Yesterday WatchPro announced the release of Oris Reaction Race, a gaming app for Android and Apple devices that tests the user’s reactions.
Today I decided to dip my toe in the water and be one of the first to put my reflexes to the test and submit my score. This is the first, and almost definitely last, game review that WatchPro has conducted.
Firstly, the game looks genuinely good. A lot of apps look grainy and low res and are plagued by bug problems, which makes them almost impossible to enjoy. This is not the case with Oris Reaction Race. The interface is clear, the gameplay (albeit limited) is smooth and thus far no bugs have reared their ugly heads.
The game tests your reactions on the starting grid, when you’re changing gear, when you’re braking, when you’re changing tyre at the pit stop, and finally in a photo finish.
The challenges are relatively straightforward, but you do find yourself going back for more, as you feel you can trim off a few more hundredths of a second from your aggregate reaction time. It is this aggregate reaction time that gives you your final score. For the record, my highest score is 2.511 seconds, which is very beatable.
Oris has ensured it has some impressive brand exposure during the gaming experience. When challenges are loading, you are confronted with a black and white Oris-branded watch face that ticks down. There are also close-ups of an animated Williams Formula One car, with Oris’ logo prominent, as you’d expect.
As a branding exercise, Oris Reaction Race really does work. As a game it is surprisingly addictive, and colleagues in the WatchPro office have already asked me what I’m playing and how they can play too. This may not be the next Angry Birds, but Oris Reaction Race gets two thumbs up from yours truly.
