Review written by Mike "Sponge" Rubits

Buy Flux Challenge from Clickgamer

PDAMill has always managed to put out games that get me addicted. Just as the booming voice of "You are NOT a jewel master!" has left my nightmares, I've now got the same announcer telling me that I lose, and other such utterances, forcing me to play on, despite work, other responsibilities, and occasionally food and drink. In either case, Flux's development cycle has been a complete turnaround from Anthelion's, with no less than 6 betas being released, with a laundry list of changes and additions each time. Comparing the very first release, to the version I hold in my hands now, it feels like a completely different game.

Graphics

Although Flux shares some of its engine with Anthelion, it's almost as if the Anthelion engine was ripped out, set on fire, with firecrackers stuffed into every opening, and being ridden by a massive demon. And the demon is throwing solid gold balls. That are on fire. My sleep-deprived comparison aside, gone is the lonely frontier of space. Now you're in a claustrophobia inducing tube, with four other racers who want to win just as much as you do, while the whole time avoiding smashing into walls at incredibly high speeds. That's something you usually want to avoid if you're going to make a career out of racing.

Usually you can spot a 3D game for mobile devices a mile away. Texture warping, triangles disappearing, and all sorts of popping are usually dead giveaways. Even after all of that, you'll still have textures that look like nothing more than random pixels. As you can tell from the screenshots, some of the textures are a bit blocky, but in motion it's barely noticeable. Actually, there are a number of nice little details, for example, a sign across the wall reflecting the yellow light, giving it an almost 3D look. Lights line the length of the course, making navigation a bit easier.

Another "hallmark" of mobile 3D games are the pathetically slow framerate. Luckily, framerates in flux are pretty high, and for those with faster or slower devices, you can turn on and off "Large Screen" in the options, which when disabled, adds a bigger HUD, and a visible on screen controller. There's also an option for cockpit view, which, as the name suggests, puts the game into a first person view, saving the engine the trouble of drawing your ship.

I've encountered only a few small quirks in the graphics. I've noticed once in a while the camera would fall out of the world for a second, and a strange effect where you're able to see through walls when objects are upcoming. It can be helpful at times, however it makes the game a bit easier as you're able to see ahead more.

Sound

Upon seeing the Jaybot7 logo in the title screen, many of you are probably expecting a decent experience in the sound department, right? Not in this case. The sound in Flux, especially in the music department, is well above what I've ever heard before on the platform, ranking right up there with many professional Game Boy Advance games, and beyond.

The first thing that really caught my attention wasn't the graphics, not the sharp GUI, or any of that, it was the music. From the very catchy menu track, to all the in-game music, Flux is truly a new high in PocketPC audio. There's one song in particular that really sticks out for me, begins with a bell, and mixes electric guitars, string instruments, and synths into one track that's absolutely killer. Then again, add string instruments into anything, and you'll almost always get a thumbs up from me.

Sound effects are also excellent. Each ship has it's own unique engine sound, although I've noticed Argos-D sounds suspiciously like a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, the sound when you pickup the boosts is also the same sample as used in many of the songs, which can sound a bit strange sometimes. This is more of a nitpick than anything, however.

Gameplay

The first alphas had me worried about Flux. Sure, the game looks great, but how much fun could hitting the directional pad when a blinking arrow comes on be? Thankfully, the situation has improved, but there are still a few problems.

Flux offers 24 tracks, ranging from the very short, some taking less than a minute to finish, up to Grand Flux, a nearly 3-minute monster. Split that across six different ships, and there's quite a bit of gameplay to be had. Rather, this would be the case if the AI weren't so easy! I spent most of my time on the first 2 levels, however, once those were cleared, it was smooth sailing, as I won every race, thanks to having a better vehicle than the rest. Either rebalancing the cash in career mode, or beefing up the AI is really needed.

The level design itself is fantastic. Personally, I'm a fan of Dream Arena, in which textures are nearly hypnotic when flying by at such high speeds; and is quite a sight to see to say the least. I only wish there were more open areas like the ones at the start of levels, or windows with a view into space to break up the monotony of the pipes.

PDAMill made sure to account for everyone's devices when it comes to controlling you ship; there are 3 ways to do so. You can use virtual pad when the large screen is disabled, tap right in the gameplay area itself, or using the familiar directional pad. It's worth nothing that due to the PocketPC touchscreen driver, you probably will notice a performance decrease when the pen is not on the screen. This is not Flux's fault - it's a problem with most games, so I would suggest suffering through your PocketPCs gamepad if you can. Other than that, the only other button you have to remember is the boost - that's right, there are no buttons to accelerate or decelerate; you will automatically slow down when turning. This adds a bit of a challenge in turning, as overturning will slow you down too much, along with slamming you into a wall.

Collision detection is OK, the bounding boxes seem a bit small, so you rarely have to dodge out of the way for another ship. First person view is a bit tough navigating, as you'll often bump into a wall, even though it looks like you have a bit more room. These are both pretty rare situations, however.

The career mode is where you'll be playing Flux the most. Your goal is to become the Flux Champion, which is done by making enough money in order to enter the final race, and enough to rent a decent ship, since the free one sure won't cut it. Luckily, you don't have to be a waiter at some sleazy restaurant in the middle of space to make money, you can do so by winning lesser races, each week with bigger prizes - expect to pay more to enter each race too.

After you become Flux Champion, the game isn't completely over. Thanks to the rotating schedule, you may not even see most of the maps that Flux has to offer. These will show up grayed out in Time Trial, meaning you probably should go back to career mode and get the last levels Flux has to offer.

I wish the game were a bit longer, or a bit more in-depth, with the ability to actually buy a ship than renting it every time, and the standard upgrades for each one. This, and the unbalanced career mode really hurt Flux's career mode.

Pros:

• Speedy graphics engine

• Solid gameplay mechanics

• Amazing soundtrack

• Excellent controls

Cons:

• Poor AI balancing

Flux Challenge lives up to the quality that everyone has come to expect with PDAMill. It's a unique experience for the Pocket PC - there's really nothing like it to date. If you're looking for a quick and easy arcade game, Flux Challenge is definitely a good choice. Don't expect any massive plots, or a huge simulation model, just some fast, and easy fun. Check out the demo, it's a great game that should be worth a shot to almost everyone.

Score-by-score breakdown

Gameplay:  70%
Graphics:  90%
Sound:  100%

Overall:  90%

Please note that the overall score is more than simply an average of the individual ratings.  Many thanks to PDAmill for providing our review copy.

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