New hit mobile game mixes London Underground and Mario Kart

By Jamie Smith via SWNS

A new mobile game described as a mix of the London Underground and Mario Kart is proving a hit.

Titled ‘Severe Delays,’ it gives players the chance to take the driver’s seat, jump on different lines and deal with common issues such as delayed trains and drunk passengers.

David Kirchner from South West London, is the creative force behind the game.

“Severe Delays is a mix of the London Underground and Mario Kart," he said.

“While on my commute I admired the London Underground. All those different lines at different depths (especially in Bank) are quite impressive. It fascinates me how well the Tube runs considering how many people are using it.

“I imagined how fun it would be if you could jump from one line to the other. Mario Kart as a non-realistic racing game was one of the main inspirations."

He said it was not meant to be realistic, and includes a lot of inside jokes for commuters.

“Of course there are annoying things about the tube (like the engineering works or the lack of air conditioning) but I try to include those things in a fun and entertaining way," David said.

“This game is made for Londoners who enjoy a small fun game with some inside jokes."

Screenshot of Severe Delays. (David Kirchner via SWNS)

Screenshot of Severe Delays. (David Kirchner via SWNS)

Screenshot of Severe Delays. (David Kirchner via SWNS)

Screenshot of Severe Delays. (David Kirchner via SWNS)

Players can jump between different tube lines and must arrive safely at their destination without falling off the track.

They achieve higher scores by picking up more passengers and performing risky "tube stunts."

It was developed by David using the ‘Unity’ engine, as a side project while also working on visual effects for Hollywood Blockbusters "No Time to Die" and Marvel Studio’s "Eternals."

The game has already had more than 50,000 downloads.

“If I had not have been furloughed for about two months last year, I would never released the game. Being on furlough gave me the time to actually finish my prototype," David said.

“That being said though the game is never finished! I have so many more ideas which I want to add. I want to include an endless mode, the DLR, escalators between different lines, leaves on the track and much more.

"Compared to other mobile games “Severe Delays” is a real challenge. What has been the players' reception to the game, I am getting really good reviews and so far I had more than 50,000 downloads.

"Now I am getting more than 1,000 downloads a day which I never imagined would be possible."