App of the Week: Does Not Commute

Platform : Android
Cost: Free w/ in app purchases

I had a friend tell me about Does Not Commute over the weekend. I’m not the kind of person that spends a lot of time on my phone gaming, but I like any kind of games that ‘pull me in.’ Does Not Commute did just that.

The core of Does Not Commute is simple. You use the touch interface to guide the cars from point to point while avoiding obstacles like light poles and other mundane objects. At the end of the round, you’re given a new car while your previous car takes the exact same route you did before, every serve, every near miss. Your task now is to get your new car to a new destination, while avoiding your previous route. Seems simple right?

Wrong.

I started by picking a car at the beginning of the game, after navigating it to the edge of town I was given the option of taking another trip with another car. “Pretty simple” I thought, until the car that I drove previously narrowly missed crashing into me. I had to desperately swerve to avoid my previous self.

That swerve would turn out to be my undoing when I picked my third car. My second car ended up crashing into my third car, ending my first playthrough.

As you can see, the hard part starts after 2 or 3 rounds of driving when your previous drives begin to affect the route you take to avoid collisions with yourself.

Fun, frustrating, and engaging, it really makes you think ahead before you start your perilous drive. You’re your own worst enemy here, and I encourage caution on those dangerous roads.