Not ready to give up the car and commit to a biking lifestyle? You're in luck. A new Philly-based iPhone app allows you to try out a two-wheeled life virtually before ever having to turn an actual pedal or dodge a real pedestrian.
"Hipster City Cycle" is a new game for mobile devices that allows players to navigate intrepid cyclist Binky McKee through our fair streets while he weaves in and out of traffic, gains admirers with wicked track stands and tries to run into open car doors.
The game was created by Penn students Michael Highland and Kevin Jenkins to learn about iPhone development. Their friend Keith McKnight's pixilated artwork caught their eye and they recruited him to create the game's throwback look. "It mixes an aesthetic from our childhood - the Super Nintendo aesthetic - and newer technology," said Highland, who owned a car while a student at Penn but resented it.
The King Koopa to Binky's Mario is, by default, the car. Binky can be hit by a car or a car door, sending players reeling.
The game splits the city four ways - West Philly, South Philly, Northern Liberties and Center City - each with challenges similar to those found in the real 'hood. "We had to distill the experience of what biking in Philly is like in different neighborhoods," Highland said. For example, trolley tracks can be dangers during the West Philly portions of the game.
One glitch (or homage to 8-bit games of yore) is that McKnight spent so much time working on the details of the bikes that he designed only a few different cars.
"People think it's a comment on carshare," Highland said. "It's not."
"Hipster City Cycle" is available for $1.99 in Apple's app store.
- Molly Eichel
