Ski Hard: Lorsbruck 1978

[h1]Ski Hard: Lorsbruck 1978[/h1] Does everyone remember the legendary winter themed penguin sliding level from the classic [i]Mario 64[/i]? Of course, who wouldn't. It was memorable for being a frustrating yet fun and interesting new kind of minigame, with lots of retries and time lost to racing the speedy penguin down the slopes for that perfect time and maybe even a star. Well, that's what I was reminded of at least when playing later levels of [i]Ski Hard[/i] with its selection of zig-zagging icy passageways with steep dropoffs and slippery controls. It's a challenging combination that's likely to make your palms sweat, just like in the good old days of gaming! [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Set out before you on each stage is an impressive pattern of snowy track.You choose your first skiier out of the four determined snow shredders and you're off to hit the first of courses. It feels simple and easy enough, you can lean forward for speed or back to slow down and resituate yourself and you can steer to the left or to the right with pinpoint accuracy. There's gates to weave between and starting out it's a pretty casual affair of guiding yourself through the mostly straightforward pathway. This is just the first tier of races. As you move onto the Blue and Black tiers of races, things become much more hectic. Large boulders litter your path sending your skiier into a spastic crash if grazed, large arches sit stop steep bends forcing you to aim through their opening with perfect aim, and extremely narrow and complex tracks begin to appear with death defying cliffs to soar off of with the hopes you don't land on your head. It quickly goes from super chill to super hard, while retaining the easy and accessible casual feel the whole time through. There are all sorts of extra "Mega" and "Hardcore" races to unlock through progression, which requires 1st place in the local boards for the previous already finger-busting levels. There's also global leaderboards for those with a competitive spirit, all keeping the you playing and perfecting you skills in [i]Ski Hard[/i] long after you've completed it. [h1]Visuals/Audio[/h1] The visuals have a minimalistic yet unique flair to them, with a bit of that 'vaporwave' thing going for it. Large polygonal mountains block the ambient and odd colored skies, and your skiier is a flat almost paper-like figure atop blankets of white curves. The real eye candy here are the tracks themselves as they lay out as far as the eye can see with all sorts of complex turns and patterns to each one. It's definitely not graphically impressive, but something about the whole presentation of Ski Hard is so aesthetically pleasing in a retro kind of way. The music itself is pretty 70's as you could imagine from the title. There's some groovy plodding of funk keyboard and some plucky bass setting a pretty chill and relaxing ambiance for the whole thing. Later on there's even some slow and heavy rock to match the more oppressive difficulty of the levels. The soundtrack is really the focal point of the presentation, as its what sets the mood and really helps you get into that relaxed and zoned out state of skiing bliss. The only other real sounds to speak of would be the shredding of snow beneath your skis as you lean and bend into each dangerous turn. It's a simple atmosphere for a simple game, but very fitting of the overall chill factor you can expect from serious Zen experience. [i]Ski Hard[/i] is all about the Zen. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] This is a straightforward and arcade-y speedrunner with a very minimalistic style, but it's incredibly fun. Seeing the dazzling workings of icy paths ahead of you is always a treat, and skiing down their slopes is just as good. The soundtrack is of the chillest quality and worth the admission alone, and the whole atmosphere is pretty nice if you dig the retro aesthetic. Definitely a great time-waster for the price. [i]This review made possible through the consideration and contribution of [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/11739878-ReviewExperts/]Review Experts(REXnetwork)[/url] and the developer. Email contact@dnbmedia.co for requests & game promotions [/i]