World – Appliances catalogue

07 Nov

Riders Republic Review: True Freedom in an Open World Game

November 7, 2021
Posted by Samson

A biker does a trick in Riders Republic.

Reiter Republic

RRP $ 60.00

"Riders Republic is a thoroughly entertaining extreme sports game that avoids the mandatory insignia of most open world games."

advantages

Easy to understand gameplay
Everything feels rewarding
Complicated world design
Crazy sporting events
Excellent social modes

disadvantage

Camera is not ideal
Stylistically inconsistent
Arrogant microtransactions

Ubisoft's open world games can be a chore. Franchises like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry follow the same structure and throw players on a gigantic map with a seemingly endless number of activities to do. These are massive games full of distractions that you will keep playing even when you are running out of good times. But Riders Republic, the publisher's newest title, wields that power forever; it removes any constraint from one of gaming's weariest ideas.

Riders Republic was developed by the team behind Steep and is an open-world extreme sports game that is structurally not far from Assassin's Creed Valhalla – only with bicycles instead of longships. A big world with a laundry list of symbols to jump back and forth between? That’s what you’ll find here. The main difference, however, is that I actually wanted to complete activities and didn't feel like I had to. Who cares if a game has a million things to do when they're not really fun?

Riders Republic works because it never forgets to be, above all, fun. Regardless of whether players cycle through a ravine in a wingsuit or cycle down a mountain with 31 other players in a giraffe suit, every micro-challenge is a quick and digestible hit for the joy of extreme sports. It's not the deepest experience, but it's one I was happy to immerse myself in for an hour and just as easily could walk again without feeling pressured to move on.

X game

Riders Republic is essentially a much more goofy twist on the Forza Horizon series. Players are thrown onto a giant map made up of California state parks that Frankenstein have pieced together into a natural sports utopia. The only real direction they're given is to compete in various events – there's biking, snowboarding, skiing, jetpacking, and wingsuiting – and earning enough stars to complete the ultimate Red Bull sponsored race. The game doesn't really care what you do once it lets go of you – and that's a relief. I've never felt so free in a genre that is supposedly based on freedom.

There's a simple but effective catch here. Almost everything that players do gives them stars. Finish a race? Get a star even if you are last. Discover a landmark on the map? Take a star. Did you accidentally perform a stunt while exploring? Here is your star. It doesn't matter if you're good at the game or just there to play around; Riders Republic will make you feel like you are making progress no matter what. No activity feels like a waste of time or something that you have no choice but to assert yourself.

A biker does a trick in Riders Republic.

This hook works just as well because the sports gameplay is so easy to learn and play from moment to moment. Cycling or skiing is as easy as accelerating and steering. Certain gear can drift, boost, or pull tricks, but nothing ever feels overly complicated. The effectively simple mechanism directs the focus to the essentials: the thrill of racing through an open world with full freedom. It is so much fun to fly through a canyon with a jetpack and immediately switch to a snowboard and then tumble out of the air to slide down a snow-capped mountain.

The only point where the game gets tricky is with the control options. Players have a few different control schemes, but there are two primary ones. One assigns tricks to the face buttons, while the other (called Trickster) lets players use the right stick instead. The latter feels a lot better and gives players much more precise control when it comes to performing tricks and landing. Unfortunately, this means that camera control is sacrificed, which is not always feasible. Considering the game is getting messy with its massive multiplayer races, sometimes I really had to adjust the angle to see over the herd of drivers in long giraffe costumes that enveloped my field of vision. You will also get more points for tricks if you land them in Trickster mode yourself. It's a shame that the more natural and rewarding control scheme is the less practical.

No matter what sport I play, the controls feel so intuitive that I can navigate the complicated world with ease.

It's a minor complaint by and large. No matter what sport I play, the controls feel so intuitive that I can navigate the complicated world with ease. The landscapes are carefully constructed to turn simple stretches of terrain into bike paths or snow trails that put my skills to the test, even if I'm just driving around freely. You could take all of the actual goals and objectives out of Riders Republic and I still think I'd love to just drive around and soak it all up (there's a zen mode where you can do just that, too).

The social network

There's no shortage of things you can actually do to take advantage of these pleasing mechanics and smart world design. Players compete in various challenges that appear on the map as they advance each "career". Most of the events are about racing, but there is a little extra spice here and there. One of my favorite missions was asking me to ride my bike around a small campsite delivering pizza while my character was complaining in Italian the whole time.

Riders Republic is best when it's silly. While standard races are consistently fun tests of skill, some of the stranger missions add absurd charm to the game. In one race, I snowboard through a blizzard while classical music is playing. In another, I'm in a group of cyclists dressed in T. rex inflatable suits. You never know what a particular challenge will look like until you start the race, and out of curiosity that made me try as many as possible.

Riders looks out over a snowy horizon in Riders Republic.

Playing solo would be entertaining enough on its own, but the game's social integration really makes it special. During the game, the map is constantly populated by other players who go about their business (or at least ghost data from real people). It is impossible to feel alone while driving. Sometimes I would find myself riding a wingsuit down a mountain to a racing marker just to skim a running bike race. It seldom happens that I really feel part of an online world full of people, even when playing a 100 player game like Fortnite.

Playing solo would be entertaining enough on its own, but the game's social integration really makes it special.

This feeling is best illustrated in the game's mass races, which are a standout feature. Players can line up for a 64-player race at various intervals. It is absolute chaos in the best sense of the word. Watching a crowd of bikers clash at the start line is pure slapstick comedy, and it's an exhilarating feeling to be ahead of the pack. They are also usually some of the longer gauntlets in the game and act as a multisport triathlon. Every time one shows up on the map, I stop what I'm doing to participate.

Other online modes are just as creative. There's a brilliant 6v6 trick attack mode that works like a team version of Graffiti by Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Considering this is a live service game that will likely be updated over time, I am already excited about the possibilities here. This is what makes Riders Republic particularly fun. This is a solid, insane foundation that feels like it could be twisted in an infinite number of ways. While Ubisoft doesn't, the game includes a creation tool that allows players to create their own custom events. Keep giving me a reason to invite me in, and I'll keep going until my legs (well, thumbs, I think) are sore.

Out of fashion

The most noticeable aspect of the game is its sense of style. While the game's spiritual predecessor, Steep, was a bit more down to earth, Riders Republic is all about pizzazz. The colors are bright, the cosmetics are crazy, and the soundtrack is eclectic. It's an all-round happy atmosphere for players of all ages.

However, all of this is a bit unfocused. As I played through the game, I was never quite sure who the intended audience was. Take the soundtrack, for example. It's not just between genres, but also between eras. In a minute I'll hear a pretty modern sounding pop rock song. In the next minute, Ice-T's 1988 Hit Colors began playing. I later become a parachutist as the ukulele cover of Gangster’s Paradise, followed by The Offspring’s Staring at the Sun. Sometimes the soundtrack tries to be hip and youthful. Sometimes Tony Hawk tries to be a pro skater. At other times, I have no idea who it is addressed to.

A neon wingsuit flies through a canyon in Riders Republic.

This is also present in the dialogues that try to sound young and hip, but end up slipping into terrifying terrain. Jokes keep falling flat when non-gamer characters dive into the MTV humor of the "for Shizzle" era. It all has a "How are you fellow children?" Atmosphere that feels a little strange.

Then there's the game's cosmetics store, which opens the dreaded microtransaction conversation. While some clothing and items can be bought with in-game currency, others can only be bought with real money. However, these higher quality items get mixed up with anything else that feels unnecessarily deceptive. I would often see an item of clothing that I dug up in the store, instinctively click on it, and realize that it took me real money to buy it. Given that this is a full retail game, the microtransaction addiction feels a bit aggressive here – especially since kids are a likely target audience here.

Playing through the game, I'm never quite sure who the intended audience actually is.

I enjoy Riders Republic the most when I just ignore these aspects completely. Due to the free and fluid pace of the game, I can turn the volume down and have music or a podcast play in the background. I don't mean that as a blow to the game; it speaks to how strong the core gameplay is. The fact that I can block out the loudest parts and still feel like I'm getting the full experience is impressive. Riders Republic gives you the freedom to play your way, and that includes the freedom to get rid of things you don't want to do.

Our opinion

Riders Republic makes optimal use of Ubisoft's open world template. It's a thoroughly fun extreme sports game with lots of variety, an abundance of challenges to hunt, and great social hooks. All of its sporting events are easy to learn and play, making it perfect for quick drop-ins. Its sense of style has gotten a little out of hand and it doesn't have the sleekest camera solution, but I'm always excited to heat it up and see how much more it can beat its craziness.

Is there a better alternative?

Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a bit more stylistically focused. If you want something less arcade-like and more technical, the Forza Horizon series offers an identical structure.

How long it will take?

That depends on how much time you want to invest. It feels like there are well over 100 hours of content here for the die-hard who want to play it like a service game. Even if you just hit the correct endgame, you will likely pass the 30 hour mark.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. Riders Republic is just fun. Few games this year have given me such simple joys that make me want to keep playing.

Editor's recommendations

02 Nov

Blog

New World Review: A Gorgeous Mountain With Nothing on Top

November 2, 2021
Posted by Samson

Two players fight in the New World.

"New World brings a lot of excellent MMO twists to the table, but it's tarnished with bugs, stale quests, and a lack of endgame content."

advantages

Engaged fight
Great customization
Useful faction system
Exciting player-controlled content

disadvantage

Boring narrative
Dull dungeons
No endgame
May be blocking your computer

The best way to describe the New World is to call it … a new world. It brings so many interesting and fresh ideas that are pretty simple – and sometimes obvious – to the MMO genre. Veterans and casual gamers alike will have a completely new experience with this game. However, as is often the case with exploring unfamiliar areas, some people get confused by many aspects of the game and may feel hollow when they reach the top of the mountain.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games used to be the titans of gaming. In the olden days, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, and even Everquest were those giant bars around which players would gather to experience these virtual worlds together. But that was then and now the gaming landscape is completely different. Releasing an MMO – also a completely new IP – in the year 2021 of the Gregorian calendar is a certain risk. Amazon Games accepted this as a challenge and created a truly unique experience with New World.

But what will that experience be like for the players? Let's use this mountain metaphor as the basis for this review and ask us three simple questions. What is it like to start the ascension? How's the trip to the top? What do we do when we reach the top? You can of course use these questions for virtually any medium. However, using it as a metaphor for an MMO feels particularly fitting, as the genre is known for being a long time-consuming player. Is it even worth climbing? That depends on what you expect from the trip.

The foot of the mountain

Entering the world of Aeternum, the landmass where New World takes place, can be as easy as creating a character and jumping in, or it can be as difficult to find a server that isn't full, isn't crashing, and loads all the right assets and textures.

When I got through the opening films, I found myself in a situation that I knew as an MMO player. I saw my character in an unfamiliar place, covered in rags and with a weapon little more effective than a branch. The game became something new as I finished the combat tutorial – I soon discovered that this was an action RPG. There are no automatic attacks that plague MMOs like World of Warcraft. Every attack must be deliberate, as must every block, evade, and spell. This isn't new to MMOs, but action-style combat with modern sensibilities will freshen up your gameplay minute by minute. Grinding feels less of a chore as players eagerly jump into a group of enemies to work on damage combinations.

Player hunting a bear.

Built-in classes are not included in this game – instead, the play style and weapon choice determine the “class”. This allows for a great sense of freedom as players can mix and match weapons to find a play style that suits their needs. Enemies in this game also have a variety of resistances that make some weapons less or more effective. This means that on certain quests and expeditions, players should bring a variety of weapons with them in order to prepare for anything that comes in their way.

Grinding feels less of a chore as players eagerly jump into a group of enemies to work on damage combinations.

When you're not pouncing on enemies, you'll find yourself in the vast world filled with various resources to collect: trees, rocks, bushes, berries, and much more. These are vital to the game's crafting system. Outside of quest rewards and expeditions, all equipment must be crafted. This adds an extra layer of freedom and customization as players are free to wear whatever they want.

The combination of action packed combat and resource gathering makes the beginning of the game really addicting. The exciting fight got me trying new weapons and attack combinations, while the gathering provided a nice cooldown that allowed me to explore the strange land. It is the right pace for our hike further up the mountain.

New world, old look

If you look at New World on a graphical level, that's a mixed bag. Aeternum is really beautiful and looks incredibly alive compared to the empty and boring regions in World of Warcraft. Forests are filled with trees and other dense flora, while plains feel open and majestic. Spending time in the world is really a treat and made me excited to see what I could find even if it was just a nice little pond for fishing.

However, that magic fades once you enter a settlement and interact with NPCs and other players. The human models in New World just don't look very good. They are not scary horrors who disguise themselves in humanoid sacks of meat; they are just uninspired. Even the character creation options aren't that extensive, and I couldn't find a combination that I was particularly excited about.

The equipment doesn't make it much better either. Often times, the armor or clothing looks messy and thrown together, which makes even the more extravagant options feel messy. I really can't believe I'm going to say this, but New World made me appreciate World of Warcraft's choice of styles. While much of the shoulder armor in World of Warcraft is unsightly, it at least creates a stark and interesting silhouette.

Worn mountain trails

After coming down from the high at the beginning of the game, New World levels off and levels off in its basic loop. RPG fans will know this song well: go to a town, get quests, complete quests, get rewards, and then travel to the next town. Unfortunately, that song came out over 15 years ago when World of Warcraft did the same. The quests are structured like memorizing X, collecting Y, and going to Z. They do this mindlessly because the narrative surrounding them is not particularly interesting.

The main story isn't really compelling, and honestly I spammed my way through the dialogues very early on – something I rarely do. I try my best to buy into the narrative of every game I play, but there's really nothing here to hold onto. A newly discovered landmass is filled with a strange magic that corrupts everything it interacts with. There are no noticeable twists and turns in these tired tropics, and the game doesn't have anything particularly profound to say about it.

Two players are grouped together.

Expeditions, the dungeons of the New World, also fall into this pit. Dungeons are intended for a group of players, usually three to five, who band together and fulfill certain roles to complete certain challenges, which is usually just a tough boss in the end. They can be good for breaking up normal quests when you're battling something a little more challenging and promising better loot. However, there is little that expeditions do to distinguish themselves from normal quests. All enemies in expeditions are easy to find throughout Aeternum and they fight exactly the same. There's nothing dynamic to change them – they're just mobs to burn down. Bosses are a bit tougher and have some specific mechanics but nothing really remarkable to make them memorable.

There aren't any notable twists and turns in these tired tropics, and the game doesn't have anything particularly profound to say about it.

Fortunately for New World, it is saved by the dynamic aspects of how players can change the world. Settlements or cities are not just a collection of buildings and quest givers. They are controlled by the game's faction mechanics. The Mauraders, Syndicate, and Alliance all vie for control of Aeternum and player loyalty. Each territory is controlled by one of these factions, and players can take advantage of being part of the faction that is in control. Fast travel may be cheaper in your controlled area, or taxes at the trading post may be less costly. There are indeed powerful benefits to your game when you are in an area that your faction controls.

New World goes one step further by allowing corporations or guilds to take control of the territory. The management company can set the tax rate of the settlements in the area and fill their pockets with these assets. This gives players an incentive to interact with their factions and companies, and also encourages them to go to war with the other two factions.

New world players in war mode.

Territorial control is not set in stone; Players from other factions can disrupt the influence of the controlling faction until the country is prepared for war. Waging war allows two companies to challenge each other in a 50v50 PvP mode for control of a territory where the attackers must besiege a fortress while the defenders must protect it for a period of time. These battles determine which faction will control the area and which company will rule it.

Beware of the mistakes

It would be negligent not to mention the plethora of engineering challenges that seem to haunt the New World. I have not experienced any game or computer breaks during my playthrough, but a "Buyer Caution" warning is required here. There are a lot of people who encounter a lot of technical issues in the game. These range from game crashes and unloaded textures to apocalyptic damage to your computer's power source. The infamous bricking seems to have been less common since the beta, but that's still something to keep in mind while playing this game.

Even the beautiful landscapes can be destroyed by poor frame rates, which can vary depending on your location. Aside from an occasional frame hiccup, I personally haven't seen any mistakes that ruined my playing time. I'm not alone in this, and we may be the majority, but I understand the risk that your computer may not be up to the task of playing this game. These issues can of course be resolved with some patches, but after the Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco where there are still unfixed bugs, you should be aware of the game that you are buying now rather than the game that it will eventually be .

Finally at the summit

Currently, the New World level cap is 60, and by that time you've seen everything the game has to offer. And I mean that literally, because there really is no endgame to speak of. There are no raids or special content that opens up for maxed players. You are at the top of the mountain and the only thing you can see is what is below you.

New world players in battle.

So what do you do when you get to the top? You can complete quests in areas you have not yet traveled, upgrade various weapons, or craft the equipment you have been putting off. These don't feel like endgame activities – and technically they aren't. Much like the theme that keeps popping up in New World, the endgame is the freedom to do what you want.

In other MMOs like World of Warcraft, the endgame is just a huge list of things to do. Players must have a proper equipment rating, there are raids to perform, your professions can be exhausted. New World doesn't have this to-do list. Instead, players can just do what they want. Granted, a lot of these things won't feel satisfying compared to shooting down Ragnaros in the Molten Core.

The real gem in this clam is the conflict between the factions and the interactions you have with other players.

My solution to this problem is to focus on player controlled content. The player-controlled content is the real backbone of New World and can really keep players engrossed. There is also no way to avoid this content as there are no NPC shops in this game. The entire marketplace is completely player-controlled, similar to the auction house in World of Warcraft. Investing in political group politics and creating a community within your company is what New World wants you to do.

It is risky to rely so much on players to create their own conflicts or, more realistically, their own content. However, there is enough here in New World to really invest in something worthwhile and fun with the right mindset.

Our opinion

The fighting and crafting system of New World breathes new life into the MMO genre and makes playing the first few hours incredibly pleasant. However, with dry narration and boring content, it can feel boring the longer you play. The real gem in this clam is the conflict between the factions and the interactions you have with other players. This game is not for everyone, not even many veteran MMOs. If you are interested in the idea of player-run settlements and massive PvP battles that decide the fate of the territories, then this is the game for you.