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Eggs are delicate and easily broken items. Therefore, why do we insist on using them during races? Kids love an egg and spoon race, but no one considers the loss of many an egg life! This problem is at the fore when you play Eggcelerate to the Tropics. Consequently, the developers care not for the well-being of each egg. Well, yolks on them as a careful rider can safely traverse each track and keep their prized egg in one piece at the same time.
Developed by Tim Beaudet and Tyre Bates LLC and published by the latter, this is a challenging time trial racing game. What’s more, it relies heavily on physics-based controls and has an unfair amount of obstacles, traps, and tight courses to overcome. Subsequently, completing each of the 30 courses is no mean feat, and the action and drama will make you squeal with rage.
Eggcelerate to the Tropics chucks you in at the deep end.
With little explanation of what is happening, you are chucked straight in at the deep end. Furthermore, there is no story, no overarching rivalry, and no idea of the dangers you’ll face. However, this matters not, as you jump on your bike, rev your engine, and stare down the barrel of a loaded gun, metaphorically speaking, of course.
Each course takes you on a journey around a segment of a beautiful tropical island. As you traverse each track, you’ll come across traps, obstacles, turtles, and much more. On top of this, you must ride a feeble dirt bike while balancing an egg in a basket. Why? Well, why not! As you corner, mount the curb, or ride moguls, the egg shifts and sways like a ship on an ocean. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, but too much movement and your egg will smash on the floor. If that happens, your run is over and you must start the stage again.
It is all about a quick lap.
Failure and broken eggs are guaranteed in this anti-egg endeavour. However, with a careful approach, a great memory, and a bit of luck, you’ll make it around each course. Yet, this isn’t enough, as this game is all about a quick lap. Eggcelerate to the Tropics pushes you to beat each course record. If that wasn’t enough, it slaps you in the face and tells you the best time achieved for each track. This horrendous carrot ensures that you must try to beat the time repeatedly.
Sounds easy, right? Well, wrong! The faster you push yourself, the more likely you are to crash. When this happens, your egg cracks and you screech some more. On top of this, to enhance the difficulty further, the developers have created tight shortcuts that are full of traps and danger. These tempting paths will inspire you to cut time, but they will also push you to your limit. Accordingly, they are not for the faint of heart and will test your abilities to the max.
Eggcelerate to the Tropics looks a bit rough.
Though I enjoyed the vivid colours and the simple sprites, the finish is somewhat rough. With boxy graphics and basic environmental assets, each map isn’t as exciting as it could be. Furthermore, it wasn’t always easy to sight each pathway and this can lead to frustration. However, what I liked was the change in track surface, the use of different weather fronts, and the easy-to-identify traps and obstacles. What’s more, the clean UI allows you to focus on the task at hand.
The audio was a mixed bag as well. I enjoyed the upbeat soundtrack and the varied songs. Furthermore, each track was suited to the tropical theme, and I loved the level of detail. However, the engine noises were too shrill and annoying. Yet, the developers have done a nice job with high and low rev ranges for each vehicle and unique noises for each engine. As such, though I didn’t like it, it was another interesting idea that helps the gameplay.
Easy controls.
I spent most of my time using my Steam Deck to play this. Accordingly, it was very easy to pick up and simple to play. Moreover, the control layout is intuitive and straightforward. Subsequently, you don’t need a tutorial or any guides and you can jump straight into the action. What was also great was how much fun it was to balance the bike while keeping the egg in the basket. With minor tweaks to your style, you can jump moguls, watch your egg fly into the air, and catch it again.
Eggcelerate to the Tropics drip-feeds its traps and obstacles to ensure that the action isn’t overwhelming. At first, there are some coconuts and tight turns to navigate. Soon enough, though, you’ll have bananas to avoid, rocks to ride around, mud to slide on, wind to lean into, and much more. As such, there is plenty to keep you busy as you try to keep your egg from eggsploding.
Eggcelerate to the Tropics is an eggcellent eggperience.
No more puns are necessary, but Eggcelerate to the Tropics is a great indie title. Not only has it balanced its difficulty, but the drip-fed mechanics keep you on your toes as well. Yes, the graphics could have been better, but this was a minor thing. Furthermore, I disliked the engine noises, but this didn’t impact the action in any way. Accordingly, I enjoyed my time with it and I recommend that you buy it here! Will you be able to stop your egg from breaking? Speed around every track, avoid obstacles and keep the egg safely in your basket at all costs.
