A lot of elements help determine the speed of your vehicle in a racing game. Strategically placed portions on a track might provide a temporary increase, perhaps there’s a boost meter to fill by performing tricks, or if all else fails, simply hold down a button to accelerate and pray that’ll be enough. It won’t be in MathCar though, as here you need to think fast to go fast!
Now, in spite of being absolutely awful at math in general, I’m still quite intrigued by the core component of MathCar: solve math problems to increase the speed of your vehicle of choice and hopefully be the first to cross the finish line. It really is that simple, yet oddly appealing.
MathCar is a unique and exciting racing game that combines the thrill of competition with the challenge of math education.
Its design, that of a top-down pixellated 2D game, certainly doesn’t hurt either, much like the inclusion of local multiplayer. Virtually every genre entry nowadays focuses almost too much on realistic handling and/or tries too hard to woo players with spectacular visual fidelity, so it’s refreshing to come across something like this instead. Something simple, yet… fun. Fun and educational.
Based on the trailer below, it seems players can not only choose from a multitude of cars but also change the track and its length, which is bound to help not only with replayability but also to keep the competitive spirit alive as you gather a group of friends to test your mathematical prowess. Time to math the need for speed!
MathCar is available from Steam for $5.99.
