Crazy Moto review

What it is

Crazy Moto is a side-on motorbike game where the bike is a physics object and you are steering a pair of forces: throttle at the rear wheel and the rider's weight forward or back. The 22 levels are hand-built rather than generated, and they lean into hazard design: loops, exploding barrels, spikes, platforms that give way under you and drops with no floor. Every level is against a clock, with up to three stars for finishing quickly.

There is a trick layer on top. Front flips, back flips, double flips and wheelies all count towards a score, and the game names those four moves. Stars are the currency: they unlock new bikes, three of which the developer names (a Firehead, a Martian and a Desert Racer), and each is meant to handle differently. That makes the star rating more than a badge; it is what stands between you and the next bike.

How it plays

Keyboard first. Up or W opens the throttle, Down or S brakes and then reverses, and the left and right keys shift the rider's weight, which is how you rotate in the air and how you stop the bike from looping when you accelerate hard on a climb. In 2D bike physics, throttle alone pitches the front wheel up, so the lean-forward key is doing constant work on steep sections, and a wheelie is simply a controlled version of the same effect.

On a phone the developer has replaced the lean keys with the pedals themselves: gas and brake double as rotation while the wheels are off the ground. That is a common compromise and it works, but it couples two things you sometimes want separately, because you cannot hold the throttle for a landing while also leaning back. Expect the keyboard to be the better way to chase three stars.

Tips that actually help

Most restarts in this kind of game come from two errors: too much throttle on take-off and rotating too late. The following habits fix both.

• Land with the wheels matched to the slope, not level with the screen. A downslope landing wants the nose pointed down; landing flat on a slope means the rear wheel hits first and you bounce.
• Start a flip the instant you leave the ramp and use the whole arc. If you begin rotating at the peak you will land mid-rotation and crash.
• A double flip needs more height or a longer float, not a faster lean. Find the ramps that give you both before you try one.
• Hold the throttle through a landing. A driven rear wheel straightens the bike on touchdown; a coasting wheel lets the front dig in.
• Barrels and spikes tend to sit where a full-throttle run would land. Read a level once at half speed, then go for time.
• Wheelies are free points on flat sections if you feather the throttle and tap forward-lean to hold the angle. Do not attempt them near a drop.

The star economy

Because stars unlock bikes, the level structure has a second layer. You can push through the 22 levels collecting one star each, or replay early levels for the full three to buy a bike sooner. The early levels are the cheapest source of stars, since their times are the easiest to beat, and a different bike may suit a later level's ramps better than the one you started on. If a timer feels out of reach, try switching bikes before you sink an hour into attempts.

Where it falls short

The mobile scheme merges lean and throttle, and on the levels with collapsing platforms that costs you. Twenty-two levels is a decent number for this genre, but the three-star times are where the length is, and if you are not interested in chasing them the game is shorter than it looks. Progress is stored in the browser, so your stars stay on one device. Finally, the hazards reward memorisation, so first attempts will end in a blown-up bike more often than skill alone would suggest.

Questions people ask

How do I do a backflip in Crazy Moto?

Leave a ramp with speed, then hold the lean-back input through a full rotation. Start immediately on take-off and stop rotating a little before you land so the wheels meet the ground.

Does it save my stars and bikes?

Yes, in the browser's local storage. They stay on the device and browser you played on, so they will not appear on a second device.

Is Crazy Moto playable on a phone?

Yes. The gas and brake pedals are on screen and they also rotate the bike when it is airborne. It works, but flips are easier with separate lean keys on a keyboard.

How many levels and bikes are there?

Twenty-two levels, each with a timer and up to three stars. Stars buy bikes; three of the unlockable machines are named by the developer (a Firehead, a Martian and a Desert Racer).