Hydro Thunder Hurricane

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a boat racing video game developed by Vector Unit and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console, on Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released on July 28th, 2010 as part of Microsoft's Xbox Live Summer of Arcade promotion. It is the sequel to Hydro Thunder, originally an arcade game and part of the Thunder series. It was also released on the Windows Store. On December 17th, 2015, it was added to the list of Xbox 360 backward compatible games on Xbox One.

Gameplay in Hurricane involves players selecting one of nine boats (without the Tempest Pack DLC) to race through a variety of over-the-top scenarios. Players can collect boost powerups throughout a course which are used to increase the speed of the boat, jump over obstacles, or unlock shortcuts. The game comes with both single player and multiplayer modes, some of which are new to the series.

Gameplay involves players selecting a boat to race through different courses. The primary mode of gameplay involves a sixteen competitor race to the finish line. As with the original Hydro Thunder, players can collect boost power-ups throughout a course which physically transform the boat into a more aggressive-looking form. Once transformed, players can use acquired boost to increase the speed of the boat temporarily, or to jump over obstacles.

Development History

Hydro Thunder Hurricane had originally started out as a project under the codename Barracuda, a post-apocalyptic boat racing game where players race and customize racing boats with a variety of different parts.

When Vector Unit went around to producers about a game they wanted published, they heard from only three producers back, one being Microsoft Game Studios. Later, a Microsoft employee said "Hey, that could work as a nice Hydro Thunder sequel." Microsoft soon bought a license for Hydro Thunder from Warner Brothers and gave it to Vector Unit so that Vector can begin changing Barracuda into something that would be a sequel to an already popular game, creating Hurricane.

After a few tweaks here and there,

[INCOMPLETE]

Availability

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is only available on Xbox systems, being backwards compatible, and Windows 8 - 10. (As a windows 8 app only on the Microsoft store) As a Microsoft Game Studios title, it is also available for free on GamePass for both PC and Xbox One.

Xbox versions of the game are capable of split-screen multiplayer, one of the few features the windows app lacks. The Tempest Pack DLC is also a separate purchase on the Microsoft Store. However, if you buy Hydro Thunder Hurricane on PC or play it via GamePass, the Tempest Pack DLC is not a separate purchase and is included with the Windows App.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is only available from the Microsoft store for Xbox and Windows; Not Steam.

Maps

This list of maps is sorted in unlock order.

• Lake Powell
• Storming Asgard
• Monster Island
• Tsunami Bowl
• Lost Babylon
• Paris Sewers
• Seoul Stream
• Area 51

Please note that lower maps are only included with the Tempest DLC.

• Atlantis
• Castle Von Boom
• Bermuda Triangle

Boats

This list of boats is sorted in unlock order.

Novice

• Vector
• Damn The Torpedoes
• Miss Behave

Pro

• Thresher
• Tidal Blade
• Banshee

Expert

• Cutthroat
• Rad Hazard
• Razorback

Rubber Duck

• Rubber Duck

Please note that the following Boats are only included with the Tempest DLC, and fall into the "Expert" category.

• Whiplash
• Psyclone
• Vector X
• Damn the Torpedoes X
• Miss Behave X
• Thresher X
• Tidal Blade X
• Banshee X

Controls

Xbox Controller

• Left analog stick x - Steering
• Right trigger - Acceleration
• Left trigger - Braking
• A button - Boost
• X button - Boost Jump
• Y button - Change camera view
• Back button (View for Xbox One) - Respawn
• Start button (Menu for Xbox One) - Pause

Keyboard

• Up Arrow - Accelerate (With auto acceleration disabled)
• Down Arrow - Brake
• Left / Right Arrow - Turn
• Shift - Boost
• Space - Boost Jump
• Backspace - Respawn
• Escape - Pause

Touch

When on Windows, Hydro Thunder includes touch controls. These controls include:

• Turn Left & Turn Right
• Brake
• Boost Jump
• Boost
• Pause
• Respawn

- The pause and respawn buttons are well hidden in the top corners of the window, the pause being above the minimap, and respawn above the speedometer.

Trivia

• All boats in Hydro Thunder Hurricane feature a gameplay mechanic where angling the boat at a 30-45 degree angle while in the air will grant passive forward momentum. This effect is much more pronounced on boats with a higher air control stat (Rad Hazard, Damn the Torpedoes X, Miss Behave X, etc...) meaning that the higher the air control stat on a boat, the faster these boats will accelerate while boost-jumping at an angle.
  • It is possible this is a result of the game supplying additional momentum to control the boat through the air to the left or right. Holding the boat within the angles mentioned above not only signals the game's engine to grant momentum, but also keeps the boat facing forward enough to also add momentum to forward movement. Continuous, frame-perfect boost jumping while holding the angle is recommended to maintain maximum velocity.

References

Some content on this page is from Wikipedia's page on Hydro Thunder Hurricane.

[1]More insight into the development can be found on this post: Postmortem: Vector Unit's Hydro Thunder Hurricane on Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra)