Riptide GP: Renegade
By Paul Semel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Well-made water racer with tricky tilting controls.
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Riptide GP: Renegade
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What’s It About?
The story of RIPTIDE GP: RENEGADE is fairly standard, as it has you working your way up a racing circuit in hopes of getting a chance to race your rival once again. The third in a series, this installment has you speeding through the waterways of a city's nice and not-so-nice sections on a fast and nimble Jet Ski-like machine called a hydrojet. At first, there's only one character and hydrojet unlocked, but as you race and earn money, you can upgrade your gear and level up to access the next courses, characters, and jets. There are eight riders, each with their own skills, and just as many versatile hydrojets. You can even customize their colors and affix decals you earn by winning races. By tilting the device back and forth, you steer the vehicle to victory by dodging obstacles, jumping, and passing opponents. There are several game modes, including single-player, online multiplayer, and local multiplayer, which requires some external controllers.
Is It Any Good?
By giving you a futuristic Jet Ski, twisted and hazard-filled courses, and simple controls, this arcade-style water racing game is beautiful to look at and tricky to play. For the most part, the game offers everything you'd want in a racing game, especially variety. The courses are varied, and the obstacles are challenging. The problem is that while this works well with a controller, it's not as much fun with the mobile controls, which have you tilting your device. As a result, you'll sometimes crash into obstacles you would've avoided had you played this on a console or PC. Though the water-physics effects are great, the imprecise controls are bound to frustrate younger players at first, so it will likely take some practice to use them well. It also has a rote and cheese-filled story, though it's one you can easily skip, and its lack of inventiveness probably won't bother kids. Overall, this slick racing game holds a lot of challenge for those who master the controls.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about purchasing other apps from the icon in Riptide GP: Renegade. Is it OK to buy other apps, or is parent permission required first?
Talk about competition. Your character in the game is driven by revenge but not to hurt others. What are the best motivations to succeed?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: August 28, 2016
- Category: Racing Games
- Topics: Adventures
- Publisher: Vector Unit
- Version: 1.03
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up
- Last updated: September 16, 2021
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