Players have a few different control schemes, but there are two primary ones. The only spot where the game gets tricky is in its control options. There’s such delight in flying through a canyon with a jetpack and instantly switching to a snowboard, then plummeting out of the air to slide down a snowy mountain below.
#EXTREME BIKE RACE GAME FULL#
The effectively simple mechanics put focus on what’s important: The sheer thrill of zipping around an open world with full freedom. Certain equipment can drift, boost, or pull of tricks, but nothing ever feels overly complicated.
Riding a bike or skiing is as simple as accelerating and steering. That hook works as well as it does because the moment-to-moment sports gameplay is so easy to pick up and play.
No activity feels like a waste of time or something you have no choice but to muscle through. It doesn’t matter if you’re good at the game or just there to mess around Riders Republic will make sure you feel like you’re progressing no matter what. Accidentally pull off a stunt while exploring? Here’s your star. Discover a landmark on the map? Take a star. Complete a race? Get a star, even if you place dead last. Just about anything players do grants them stars. There’s a simple, but effective hook here.
#EXTREME BIKE RACE GAME FREE#
I’ve never felt so free in a genre that’s supposedly built on freedom. The game doesn’t really care what you do once it cuts you loose - and that’s a relief. The only real direction they’re given is to start competing in different events - there’s biking, snowboarding, skiing, jetpacking, and wingsuiting to be done - and earn enough stars to reach the ultimate Red Bull-sponsored race. Players are dropped into a huge map made up of California state parks Frankensteined together into a natural sports utopia. Riders Republic is, essentially, a much goofier spin on the Forza Horizon series. It’s not the deepest experience, but it’s one I was happy to pop into for an hour at a time and leave just as easily without feeling pressured to continue on. Whether it’s asking players to wingsuit through a canyon or bike down a mountain alongside 31 other players while wearing a giraffe suit, every micro challenge is a quick and digestible hit of extreme sports joy. Riders Republic works because it never forgets to be fun above all else. Who cares if a game has a million things to do if they aren’t actually enjoyable to complete? The key difference, though, is that I found myself actually wanting to complete activities, not feeling like I had to. A big world with a laundry list of icons to bounce between? That’s exactly what you’ll find here. Fitbit Versa 3ĭeveloped by the team behind Steep, Riders Republic is an open-world extreme sports game that’s not structurally far off from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - just with bikes instead of longships.