Excessive context. By Jay Tee 21/09/21 Previewed on Xbox Series X. — Excessive context.
By Jay Tee
21/09/21
Previewed on Xbox Series X.

Although existing franchises are typically the backbone of an established publishers release schedule, new IP can also be enticing if pitched the right way. Ubisoft has always managed to strike a decent balance between the familiar and the fresh, which has led to recent winners like The Division and For Honor.

Although technically a first attempt, Rider’s Republic feels like an extension of Steep; a logical next step as winter sports are expanded into something broader, whilst still retaining a certain breeziness that avoids things becoming too serious. Much of Rider’s Republic is typical Ubisoft fare in terms of narrative content, which is to say that characters can often embrace stereotypes and the dialogue isn’t particularly nuanced.

You’ll find plenty of cringe in the “E3 demo banter” style exchanges, but once you’re past that, and the game relaxes its introductory leash, Rider’s Republic’s unhinged personality shines through in a way that’s quite endearing. It’s a shame that the opening hour is so bogged down in playing specific event types and mandatory menu pop ups, because when you get a chance to just be in the open world, cruising around the shared hub with other players, it’s infectious and jolly in all the right ways.

The jetpack events, although fun in principle, are probably the least interesting of the activities on offer; they lack momentum, and races feel more like Pilotwings style flying through assigned zones than near miss gauntlets. On the flipside, bikes and snowboarding are frenetic, pacey affairs, and when you play the large lobby variants, the slapstick physics and barely controlled chaos works a treat.

Performance wise, the Beta was visually and technically accomplished; this is definitely one of Ubisoft’s most polished efforts to date on the latest console hardware. Environmental detail and draw distances are both top notch, and crucially the framerate holds up even when things get hectic.

There’s a lot to like with Rider’s Republic, and if the Beta is any indication, the final release will be a strong first effort that, with consistent post launch support, could carve a nice little niche for itself in the traditionally busy end of year bonanza.

TARPS?

At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.