SNØ: Ultimate Freeriding

[h1][b] TLDR: Controls feel good and the weekly challenge leaderboard adds some appeal, but with all its content exhausted in under an hour this feels more like a polished demo than a complete game. [/b] [/h1] [h1]PROS: [/h1] ➕Multiple different game modes ➕Leaderboards for each game mode ➕Randomly created levels adds a lot of variety….. ➕Weekly challenge puts all players on the same mountain for score/distance [h1]CONS: [/h1] ➖Lacking in content/progression - Feels more like a demo than a game ➖No music like there is in the trailers ➖…But randomly created levels can mean RNG issues like getting stuck in hills ➖Zen Mode is not zen at all and can/will instantly end upon crashing, like every other mode [h1] [b] Content (Game world/Narrative) – [4/10] [/b] [/h1] The game world consists of various different mountains, it’s all very similar with similar obstacles, like trees and rocks. The levels are randomly generated which has pros and cons - each level does feel unique, but then a poorly generated level can lead to terrible runs. I’ve literally had levels where I crashed in seconds off the start because of a drop, or getting stuck in a slope with no way out. There is no narrative. [h1][b] Gameplay (Mechanics/Difficulty) – [5/10] [/b] [/h1] The gameplay loop is simple - either racing against time/distance or score. The mechanics are very simple, you simply race down the mountain or try for a score, all while avoiding obstacles. There are a few different game modes like Infinite run, score attack, time attack, weekly challenge, and zen mode. I tried them all multiple times and the weekly challenge was the one that seemed most interesting since everyone is on equal footing for the week The game is more on the side of easy than difficult. The controls are good and I felt like any time I died it was either a RNG issue or me, never the controls. [h1] [b] Technical (Graphics/Performance) – [5/10] [/b] [/h1] Graphics are okay, I played it on maxed settings and I’d say it's around PS3-era fidelity. Performance is fine, a constant 120 FPS. I did notice a few bugs, namely going through trees and rocks when I should have definitely died. 1440p @ 240hz | installed on SSD [h1] [b] Audio – [4/10] [/b] [/h1] The sound effects are solid. There is no music, which is a letdown because the game trailers showed exactly the type of music that would make Zen mode great. Also no voice acting. [h1] [b] Replay Factor (Longevity) – [3/10] [/b] [/h1] There’s some decent replay value here as long as you like chasing leaderboards. The random levels can lend a lot of the different variety of content, but the RNG can also screw you over when trying for leaderboards. [h1] [b] Final Verdict – [5/10] [/b] [/h1] SNO: Ultimate Freeriding is such a small bite-sized game that I struggle to even call it a game, it’s more like a demo. It’s a good “Demo”, in that it has a great foundation - I like the controls, the game runs very well, and the leaderboards for each game mode gives me something to try to achieve, but otherwise, it’s very bare bones. In my hour of playtime, I played well over 40 runs spread across each different game mode and really the only thing to do was to chase a higher score on the leaderboard. And while I do like the angle of improving my runs and competing against other players….that’s kinda the entire game. Like, I can’t really talk about the elements of the game when there’s so few. I’m conflicted on this because on one hand the game feels good to play. The controls are fluid enough where I’m not struggling to do the most basic of things, like in Shredders, but there’s just simply not much content that provides long entertainment. Overall, I’m going to not recommend this. It’s a solid experience, but so painfully short and content thin that I would suggest waiting on a steep sale. [h1] [b] Recommend? (Price) [Y/N] [/b] [/h1] [h1]No[/h1] $12 base price is a bit much considering you can see all the content the game offers in under an hour, I’d say under $7 is a good price point, and would suggest getting it on sale. You can find my curator page here: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Synik_GR