Though its sequel is already out, Scrap Metal 2 is one of the most interesting little stunt driving sandbox games with a bit to offer players ala Crash Drive 2 or Burnout. Scrap Metal 2 comes to the field with sandbox design and a load of mechanical controls that help you create precision jumps and epic rollovers, and should be regarded as one of PaCoGames crowning achievements.

Design

Graphically the Scrap Metal 2 game is quite lovely for an android-based game. The sandbox is immense, with incredible draw distance, though practically speaking this will help you little as level design is best done close to your vehicle. There are eight distinct cars to choose from. Perhaps most impressive is that each is built as an independent asset. If the cars are using the same skeletons, it is hidden extremely well, as each vehicle has a “preferred” damage set, the doors on the Nissan GTR Evo, for example, love to flap open in the wind when damaged. The most unique damage bias has to be the Ferrari 250 GTO, where the front end will compress and the wheels squish together effectively giving you a functional 3-wheeled vehicle. Details like this elevate it above many mobile stunt racers out there.

Controls

Scrap Metal 2 has a rather straightforward control set, with lots of room for complexity if that’s what you’re after. There are up to five driver-assist toggles to switch on and off, each affecting the individual car just a smidgen differently than the rest. The world creator is a little less intuitive, placing objects on the ground at cursor point, so be careful not to drop anything in the mountains. The only real weak spots are in the variety of objects you can drop into the world, and the lack of sensing different damage types. Even pedestrians stroll around in trousers made of titanium, smashing your windows and causing your engine to smoke on impact. There also is a lack of flipping over a rolled over car. Of course, this could be seen as a positive; it means you need to ram it with one of the idle vehicles!

Score

As a mobile game, Scrap Metal 2 takes an easy 8/10, higher if the genre really appeals to you. But even for the average gamer, it is a wonderful little stunt and crash sim, worth at least a few hours of your time.