Maintaining a steady position at number 1 in the racing charts, Mad Skills BMX 2 (Free) is frantic fun for those looking for a physics-based racing game. It’s also the kind of thing that’s going to make you sometimes want to throw your smartphone against a wall in frustration.

To try to ease such stress and save you from diving into the in-app purchases, here are some tips on how best to tackle Mad Skills BMX 2.

Treat It Like a Rhythm Game

Mad Skills BMX 2 might look like a racing game but it owes more to the concepts of rhythm action than a regular racing title. Treat it accordingly. Get into the rhythm.

Always hold down the down arrow when going downhill or on any form of rolling hill, before jumping up to hit the big hills. Soaring through the air? Force your bike back down with the down arrow once more but time it so that you hit the slope at just the right angle to build up some speed. It’s all about timing your button presses more so than worrying about the balance of your bike. Don’t treat Mad Skills BMX 2 like a Trials game, it’s completely different.

As soon as you’ve stopped going downhill, release the down arrow and come out of your crouch. Don’t leave it a second longer than you have to. The more you do this, the more you’ll find yourself instinctively reacting correctly. Thinking less does have its advantages.

Jumping is perfect if you manage to land on a downhill slope so time when you force yourself back down to get the optimal angle. That way, you’ll gain more speed. Treat it like a rollercoaster ride but with an aim to keep as low to the ground as possible. After all, you can’t pedal furiously if you’re not on the ground to start with.

If you’ve messed up the timing at any point, it’s easy to fall behind your opponent by quite a distance. Hit the restart button and retry. Very rarely can you make up any more than a split second difference between the two of you. This isn’t a forgiving game by any means. Work on memorizing the leaps and hills of each track, and expect to have to replay them a few times to nail them.

There are no tilt buttons for tweaking your positioning so just focus on the main two buttons and directions. Mad Skills BMX 2 isn’t as physics rich as some bike racing games, so you can just work on your timing rather than landing awkwardly. At least, that is, until you’re performing tricks.

Tricks

When racing, you’ll notice your AI opponent tends to perform tricks while taking big jumps. Don’t copy him. It’s generally not worth it as it’ll just waste time. Focus on holding down that down arrow so you make your way down to the ground faster.

Performed a trick anyhow? Make sure you land correctly. Do so and you’ll maintain your current speed. Wipe out and, well, what do you think will happen? Exactly.

There is an exception to this rule – later stages have you needing to perform specific tricks and stunts. Obviously, in this case, work on those tricks. Anything that’s a general race though – it’s just not worth wasting your time with. Stick with speed over style.

Work on Defeating Shrimp Quickly

Shrimp is the first boss you’ll come across and he’s not actually that tough. By the time you get to him, you’ll have earned plenty of cash to upgrade your starter bike fully. Once you take him on, just work on your timing and he won’t be much of a challenge.

Along the way, you’ll almost certainly have leveled up to level 3 which gives you 10 rockets for free. These are premium power-ups that give you a hefty speed boost during a race. It’s tempting to use one while dueling Shrimp, but don’t bother. There are far more difficult races ahead and Shrimp isn’t a big challenge if you’ve got into the rhythm of the game.

When you do come to use a rocket, remember that it isn’t a ‘Get out of Jail free’ card. It’ll help you but it’s no magical fix so you’re still going to have to get your timing right and ensure you can close the gap on your opponent. In particular, if your opponent is off screen, you’re never going to be able to catch them. Even with a rocket.

General Advice

Don’t be afraid to take a break for a bit. If you’ve been consistently tested by a track and just can’t beat it, a breather can make a big difference. Kind of like with a lot of puzzle games, it gives your brain to catch up and work out a better approach. Brute force isn’t always the solution.

Upgrade as often as possible. Each upgrade is pretty pricey but it’ll make a significant difference to your performance. Just don’t expect to be able to do it very often.

As often as possible, replay past completed tracks via the Time Attack mode. You’ll earn a few bucks that way with even more offered to you if you watch an advert straight afterwards. It’s a quick and easy way of upping your cash for minimal effort.

Typically, this is your only route to buying new bikes. Simply completing the tracks available doesn’t automatically give you enough cash to buy a new bike. Mad Skills BMX 2 isn’t geared that way. Instead, you’re going to have to replay earlier stages or use the game’s quick race mode to pick up some extra cash. On the plus side, there’s no energy system to limit how often you do this. You can replay stages as much as you want.

Bear in mind though, that you can only watch so many video ads before waiting a few hours for them to refresh.

Returning to the Forest Stages right at the start is a great place to go. Odds are your previous times have been pretty lousy while you were learning the game, making them rich for improvement. They’re also great if you’re trying to adjust to a new bike, or you’re learning new tricks for later stages that require a certain number of flips.

Treat the Forest Stages like your training grounds, and you’ll reap the benefits.

Never use your rocket boost when replaying a stage in Time Attack. It’s the biggest waste of one of the rarer resources you’ll come across. Just work on practicing your methods and see it as a form of training for harder stages.

Don’t waste gold on buying new clothes or repainting your bike. These won’t boost your speed. They’re just there to look cool. If you’re going to spend cash or gold, use it on things like buying a new bike or buying some extra rockets. Not that you’re relying on those rockets too much, right?

Treat everything like a practice run. Mad Skills BMX 2 is the perfect example of ‘practice makes perfect’ as you’ll find whenever shaving off precious milliseconds from past sessions.