Do you remember what you were doing three and a half years ago? I do. I was posting a thread on the TA forums cursing the gods for not giving us a halfway decent WipEout-like on iOS. It got no replies, probably because it wasn’t that big of a problem in the grand scheme of things. You can read my embarrassingly whiny rant here, if you feel like wanting to punch someone in the mouth. Misguided Gameloft hate and hilariously outdated Fling references aside, I think what Young Nathan was getting at was the frustration of how big the App Store seemed and how few of those apps were actually great. It’s a problem that still persists.

The good news, though, is that the App Store has only gotten bigger since my idiotic forum post, which means the tiny pool of amazing games has also gotten bigger. Past Me would be absolutely ecstatic to know that there have been a surprising number of really awesome futuristic racers on the App Store in the past few years, from the recent AG Drive ($2.99) to my personal favorite, Repulze ($0.99). And now we have yet another to throw onto the pile with EcoTorque’s Impulse GP (Free).

There are quite a few neat things setting Impulse apart from the herd, though. First and foremost is the fact that you aren’t racing with sleek airships, but with hover bikes. It may seem like a small difference, and I suppose it is, but it’s still super cool to see your rider basically sitting on a rocket and hearing a loud zoom! when you pass your opponents. The game really nails the sense of speed, and being (relatively) exposed to the elements amps the exhilaration up even further. To prevent you from hopelessly ping-ponging down the track at a million miles an hour, the game ever-so-slightly nudges you into and out of turns automatically. It took me a little getting used to at first, but it actually makes the insane speeds much more manageable and ends up feeling a little like Ridge Racer Slipstream (Free).

The other really cool thing about the game is the way speed boosts are handled. Each track has a bunch of sections that are painted green, and when your bike races over them you can hold the “Impulse” button to charge up a boost. If you hold it too early or for too long the boost will be cancelled, but if you do it for the exact length of the green strip you’ll get a considerable leap forward in speed. It’s a really cool mechanic that really keeps you on your toes, since it almost feels like you’re playing a completely different mini-game while racing at the same time. There are also blue boost pads that are a bit more traditional, as you just have to race over one to save it and then trigger it whenever you want. Finally, there are red strips that slow you down and should be avoided. (Well, usually. There’s at least one track with a red strip strategically placed as a brake before a hairpin turn. Very cool.)

Arguably the most important part of any touchscreen racer is the controls. Thankfully, Impulse’s are pretty fabulous overall, with a few different options to suit your preferences. My go-to for most racing games is tilt, and that works really well here. The default, however, is a curved bar on the right side of the screen that you can slide your thumb over to steer. It works shockingly well, especially considering the fact that I usually hate slider controls in racing games. There are also two buttons for your green and blue boosts, which can be moved to either side of the screen. It all works splendidly, but I do wish the developers had gone one or two steps further and offered a little more customization. (For example, my dream setup would be tilt steering with one whole side of the screen for green boosting and the other side for blue.)

The way the game is structured is pretty simple but surprisingly robust, with two main modes: Quick Race and Pro Race. Quick Race is essentially a regular career mode, with each track becoming unlocked as you place in the top 3 of the previous one. Interestingly, you can only unlock the “real” race on each track by first beating certain times by yourself in a time trial. On top of that, each track also can be played as a Drag Race, which basically just gives you a simplified straight version of the track and tasks you with hitting the boosts as accurately as possible. Once you run out of things to do there, you can jump into Pro Race which is the same but with stricter time goals and better opponents. As you race you earn coins, but don’t worry: the game is fully premium. The coins are for buying new, faster bikes, and after only a few days of playing I was able to unlock the most expensive one. Notably absent is any kind of multiplayer, which sadly seems to be the norm for this specific genre on iOS.

We really do have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the App Store. I have a hard time thinking of any genre that’s not represented there, and as a huge WipEout fan I’m especially thrilled at how many futuristic racers we’ve seen in the past few years. Impulse GP continues the trend with tons of speed, great visuals, and a few clever new tricks to set it apart from the pack. The launch may not have gone particularly well for EcoTorque, but hopefully more people give this gem of a racer a try. Do it for Past Nathan.