Asphalt 9 Legends[1] for Android and iOS is out now[2] after an extended soft-launch period that began in February. In our first impressions of this racing game[3] we stated that it’s a surprisingly polished entry in the long-running series. With the final release of Asphalt 9 having a 1.5GB download size on iOS and Android, we took it for an extended drive to let you know if it’s a worthy successor to Asphalt 8: Airborne.
First up, if you were expecting this to be a story heavy affair like recent Need for Speed games, think again. With Asphalt 9: Legends, the focus is squarely on racing. The objective is to win each season of races. Thankfully, you won’t just be jostling for pole position in every event. From being tasked with escaping from the cops, to beating the clock for the best timing, or completing stunts galore, there’s enough variety to keep you going. Throw in a steady number of unlocks such as acquiring upgrades that let you improve your car’s handling and speed, blueprints to get new rides, and new events available at regular intervals, and Asphalt 9 does a fantastic job of making you feel you’re making tangible progress with every session of play. It just doesn’t get old, even 10 hours in — the time we spend between the soft-launch version and the final release.
This extends to Asphalt 9’s visuals. Despite the amount of time we’ve spent with the game, it still feels fresh. Be it minute details like dust kicked off by your tires on an American Midwest railroad track to highly detailed car models complete with reflections, it looks superlative even on the iPhone 6s. The races in Asphalt 9 take you...