StreetRally is an arcade-style racing game for Facebook developed by Hypester. With the racing genre only just beginning to pick up speed on Facebook, this alpha-state game is an interesting case study in the challenge of adapting traditional racing game mechanics to the platform.

According to our traffic tracking service AppData, StreetRally currently has 2,164 monthly active users and 157 daily active users.

Similar to “rally” style arcade racing games made popular in the 1980s, StreetRally has players controlling a car from a birds-eye view. The keyboard’s directional keys are used for steering, accelerating and braking; left/right, up and down, respectively. Pressing the shift key activates a nitrous boost, which only lasts for a limited amount of time but recharges when not in use. True to the “Rally” in its title, the game pits players against the clock, rather than directly against friends or computer-controlled opponents. Players must race through checkpoints as quickly as possible for a set number of laps across several courses. The time taken to complete the race is shared via a global leaderboard, with options to compare it against friends’ best times. Trophies can also be unlocked for completing races under certain conditions.

Several licensed car brands are available for purchase with the game’s soft currency, including Honda’s Civic, Nissan’s 370Z and the classic Chevy Firebird. Winnings from races can be used to purchase upgrades, including visual deals like window tint, decals and rims; engine & transmission such as filters, radiators, turbo-chargers; suspension parts; tires & brakes; exhaust and nitrous.

Social features include friend invites, Wall updates based on performance and trophies, a chat lobby and the ability to post challenges to friends inviting them to beat your best times on specific tracks. The latter takes the place of real-time, head to head racing.

StreetRally currently isn’t monetized beyond its soft currency, coins, which are earned by performing well in races and spent on cars and upgrades. “We are planning on monetizing our game via Facebook credit but that won’t happen in the near future,” Hypester’s Martin Tuvi tells ISG. “The idea is that after the game has been fully developed and launched and also spread enough then we will add new cars, car parts and other features to the game which will be buyable with Facebook Credits.”

As for additional features to be added in the near future, Tuvi says that drifting and pursuit features will be available in the live beta version. “We’re also developing a drag race feature and a precision driving race type,” he adds, the latter referring to a increasingly popular motorsport known as Gymkhana. According to Tuvi, these modes are almost ready to roll out in a game update. In the longer-term, Hypester is planning to implement a full racing league feature in StreetRally that will allow players to progress from amateur to professional while competing against other similarly skill drivers.

You can follow StreetRally’s progress using AppData, our traffic tracking application for social games and developers.