Sailboat Championship PRO is an incredibly challenging boat racing game from Infinite Dreams Inc. I’ve never actually been sailing, but if it’s as difficult as this game is, I don’t think I’d ever want to. Luckily, this game includes some options to help you make it through the race with a minimal amount of stress, even though you still probably won’t win.
The first thing to take note of with this game is how gorgeous it looks. The graphics are incredible, with choppy seas, smooth animations and immersive ambient sound effects. It’s the closest you’ll get to the sea on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
There are two options for controlling your boat. The easier way is to hire a sailor to work the sail of your boat. In this case, the computer will take care of the sail, and all you have to do is steer. If you need more of a challenge, you can take care of the steering and operation of the sail as well. The latter method is extremely challenging, as you must steer with your right thumb and move the sail in the proper orientation with your left thumb. The sail’s position will depend upon the direction of the wind. Obviously, you want the wind to push against as much of the sail as possible. So, if you aren’t paying attention and end up with your sail in the wrong position, your boat will not move at all. This may sound simple, but often times it is very difficult to figure out which way your sail should be positioned. Your sail needs to be at the perfect angle and the right time to maximize acceleration and speed.
Some races are just you against the clock while others are a competition between other boats. Each race earns you some experience points, which are required to unlock new tracks and boats. They also give you points that can be spent on improvements to your boat. You can increase your speed, acceleration and steering. With OpenFeint you can also unlock achievements, which adds a ton of replay value to the game.
If you’re a fan of sailing, or if you’re a sailor yourself, you will absolutely love this game. If not, you may find this game to be a bit on the boring side after a while. It is more of a sailing simulation app rather than an exciting arcade title. Luckily, there’s a free version to try out first.
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