How to play
BAILOUT is a side-on stunt-bike racer with two buttons and a rider who goes flying when you get it wrong. Every level is a race against the clock from the start line to the chequered flag, over jumps, drops, loops and whatever the world throws at you. Gas is Right, D, Up or W, or the right half of the screen on a phone. Brake and reverse is Left, A, Down or S, or the left half.
The one rule worth learning is what happens in the air. A pedal you were already holding when the wheels left the ground does nothing, so holding gas through a jump flies flat and the bike gently levels itself for the landing. To flip, tap gas again in the air for a backflip, or tap brake for a frontflip. A fresh tap spins the bike a full turn in about two thirds of a second.
Every full flip you land takes one second off your time. Land on both wheels with the bike within 25 degrees of the ground and you also get a short speed boost. If the rider's head or chest touches anything, he bails: he flies off over the handlebars as a floppy ragdoll, time slows down, and a moment later you are back at the last checkpoint. A bailout has no extra penalty, but the clock keeps running while he tumbles and you lose the ground back to the checkpoint. R restarts the level, Enter takes you back to the last checkpoint and Esc or P pauses.
Tips and strategy
- Let go, then tap. Most early crashes come from mashing the pedals in the air. Hold gas up the ramp, let it go over the lip, then tap once to start a flip.
- Flips are worth a second each. On a long jump a double backflip saves two whole seconds, which is often the gap between silver and gold.
- Only flip when you have the height. A flip you cannot finish puts the rider on his head. One clean flip beats a half-finished double.
- Ease off before you land. Landing with the gas off is safe: the wheels match the ground speed on touchdown, so the bike will not pitch you over the bars.
- Use the ghost. Once you have finished a level, your best run rides alongside you as a ghost, so you can see exactly where you lost time.
- Watch the hazards. TNT explodes when you touch it and throws the rider off, falling crates knock him off too, lava is a bailout, ice has almost no grip, fans push you upward, and drawbridges open and close on a timer.
What's in it
Forty levels in five worlds of eight: the Canyon, the Junkyard, the Glacier, the Volcano and Neon City at night. The first three levels teach the controls, with pictures painted on the ground. Each level lasts between about 20 and 60 seconds and has four medals: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The medal times only appear once you have finished a level, and platinum only once you have gold. Finishing a level unlocks the next, and finishing the eighth level of a world opens the next world.
The Daily Gauntlet is a new course every day, the same for everyone. You race a board of computer times, see your last seven days, keep a streak going, and can copy a short result card to share. Freefall Mountain is an endless downhill run where you go as far as you can, and the first bailout ends it.
Medals, flips, daily runs and distance on the mountain all earn coins, which you spend in the Garage. There are six bikes that each handle differently: the dirt bike, a chopper, a mini-moto, a BMX you pedal, a four-wheel quad, and a rocket bike you unlock by winning gold on every level. There are also seven helmets and six riding suits. The Bailout gallery keeps records of your best crashes, such as the longest time spent flying and the longest face slide, along with 20 trophies to win.
Questions
Why won't my bike flip?
You are holding the pedal from before the jump. Let go of it, then press it again while you are in the air.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Touch the right half of the screen for gas and the left half for brake. It plays sideways or upright. On a touch screen the pedals are drawn on screen, and on a computer the Sound menu on the title screen can turn them on.
Does it save?
Yes, in your own browser: your coins, medals and best times, your ghosts, the bikes and outfits you own, your daily streak, your gallery records and your volume settings. Clearing your browser's site data clears the save.