Elasto Mania
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Balázs Rózsa |
| Products | Elasto Mania, Elasto Mania 2, Action SuperCross |
Elasto Mania is a platform game launched in 2000, created by Balázs Rózsa alongside collaborators including Csaba Rózsa and others. The gameplay centers on elastic motorcycles, where players aim to reach a flower on each stage, frequently needing to gather apples beforehand. It offers both solo and multiplayer experiences on platforms such as Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and BeOS.
An active online community has developed around Elasto Mania, focusing on completing stages in the shortest time and breaking world records. Advancement often involves uncovering new tactics for level completion and honing existing skills, underscoring the game's focus on mastery and creative problem-solving.
Gameplay
Players maneuver a motorbike rider who must restart the level if the rider’s head or the bike’s wheels come into contact with a spinning spiked wheel or if the head touches any solid object like walls. To advance, all apples within a level must be collected before reaching the flower. Interaction with the environment is limited to the rider’s head and wheels; the rider’s body can pass through walls without penalty.
The elastic physics engine of the bike allows for a wide range of maneuvers, from subtle speed adjustments to exploiting consistent physics glitches that can launch the bike high into the air.
Versions
Developed as a follow-up to the 1997 title Action SuperCross, Elasto Mania was created by Balázs Rózsa featuring enhanced physics and twelve new internal levels. The demo version contains 18 official stages, while the full release includes 54. Additionally, numerous fan-made "external" levels are available online, often compiled into level packs.
The most recent official update is version 1.11a; meanwhile, unofficial patches have progressed to version 1.3, which introduced online multiplayer capabilities.
In August 2014, Elasto Mania 2 was officially released as an iOS app and later became available for Microsoft Windows in 2017.
The remastered original Elasto Mania was launched on Steam in May 2020, followed by releases of Elasto Mania 2 and Action SuperCross on the same platform. A Trilogy Pack containing all three games is offered at a discounted price.
In 2022, Elasto Mania Remastered expanded its availability to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, as well as GOG.com.
Online content
Since the early 2000s, players have connected through the IRC channel "#battle" to compete on user-created levels and share their fastest completion replays. A community-developed patch released in 2006 enabled real-time multiplayer competition. At that time, a dedicated website was also established providing comprehensive statistics, level browsing features, commenting options, all-time leaderboards, and replay downloads, nurturing an engaged player base.
Reception
T. Byrl Baker from Computer Gaming World characterized the game’s physics system as "brutally unforgiving," emphasizing its demanding nature.
See also
- Trials – a comparable series originally launched as a browser game
- X-Moto – a similar title available for Linux, Windows, and OS X
- Bike or Die! – a related game for Palm OS and iOS