If there ever was a game that was like THE game of TouchArcade, I think Pixelocity Software’s Disc Drivin’ ($2.99) would earn that title hands down. Originally launching way back in December of 2010, Disc Drivin’ is a digital take on an obscure board game called Pitch Car where players would take turns flicking a disc around a course in an effort to cross the finish line first. This mechanic translated beautifully in Disc Drivin’ as the flicking of the disc felt totally at home on the touchscreen and the turn-based nature of the game meant that people could play the game around their own schedule. I loved Disc Drivin’ when it originally launched, and numerous updates added pretty much everything I could ever wish for in the game, like additional tracks and customizable discs. I can’t overstate just how much of an obsession Disc Drivin’ became amongst the TouchArcade staff in the following years, and there’s a dedicated base of fans who continue to play to this day. Here’s the very old original trailer for Disc Drivin’ just in case you’re not familiar with the game.
Well, you may remember back in February of last year Disc Drivin’ received a 64-bit update to save it from the 32-bit Appocalypse, and alongside that update came a tease that something new was cooking for the series. Many speculated that a sequel was in the works, and today Pixelocity is officially announcing Disc Drivin’ 2 as being a real thing that exists. This is the only gif I could think of to adequately express just how happy this news makes me.
So what’s new in Disc Drivin’ 2? Quite a lot actually. The biggest fundamental change is that now players will be able to take two swipes per turn instead of one. In the original game you’d aim and then flick your disc and let the momentum carry it to wherever it would go. You could bounce off of walls or other objects to change your trajectory or use different power-ups to ultimately change the movement of your disc, and indeed that was a big part of the strategy, but for the most part once you flicked you were at the mercy of the physics engine until your disc came to a stop. In Disc Drivin’ 2 you’ll be able to take that initial flick but then while your disc is in motion you can take a second flick and change the direction you’re going. Here’s a couple animated gifs that show the new second swipe functionality in action.
In both the above instances the person taking their turn would have flown off the edge of the track, nullifying their progress in that turn, had there been no second swipe. It’s a pretty fundamental change to the Disc Drivin’ formula, but I’m all for it. The next big change in this sequel is that Pixelocity is now using spline-based tracks, and all that really means in layman’s terms is that the tracks in the game will now have much smoother curvatures and can now feature elevation changes. Yes, elevation changes! The courses look absolutely awesome now and should be much more dynamic than they were in the original game.
Special power-ups and weapons will again be a big part of the formula in Disc Drivin’ 2. I expect many of the originals to make a return, but there are new ones too like a missile and a blast move, and the power-ups in the game are upgradeable now too. Just as important as the power-ups are the various types of hazards and traps you can encounter on a course, and those are making a return as well. Hazards are more dynamic this time around, and can feature moving parts. Below you can see two of the new and improved hazards, on the left a force field area that pushes you off the track if you don’t break through its resitance, and on the right a panel with spikes that pop in and out. This second gif also shows the new Blast weapon in action.
One more pretty major change in Disc Drivin’ 2 is something called Disc Abilities. As Pixelocity themselves explains them, “Before starting a race, you choose the one disc ability you’d like to use for the duration of that race. Abilities can counter a specific hazard (like preventing water puddles from slowing you down), improve a power (like increasing the power’s duration), or affect enemy discs (like push them out of the way)." With things like these new Disc Abilities and the upgradeable power-ups, it sounds like Disc Drivin’ 2 will offer a lot more depth and strategy than the original game, which was fun in its simplicity but also pretty shallow. Here’s a gallery of screenshots showing off some of the games 15+ new tracks, the new abilities and hazards, and plenty of new disc types. Click on any of the screens for a larger look.
Finally, both local and online asynchronous multiplayer are returning (obviously!) but Disc Drivin’ 2 will also include a neat-sounding single-player mode called Speedrun. Here you’ll have an unlimited number of swipes and your goal will be to complete 3 laps of a particular course in as little time as possible. Your progress in this mode will help you earn cards which go towards unlocking new Disc Abilities, upgrading power-ups, and unlocking new types of discs. While multiplayer has always been the focus of Disc Drivin’ I think it will be nice to have something to accomplish solo when you’re not partaking in online matches.
So that’s the skinny on Disc Drivin’ 2, as you can probably tell I’m pretty excited about the announcement as the original game stands as one of my longest and most enjoyed gaming experience ever. If you’ve got that Disc Drivin’ love too then you’re probably wondering when we can get our hands on the sequel. Well hold onto your butts because Disc Drivin’ 2 is set to go live in the App Store next week on February 1st. Yes, next week! Unsurprisingly given the times we live in Disc Drivin’ 2 will be free to play, so I’m interested to see how that’s handled, but knowing Pixelocity I’m sure it will be more than fine. Regardless I couldn’t be more excited to revisit this old friend of mine, so keep an eye out for Disc Drivin’ 2 when it hits next Thursday.
