This stunning iPad racer looks like a comic book brought to life

Phrases like “it’s a comic book brought to life” are usually hyperbole, but that’s not the case for SXPD, a new iOS game which blends gorgeous black and white comic art with compelling gameplay.

Described by developer Little Chicken as “essentially the world’s first true game-comic book hybrid,” SXPD is a racing game interspersed with kinetic Comixology-like comic book interludes — upping the story-driven quota far beyond what we’re used to seeing in video games. In all there’s a 42-page digital comic book included, which is broken down into 6 chapters for you to play through.

Between that are action-packed set pieces, all rendered in stunning monochromatic pen and ink by comic book artist Duke Mighten (of Batman: Book of Shadows and Judge Dredd fame).

The story — of which this is just episode 1 — follows a female police force called SXPD as they attempt to thwart a secret organization’s plan to destroy New Royale, the fictional privately owned 52nd state of America. The trailer can be seen below:

In a year chock full of stunning iOS games, this looks another piece of eye candy to add to your collection. As a massive comic book fan, I can’t wait to dive into see how well the effect works over the sustained playing time of an iOS game.

SXPD can be downloaded for $1.99, available for iPads running iOS 5.1 or above.

Source: iTunes

Luke Dormehl

Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.