it, "3 words. Controls. Are. Sucky."
The directional arrows are overly sensitive and while you think you are gently steering in one direction, you find your space racer turning sharply towards the edge of the track. The result is a serpentine movement down the course, often hitting the sides of the track. All of which kills any chance of success.
If the developer could fine-tune the sensitivity where you have better control over your space racer, the game's appeal would noticeably improve. Fast Side of the Moon isn't a terrible game, it just needs a little work.
Fast Side of the Moon is a free Windows Phone game, available for low-memory Windows Phones. If you give the game a try, let us know what you think of things in the comments below.
Download Fast Side of the Moon for Windows Phone (Free)
