Challenge Themes
The world of no brake no gain is now more dynamic than ever with the implementation of 10 unique challenge themes. Players will drive, brake, and crash their way through diverse environments, including:
- A bustling town, filled with tight streets and tricky turns.
- A peaceful farm, where wide-open spaces meet unexpected hazards.
- A high-tech sci-fi city, featuring futuristic landscapes and neon-lit obstacles.
- The serene yet perilous backdrop of feudal Japan, complete with traditional architecture and stunning scenery.
Each theme is designed to offer a fresh visual style and gameplay twist, ensuring no two challenges feel the same. Hopefully, players will find at least a few favorites among the lineup—and not hate all of them!
And More Special Items
This month, a host of new special items have been added to expand the gameplay toolbox. These include:
- Expandable Bridge: A futuristic, retractable platforms that can turn a gap into a drivable surface, or disappear at the worst possible moment.
- Seesaw: A classic physics-based obstacle that adds a surprising twist to level design.
- Item Dropper: Think of yourself as a postman who is collecting their post and then has to deliver it to its destination.
- Balloons: These lightweight attachments reduce gravity’s pull, allowing vehicles to “float” through certain sections.
Here’s an example: in one test level, adding balloons to your car made the difference between plummeting into a canyon or gliding gracefully across a gap.
Not all items made the final cut. For instance, the shrink ray was a fascinating concept, allowing cars to shrink and navigate tight spaces. Unfortunately, the physics were too unstable to justify keeping it. While it won’t appear in the game, it was a blast to experiment with during development.
Challenges
Challenge creation has officially begun! Designing levels that feel fresh, engaging, and increasingly difficult has been a rewarding process.
For those new to no brake no gain, here’s a quick breakdown of how challenges work:
Each challenge features three objectives:
- Complete the challenge.
- Beat the challenge within a set time limit.
- Fulfill a unique task, like finding a hidden canister or achieving a specific amount of airtime.
This multi-objective structure ensures every challenge offers something new, whether it’s a test of speed, exploration, or pure skill.
Here’s a video of me (barely!) completing one of the earlier challenges. As you can see, the game is designed to keep players on their toes, throwing everything imaginable at them as they race toward the legendary idol.
Summary
It’s been another exciting month for no brake no gain. With challenge themes fully implemented, new special items added, and the first batch of playable challenges underway, the game is really starting to feel complete.
I’m thrilled to report that early testers have already provided valuable feedback—so far, overwhelmingly positive! More testers will gain access as additional content is finalized.
Next month, I’ll focus on creating more single-player challenges and aim to have nearly half of them playable.
Thank you for following along, and if you’re celebrating, have a Happy New Year! Until next time, happy gaming!