When we reviewed Major Mayhem, the iPhone 4S was brand new. Rocket Jump, the studio behind it, is back, this time with Rocket Rally, which is a physics-driven arcade rally racer that’s up for pre-registration on iOS and Android.

If it predates your phone, Major Mayhem was a one-finger cover shooter. Your soldier ran between cover by himself, and you held a finger down to fire. It was brash and silly and very easy to pick up for a minute, and it also earned a Silver Award from us.

Rocket Rally takes that one-input approach to rally. Races last thirty seconds, you play it one-handed in portrait, and the cars run on a custom arcade physics system the studio built itself. Time Attack and Head to Head sit alongside Rally X4 and Rally X6.

Around that is a solo career set in locations around the world, where you buy cars, upgrade them and build up a garage, plus daily online competition. There are over 100 stages across four environments at launch, with more promised every month, and hundreds of cosmetic options for your liveries.

Thirty seconds doesn’t feel like a lot, but I think it’s the right length for something like this. I don’t see myself completing a three-lap race on my phone while I’m en route somewhere, but a rally stage before my bus reaches its stop? I can see myself getting behind that. Of course, that means it leaves no time to learn handling that doesn’t make sense straight away.

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