REVIEW : Riders Republic (XBOX Series X)
Growing up, I used to appreciate sports games like SSX and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Then, when Steep was launched in 2016, I got to play a tiny amount of it. When I first saw the Riders Republic, I had a very different opinion than when I finally got to play it. From paragliding to base jumping, Steep featured aspects that emphasized the insane extreme sports and Red Bull Signature Series activities. The Riders Republic is all of the above, plus utter lunacy!
Since I have played these games before, I took an unusual approach and loaded up the accessible roam mode called “Zen Mode” first. This game mode allowed the players to try out all the different sports and different forms of transportation. The sports were very straightforward, with snowboarding, wingsuit gliding, and cycling, to name a few. But then, the game gets wackier.
It may be equipped with a rocket jetpack, allowing players to soar around like Iron Man. The rocket skis and bikes are two other bizarre racing alternatives and ways to go about, which aren’t extremely fast but help you get around much faster than utilizing natural momentum and physics.
To make things stranger, I changed the skiing option to “Funkies,” and I was instantly outfitted with two ski poles made of two planks of wood ripped right from a tree’s bark and two skis made of two planks of wood torn straight from a tree’s bark. The hijinks that this game presented were too much for my stomach to bear.
“My stomach could not contain the shenanigans this game brought.”
After witnessing what Zen Mode had to offer for roughly an hour, I finally joined Story Mode after putting my laughing aside. The tale cutscenes are so highly created that they made me chuckle and adore it. It showcases beautiful scenery and diverse terrains, and it makes me envious that I won’t be able to play it on the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S with their next-gen visuals. Trick shots and racing down a 1000-foot-tall mountain were breathtaking and reminded me of how Red Bull’s coverage of real-life races uses drones to film the action.
The first-person perspective is one of the features I appreciate and hope others will enjoy as well. I never anticipated a fast-paced action-sports game to thrive on first-person views like Forza Horizon 5, and other vehicle racing games do. I reasoned that if I performed tricks left and right, my brain would be unable to digest everything, becoming dizzy. The Riders Republic, on the other hand, is far more astute.
Racing in first-person is similar to a conventional vehicle racing game, and as I started doing tricks, it seamlessly transitioned back to third-person.
It is like a rapid pan-out from a body camera to a drone shot behind the player. It was disconcerting at first, but it’s a lot better than doing tricks in the first person and not knowing if you’ll stick the landing when doing flips in the air.
Another element I liked was Tricks Assists. Many other extreme sports games have always highlighted the appropriate technique to land a trick. However, this game offers the option of adding aid to inexperienced players who aren’t used to executing an entire rotation trick mid-air. Furthermore, regardless of where a rider comes in on whatever difficulty level, there is always ample compensation for your efforts.
Players unfamiliar with this sort of game should calibrate the sensitivity of their toggle sticks, in my opinion (if you are playing on a console or PC controller). At first, completing the stunt challenges with the standard sensitivity was quite tricky.
The various bizarre and ludicrous skins to unlock were what initially drew me in. You can dress up as a unicorn if you want to! The game’s personalization is highly expressive, and the longer I played it, the more distinctive armour and skins I was able to obtain. It’s also not difficult to unlock new items after completing new races.
The major disappointment with personalization was how limited character creation felt compared to other sports games such as NHL 22 or Madden NFL 22. However, I can see how the game’s speed encourages players to immerse themselves as quickly as possible in the plot and racing. Furthermore, the rider’s physical characteristics have little bearing on their performance. There’s an option to make your character green-skinned, and you can bet a million dollars I had to do so.
Suki and Brett, the main characters, are flashy and over-the-top as they teach users how to use The Riders Republic (the map and events). The Ridge, an extraordinary intersection atop a mountain where riders can socialize or view what events are going on, serves as the hub or gathering spot.
Brett was entertaining from the beginning. He reminds you of a friend who was well-known as a rebellious adolescent who was incredibly cool for attending underground sporting events. Brett now owns a burger and fries food truck where he chats about his golden days and serves as your guide as you progress through the plot.
The Riders Republic is a spiritual successor to Ubisoft’s earlier action-adventure game, Steep. I’d say that this is a reimagined amalgamation of all action-sports games crammed into a single title. I like that it welcomes new players, and the controls aren’t too tough to pick up after watching the tutorial.
The plot characters are the most influential persons in a game’s hype machine. To top it off, Riders Republic is a fantastic outdoor experience that allows you to explore an extensive, aesthetically stunning map. The Riders Republic is a must-have for everyone who enjoys the excitement of a crazy ride in a game or wants to experience extreme sports vicariously.
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