In the history of
racing video games there have been many unique conveyances in which to compete: monster trucks,
go-karts,
bugs, and now...
unicycles! 1994's
Uniracers (aka
Unirally in Europe) for the
Super NES from
Nintendo and
DMA Designs puts you in control of a semi-sentient unicycle as it races around 2D stunt tracks filled with hazards. There are sixteen unicycles to choose from (although they are all pretty much the same) and a total of forty tracks. These forty tracks are divided up into groups of five, with each five tracks making up a tour. There are also three kinds of tracks:
stunt,
race, and
circuit. The goal in each track is to beat the CPU-controlled unicycle and/or earn points for pulling off stunts with your unicycle. A techno soundtrack keeps the beats pumping and the
game pak will save your progress and top times.
Now, as for the types of courses. The stunt tracks require you to earn points by performing a variety of tricks with the unicycle. These tricks include rolls, flips, twists, and combinations of these moves. These tricks can only be performed while the unicycle is in the air, and fortunately stunt tracks provide ramps in order to get your cycle airborne. Each stunt is worth a certain amount of points, and each stunt track has a goal to meet. Meeting the goal results in moving on to the next track. The race tracks are a simple point-A-to-point-B race against a CPU unicycle. Circuit tracks work similarly to race tracks, although these types of tracks form a loop and in order to win your unicycle must complete the required number of laps ahead of the CPU unicycle. Performing stunts boosts the unicycle's speed, so a successful race involves performing stunts at every opportunity.
The tracks themselves are formed in vivid colors and patterns, and each color/pattern formation means something. Blue-green sections are "normal" track lenghts, red-blue sections indicate that the track is about to change direction, blue-yellow sections mean the end of the track is coming up fast, a yellow section points out a hidden shortcut, and red-yellow sections mean that your unicycle fell off the track and must take the long way around to get back in the race. Aside from all the colors the tracks themselves bend, twist, turn, and swerve in order to up the difficulty and keep you, the player, off guard.
Uniracers never achieved fame and popularity, although it did have a niche audience and did attain cult status. It's easy to pick up and simple to learn, but quite challenging to master. Two players can race against each other, but the main aim of the game is to complete the single player mode. You'll most likely find Uniracers at your local used game shop or online auction, or you could track down the ROM on the Internet for play in your favorite emulator. Don't overlook this title just because of its age; uneed to play Uniracers.
References:
http://www.GameFAQs.com