Cro-Mag Rally
A caveman kart racer originally for Mac, later ported widely.
Cro-Mag Rally is a kart racing game from Pangea Software, published by Aspyr, that takes place in prehistoric times. It first came out for Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, and later appeared on iOS, Xbox 360, Android, and Windows Phone 7.
The gameplay draws inspiration from kart racers like Mario Kart. Players control one of two cavemen, Brog or Grag, driving vehicles built from primitive materials through tracks set in ancient history. The goal is to navigate courses that include hazards like pits and tornadoes. All tracks except the first three must be unlocked by winning tournaments in Tournament Mode. Races last three laps and offer multiple difficulty settings. During a race, players can pick up two kinds of power-ups: offensive weapons that need manual activation (such as exploding bones, oil slicks, and roman candles) and temporary performance upgrades that activate automatically and last 20 seconds. Only a few vehicles are available at the start, each with different control, speed, suspension, and traction attributes; all eleven can be unlocked through progress.
Single-player includes a Practice Mode for testing vehicles and tracks, and a Tournament Mode with nine stages divided into the Bronze Age, Stone Age, and Iron Age. To advance, the player must finish a race in third place or higher while collecting eight arrowheads per level. A Physics Editor lets players adjust speed, acceleration, suspension, traction, and gravity for each car.
Multiplayer modes are available in several forms. The original Mac version supports up to six players via LAN and two in split-screen. Modes include Race, Tag (with Keep-Away and Stampede variants), Survive, and Quest For Fire. In Keep-Away, one player starts as "it" and the last player not eliminated wins; in Stampede, the winner is the one who stays "it" for two minutes. Survive is a last-caveman-standing battle using weapons and collisions. Quest For Fire splits players into two teams trying to capture five torches and bring them to their base.
The iOS version uses the accelerometer for steering and touch-screen buttons for driving and weapons, with adjustable options like steering sensitivity. It has only two modes: Race and Gather (which focuses on collecting arrowheads quickly). All tracks are unlocked by default.
Cro-Mag Rally originally launched for Mac OS 9 in October 2000 as Pangea Software’s third 3D game. Afte
- Developer
- Pangea Software
- Publisher
- Aspyr
- Initial Release
- October 2000 (Mac OS 9)
- Genre
- Kart racing
- Platforms
- Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, iOS, Xbox 360, Android, Windows Phone 7
- Notable Ports
- Free and open-source port (2022) by Iliyas Jorio
Quick Facts
- Title
- Cro-Mag Rally
- Developer
- Pangea Software
- Publisher
- Aspyr
- Designer
- Brian Greenstone
- Composer
- Mike Beckett
- Released
- NA · October 2000 (Mac) / NA · July 10, 2008 · EU · August 24, 2008 (iOS)
- Genre
- Kart racing game
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, iOS, Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360, Android
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game offers multiple single-player and multiplayer modes. Single-player includes Practice Mode and Tournament Mode with nine stages across three periods. Multiplayer in the original Mac version supports up to six players via LAN and two in split-screen, with modes like Race, Tag (Keep-Away and Stampede), Survive, and Quest For Fire. The iOS version uses accelerometer steering and touch-screen buttons, with only Race and Gather modes. The Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 ports were produced by Citizen 12 Studio, with the Xbox 360 version receiving an updated 'Extreme!' version in February 2012. In 2022, developer Iliyas Jorio released a free and open-source port for Windows, Linux, and macOS with Pangea Software's permission.
Reader's Guide
Cro-Mag Rally holds significance as a multiplatform kart racer that extended the reach of Pangea Software's 3D game lineup beyond Mac. Its inclusion in Apple’s consumer Mac bundles helped introduce the game to a broad audience. The game's later ports to iOS, Xbox 360, Android, and Windows Phone 7 demonstrate its adaptability, though reception varied: the original Mac version received an 8.5 out of 10 from Inside Mac Games, while the Windows Phone port was criticized by Windows Central. The 2022 free and open-source port by Iliyas Jorio, following similar ports of Bugdom and Nanosaur, ensures the game remains playable on modern systems. Its legacy includes being part of a series of Pangea Software titles rewritten for contemporary operating systems, preserving early 3D Mac gaming for new audiences.
Did You Know?
- Cro-Mag Rally was the third in Pangea Software's line of 3D games, following Bugdom and Nanosaur.
- The game includes a Physics Editor that allows players to alter speed, acceleration, suspension, traction, and gravity.
- The Xbox 360 port received an updated 'Extreme!' version in February 2012, one month after the original port.
- The iOS version uses the accelerometer for steering and has only two game modes: Race and Gather.
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