| Harms Way | |
| Developer: | Bongfish GmbH |
| Publisher: | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Released: | December 8, 2010 |
| Genre: | Racing |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Platforms: | Xbox 360 (XBLA) |
| Composer: | Die Mognstuambuam |
Harms Way is a racing advergame developed by Austrian independent software developer Bongfish GmbH for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. It was released on December 8, 2010, for free as one of the finalists of the Doritos-sponsored "Unlock Xbox" competition for 2010, alongside Doritos Crash Course.[1] Originating from a hybrid racing/shooting game concept by Ogden, Utah gamer Justin Carpenter, this game has a wasteland-like setting and tone, similar to Mad Max. On December 29, 2010, it was announced that Harms Way lost to Doritos Crash Course in the second "Unlock Xbox" competition. However, due to positive feedback on both games, Frito-Lay decided to give both Carpenter and competition winner Jill Robertson the same US$50,000 consultation prize each.[2] The soundtrack for the game was provided by Austrian thrash metal band Die Mognstuambuam.
On May 6, 2017, the game was added to the backwards compatibility program, making it playable on Xbox One.[3]
In Harms Way, players take on the role of either driver or shooter.
Drivers ride across one of three courses in a three-lap race with power-ups and shortcuts to help lead them to their victory. To win, a driver must finish in first place out of 4 ranks. Drivers can drift to earn nitro boosts and do barrel rolls for shields, which prevent drivers from receiving damage and may ricochet gunfire back to snipers. The time it takes for drivers to finish a race can represent their ranks in the leaderboards.
There are four vehicles, each with three attributes: speed (which affects top speed and acceleration), armor (which affects the amount of damage the vehicle can take), and handling (which affects steering and drifting).
Shooters can snipe other vehicles and damage them. The shooters' goal is to damage and destroy the vehicle as badly as possible. A fatal hit to the windshield of a vehicle will instantly destroy it, giving the shooter 5000 points. Shooters can also hit wheels to stop or slow down a vehicle for 250 points. Shooters can also shoot at power-ups on the track to either prevent drivers from using them or to upgrade their own turrets with new weapons. The number of points snipers earn can represent their ranks in the leaderboards.
There are four weapons for each shooter, each available after certain number of upgrades:
There are five power-ups in the game that affects both drivers and shooters:
The game holds an aggregated review score of 65 on Metacritic, based on four reviews.[4]
K. Alexander Smith of Paste called it "surprisingly innovative" as well as a "rare example of a corporation trying to do good while doing well" with regards to the circumstances behind its creation.[5]