Thanks to its impressive graphics and smooth gameplay on phones and tablets, Gameloft’s long-running Asphalt series has earned a reputation for bringing “console-quality” experiences to mobile devices. Even though Asphalt 9: Legends is a port of the 2018 mobile game, this could have been a chance for Gameloft to prove Asphalt truly is a console-quality series without quotation marks. Asphalt 9: Legends might look and play like a console game, but it succumbs to its free-to-play nature and frequently feels like a microtransaction-riddled grindfest.
Crusin’ Through a Michael Bay Set
Arcade racers are famous for their ridiculously high-speed races in picturesque locales, where you might lose control of your car at any second. Asphalt 9: Legends kicks the intensity up a notch by incorporating action movie-like set-pieces, high altitude jumps, and multiple paths in its quick rounds of racing.
On one track, you’ll be speeding through a collapsing bridge on the mountains of the Himalayas while in another you’ll be drifting off the coast of Scotland as waves crash over you. These scripted set-pieces are brief and sudden but provide another level of excitement to the already high octane events.
Racing doesn’t always have to be on the ground, either. There are several ramps littered throughout the tracks that launch your car into the air over competitors and hazardous jumps. As you’re gliding, you can perform stunts to gain boost and land on another racer to knock them out.
Some tracks are more straightforward than others, but the more exciting ones consist of various paths to choose from that take you through new sections. Each time I played through the Cairo track, I ended up running through new places like a crowded market, an abandoned tunnel, and even an archaeological dig site.
There might be some dips in performance, and the cars do need some anti-aliasing, but the game is pretty. Environments are detailed, vibrant, and realistic. Famous cars from manufacturers like Ferrari, McClaren, and Lamborghini are beautifully-realized and luxurious. The high-speed action of the races consistently looks great and fits the intense nature of the series very well. Asphalt 9: Legends is a blast to play during its thrilling, but brief, street racing sessions.
CPU, Take The Wheel
Asphalt 9: Legends features several control-schemes to fit your playstyle. There are your standard controller layouts where you press buttons and use the sticks to control your car. There are also motion and touch controls for those who are into that. But the most interesting (and controversial) of them all is called TouchDrive. TouchDrive pretty much drives the car for you, allowing you to focus on boosting, drifting, and knocking opponents out while you choose the path you want to take.
I used TouchDrive several times to see how it feels, and it takes all the excitement out of the experience. Gone is the tension of not losing control of your vehicle at high speeds or sharp turns. Gone is the ability to wildly crash into police cars that are chasing you. I even tried a handful of matches where I didn’t touch a single button, and my racer ended up winning. Thankfully, TouchDrive is optional. For a more faithful arcade racing experience, stick to the manual controls.
Letting the Air Out of My Tires
As fun and intense as arcade racing with manual controls can be, there’s something off about the game’s challenge. It consistently feels like skill plays second fiddle to car rankings and upgrades. Each race in career mode has a recommended rank. If your car meets or exceeds the rank, you’re free to race. It’s obvious that the better your car is, the easier it is to win. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help shake the feeling that the challenge is arbitrary.
How I’m driving is not changed by the upgrades I’m buying. I can collect every boost, hit every jump, make every drift, and still lose because my car isn’t “fast” enough. But when I purchase several upgrades, then I can effortlessly make my way to the number one spot. I’m not saying it’s impossible to win without buying upgrades or unlocking faster cars. I’m just saying it’s not worth the effort.
You can argue that you’re working your way up the street racing ladder to buy better and faster cars. You can also make the case that it’s like an RPG, where the currency you’re earning (or buying) is XP for improving your characters. These are all valid points, but Asphalt 9 makes no effort to create an experience that doesn’t feel tediously consumerist. Knowing that my chances of winning are greatly improved by purchasing upgrades instead of my abilities as a driver makes the gameplay feel trivial and unrewarding.
Free-To-Play / Free-To-Wait
I understand that Asphalt 9: Legends is a free-to-play game, and the microtransactions are entirely optional. There was never a moment where I hit a hard paywall. I don’t have an issue with microtransactions when they are cosmetic or add new experiences. But when a game makes microtransactions a part of the core experience at the (literal) expense of the gameplay, then I have an issue.
My first major concern with Asphalt 9: Legends was when I encountered the refueling system. The idea that I have to wait (or pay) to refuel my unlocked cars before I can drive them again (in a videogame) is absurd. Sure, there’s a way around it. I can use another vehicle while I wait for a 5 to 30 minute timer to end, but there is no real reason for the timer to exist except to get me to spend money (real or in-game).
My other issue with Asphalt 9: Legends is its car unlocking system. You need to collect a certain number of that car’s “blueprints” (cards) to unlock it. You can get these cards by completing certain levels, challenges, or special events, but you can also try your luck at buying them via card packs or the regularly revolving “Legend Store.”
Part of the appeal of racing games is working towards unlocking the cars you love. There’s just no clear way to do that in Asphalt 9: Legends that does not involve spending money (real or in-game) in the store, waiting for a special event or listing, or grinding out unrelated challenges with lesser cars. It’s possible to unlock them, but these systems still feel arbitrary and annoying to deal with.
Nothing is surprising about either of these things for people experienced with free-to-play mobile games. It’s just unfortunate to see.
Grind Never Stops (Unless You’re Offline)
Gameloft provided us with a code for the Starter Racing Pack that provided us with plenty of tokens, coins, and cars to get us started. There’s a lot to buy in this game from card packs to upgrades to more coins – the list goes on. There’s also a lot to see and do in Asphalt 9: Legends, and it all rewards you.
The game boasts a huge career mode with dozens of locales, hundreds of races, and thousands of challenges. There’s a daily events mode that allows you to drive higher-end cars and complete unique challenges with generous rewards. You can race with friends locally on 4-player split-screen or race online with other players to rep your club.
Offline players are limited to split-screen and quick-race. Split-screen allows up to 4 players to race locally on any track with any unlocked car, which is pretty awesome. Quick-race provides a more traditional arcade racing experience where you only race to win and finish challenges. Unfortunately, this means the grind does stop when you’re offline as you can’t earn tokens or coins.
Outside of offline mode, players will regularly be rewarded with coins, tokens, or a free classic card-pack when playing Asphalt 9: Legends. Every day there are new challenges that reward you for completing tasks like upgrading your car or playing a race. It’s certainly possible to play through this entire game without spending a single dime, but it will be a grind. A grind that I don’t think is worth doing.
There were moments when I had to wait to use my best car while it refueled. There were moments when I couldn’t beat a race until I bought upgrades. These moments weren’t fun and took me away from the arcade action I was here for in the first place.
Final Thoughts
Asphalt 9: Legends is a neat arcade racer brought down by pervasive and prevalent microtransactions. While most of the game feels like a grind, there is fun to be had in completing challenges, racing with friends, and driving super-fast cars. Unfortunately, this enjoyment is spoiled by perpetual reminders to spend your money (real or in-game) to unlock cars, upgrades, and anything in between. Good-looking graphics and traditional controls enhance the arcade action, but they don’t shake the feeling of its artificial and arbitrary challenge. Asphalt 9: Legends is available now on the Nintendo eShop for free with microtransactions.
Review Copy and DLC Code Provided by Gameloft
