Descenders

Descenders is an arcade mountain bike game in which you complete a series of tracks to get to the next zone, level up, sign for teams and unlock new customisable features.

At its core are procedurally generated tracks. There’s a system of lives, just like in classic games, and you can choose to take different routes in order to complete each level.

There are four different environments, each presenting their own challenges. You’ve got the normal ones, where you simply have to get to the finish line. Then you have the special events which alternate between playing forcefully with the camera in first person, doing sponsor events, tackling a particularly tricky track, or – if you’re lucky – coming across special runs that give you an extra life just for completing them.

Lives are very important. Without them you cannot reach the “boss” – the final challenge of each zone which means you can continue to the next. It normally consists of a jump which is harder than usual, where you’ll have to weigh up speed and positioning to be able to land well. If you land badly from a great height, you risk losing lives and the game.

The great thing about the way Descenders is designed is that it’s very clever. Getting to the finish line is often secondary and every mission has an optional objective. However, given that this objective earns you an extra life, it becomes a priority. Said objective could involve doing a couple of backflips to get to the finish line in less than X seconds, or landing well after a trick.

On top of this, although, obviously, the object is still to stay upright on two wheels, Descenders gives us a wealth of ways to play. The main mode of play is detailed above, along with two others. One consists of four special challenges that are particularly difficult, and the other is a daily challenge that you only get one shot at.

There is also a free mode which acts as a kind of a track editor. You can’t just create any old thing, but you can select a series of parameters so that the game is procedurally generated with the features you’d like.

Although not exactly groundbreaking, Descenders is pretty damn recommendable. The concept is classic, addictive arcade and it really works. The procedural aspect may turn some people off, but the idea really is very well put together with great results.