Slipstream Duel

Controls

Click or tap anywhere to shift up. On touch screens, use the left and right arrow buttons to change lane and the NITRO button to fire nitro. On a keyboard, shift with Space, Enter, the Up arrow or W, change lane with the Left and Right arrows or A and D, and fire nitro with N, the Down arrow, S, X or Shift. P or Esc pauses.

How to play Slipstream Duel

Every race is a straight-line sprint against one rival on a neon highway at night. The car speeds up by itself. Your job is to change gear at the right moment. Shift up when the tachometer needle is in the green zone for a perfect shift, which gives a short burst of speed and a little nitro. Shift too early and the gear change takes longer. Shift late and you get no boost.

Three red lights count down the start. Shift right after GO for a perfect launch. Press too soon and you jump the start and spin the wheels. Drive in the same lane right behind your rival to fill the draft meter, then change lane to slingshot past. Nitro gives a big push, and once it is lit it burns until the tank is empty.

Rivals, prize money and upgrades

There are 12 rivals, from Rookie Rae over 400 meters to The Emperor over 2,000 meters. Each one drives a little better than the last: faster shifts, more power and more tricks, like stealing your draft, moving into your lane or weaving to break your tow. From the third rival on, slow traffic shares the road. Hitting it costs you about half your speed and puts out your nitro.

A win pays the rival’s prize, from $250 up to $3,000, and earns one to three stars for your share of perfect shifts. A loss pays 15 percent of the prize and you race the same rival again. Spend cash in the garage on Engine, Gearbox and Nitro, each with five levels. Beat all 12 and the Legend circuit starts, with tougher versions of every rival over longer races for bigger prizes.

Tips and tricks

• Watch the shift lights above the tachometer. When the needle turns green, shift.
• Gearbox upgrades widen the green zone, which makes perfect shifts easier.
• Do not pull out of the draft too early. The fuller the draft meter, the stronger the slingshot.
• Save nitro for the second half of the race or for a late pass, because you cannot switch it off once it is lit.
• Before a race you can watch a short ad to start with a full nitro tank. After a win, an ad doubles that race’s winnings once.
• After a loss you can watch an ad once per race to restart from halfway, side by side with your rival. If you skip an ad you get no reward, but you can try the button again.