The year 2000 brought us the beginning of the Trials series. Back in the days, I played endless hours – while I should’ve been studying – on the original java developed browser game called Trials. Despite looking very modest the fun factor this little game offered was blatantly obvious. Expanding on this concept of motorcycle trials with a bigger budget seemed to be a good idea to me. 19 years later the franchise is still here and is stronger than ever with the release of yet another entry: Trials Rising.
Breakneck speed
Trials Rising goes further – and beyond – where Trials Fusion left us. For those of you new to the series. Trials is a 2.5D racing game where you ride a motorcycle/dirt bike. Your objective is – in most cases – to get to the finish as fast as you can. The catch is that your track is made up of insane jumps and is filled with hazardous features which have no other purpose than to make you fail. Each track takes a few minutes to complete. Mastering a track to reach the breakneck speeds to annihilate a high score will have you restart over and over again. I can guarantee you that the sentence “Just one more time” will be uttered over and over again playing Trials Rising.
Sightseeing
The menu used in previous entries is replaced by a world map with potential “contracts” on it. Typically, you complete these contracts by reaching the finish line in a certain time, beating another “ghost” rider or even by performing a certain number of backflips during your run. Finishing these contracts unlocks more and more of the map taking you on a trip around the globe. Riding the Chinese wall, the Colosseum in Rome and the Eiffel tower in Paris all become available, leaving you breathless about the way developer RedLynx implemented the famous places in their track design.
Physics feel great
Although Trials Rising goes for a full-on over-the-top-arcade-feel, the physics act as expected. Bunny hopping will be one of the hardest things to master because timing the way you lean your rider is very crucial. Trials Rising does a nice job of translating it to the game. As a veteran of the genre, I could build on my previous skills. Don’t fear if you are new because Trials Rising does a nice job of introducing everything and even has a training ground for specific key elements of controlling your bike.
Multiplayer
Trials Rising offers both online multiplayer and a local party mode. At the time of this review, I couldn’t get a game starting but I’m sure once the game gets released all will be working as it should. I got to test out the local party mode which gives you the option of choosing up to 8 tracks to battle your friends. You race simultaneously in parallel lanes. If one rider gets too much ahead of the others, the other riders get transferred to the next obstacle with a time penalty. This ensures a fast-paced experience for everyone playing.
Build your own
With the announcement of Trials Rising, the developers mentioned that the game would feature more tracks than ever before. They weren’t lying. I played many hours leading up to this review, but I feel like I still have a long way to go before I’ll unlock every track. As if the sheer amount of tracks offered by default isn’t enough, RedLynx put in a track editor to make your own tracks. I’m no artist when it comes down to making my own levels, but I like that the option is there. Once you make a track you can share it with the community opening an endless stream of new tracks to test your skills on.
Conclusion
Trials Rising had me hooked for hours and I can’t wait to go at it again. The environments are spot on, the tracks are epic and the rush you get from playing is fantastic. Trials Rising is definitely the best entry yet in the series. If you were a fan, you’ll probably get this regardless of my review. If you were unfamiliar with the series, try out the demo, buy the game and thank me later.
