Drift X Review - Coming Soon, But Not Soon Enough

As the people who made the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie learned (and learned from), it can be rather precarious to show something off before it's done. It's a lesson the development team behind the free-to-play mobile racing game Drift X  might want to learn as well, and fast, lest it totals this car game.

Saudi Arabia-based UMX Studios developed and published Drift X, which is supposed to be a racing game that's as much about drifting as it is about going fast. I say "supposed to be," though, because despite being available from both the App Store and Google Play, Drift X is clearly not finished.

Gameplay and Visuals

Like other mobile racing games, Drift X has single-player and multiplayer events, multiple control options — including one where you tilt your device like a steering wheel, and another that uses on-screen buttons — as well a variety of cameras that include a cockpit view. 

It also, of course, has all the features we've come to expect from free-to-play mobile games: rewards for playing, loot boxes, paid subscriptions, and the option to watch ads to, say, double the aforementioned rewards.

You also have a variety of cars to choose from, ones that can be customized both mechanically and visually. It is here in the customization section that you'll realize Drift X isn't ready for public consumption.

Issues and Irritations

While Drift X has multiple options when it comes to the color of your car, as well as for its bumpers, grills, and other parts, altering its rims or adding wraps is a function that's "coming soon."

Similarly, while the cars look like ones you see on the road, they're not real cars. Either that, or the person who typed in their names can't spell or didn't put in enough time to do their job well. Hence why drive a Kiea instead of Kia; a Missan instead of Nissan; and a Hunda instead of Honda. Or is that supposed to be Hyundai?

They even has similar corporate logos. Though I suspect this will change when the lawyers hear about this. As for playing it, Drift X has, as I said, solo races and multiplayer events, the latter of which can be played against other online players or in private rooms with friends.

It's just too bad those modes seem to be "coming soon" as this game just isn't there yet.

When you play the "Solo" mode of Drift X, you're not racing against computer-controlled drivers. Instead, it's a test track where you drive alone on a road to see how well your new car handles.

Similarly, when you play the open multiplayer mode, you're not placed into a race with other players. Instead, you're dropped onto a track where you can just drive around alongside other people.

Now, you can, like in the Forza Horizon games, challenge those other drivers to compete. Though, again, something seems to be "coming soon," because the one time this happened to me, it put me and someone else into an event we couldn't complete: a race up a steep sand dune. Which might've been fun had we not been driving sedans better suited for racing to the supermarket.

It also doesn’t help that despite playing multiple times over multiple days, there was only ever a handful of people playing. Then there's the collision damage which clearly needs adjustment because one time when I slammed into a chain-link fence it tore off my car's bumper, right wheel, hood, and right front door.

I was okay, though; thanks for asking.

In a similar vein, when putting a new engine in your car, the installation can fail. And no, not because you didn't beat the engine installation mini-game; there are none. You just fail. Even weirder, you can purchase part installation insurance, though installation failed just as often when I had the insurance as when I opted out.

Though even if they do fix everything I just mentioned, Drift X still has one rather fundamental issue: the steering. Sure, this is supposed to be as much about drifting as it is about racing, but even for that the controls are so loose that you slide around like your tires are bald and the roads are coated in olive oil. This is why you'll probably crash into a flimsy metal fence and trash your new car.

Ultimately, Drift X has the potential to be an engaging drift-centric racing game, the developers just need to finish it, fix the things that don't work, and get real cars (or someone who can spell their names correctly), and...