Republic Riders, Beta Impressions. Chaos, fun and extreme sports

All these years, Ubisoft has transported us to fantasy places, dystopian universes, and locations from the past. We’ve also traveled to real-life scenarios, though always seasoned with certain fantasy elements. Republic of Riders, the new production from Annecy Studios, It takes place in a huge open world full of content, which depicts some of the most famous national parks in the United States. Without interruption, we have the opportunity to visit places like Bryce Canyon, Yosemite Valley or Mammotch Mountain. Thanks to the beta version, at MeriStation we were able to delve into Ubisoft’s sports fantasy. Prepare your skis or landing bike, there are many curves and tests to overcome.

Once the Riders Republic kicks in, it’s time to design a protagonist. The French company has implemented a character editor that allows us to create our own alternate character in the game. From the start, the developers emphasized the importance of That every player can be whoever he wants to be in the title. So, how could it be otherwise, we find a good number of customization items, which are unlocked in different ways: in the same world we find some of these, but we can also pass tests or buy items in the Riders Ridge shop, the center where users meet A social environment from which all options are presented.

Time to go: This is how the Riders Republic works

Riders Ridge, as we have said, serves as a meeting point. There we join groups of friends, participate in activities or just relax while we wait for the next race. However, once we traveled to the open world, It is possible to travel completely freely, from start to finish. Of course, Ubisoft has provided some utilities for you to get from one place to another quickly. In addition to fast travel to already known locations, if we go in a group, there is always the option of teleporting to the area where one of our companions is.

One of the great things about Riders Republic is that we can Choose a sport from a radial listSo in the open world we move using sleds, snowboards, snowmobiles, bicycles, parachutes or wing suits. If you don’t want to use any of these tools, it’s also possible to walk just about anywhere, but progress is naturally slow. In any case, whatever you choose, the way you explore and control the game changes, adding variety to the whole. Although it is still a beta version, the universe feels alive, as you are constantly bumping into other players who are enjoying the experience.

Like any video game, this title requires a small learning period, which is taken up little by little from what we’ve seen. There are many elements to consider, not only in terms of controls, but also in terms of different activities, items, rewards, collectibles, etc. Also, sleds are not treated like bicycles, so too You have to learn the basics of each sport. Ubisoft Annecy designed the controls to be relatively easy to learn, although practice is essential to success in races and competitions.

We spend the first minutes on the controls learning the basics of the video game alone. We took part in our first races, stamped ourselves from time to time and started trying different tricks and turns. How do races work? Two well-differentiated types are presented: the first type consists of Pass through the checkpoints until reaching the goal. An unfortunate mistake or crash could mean losing positions, so it is essential to go ahead and be aware of the morphology of other paths, curves and competitors.

In general, we have a button to perform the acceleration, but you have to use it wisely, because it depends on a bar that runs out and does not recover unless we stop using the turbo. In addition, in jumps, it is better to be especially careful with how you land, because if you fall poorly, you are likely to be overtaken by others. Fortunately, the developers have implemented a button that allows you to do that get well soon, which is necessary to not slow down the development of the races too much. At the same time, they offer a button that gives you the ability to rewind and fix errors, although the cost is a valuable time one must evaluate whether or not it is worth the loss.

The second type of race is not to reach the finish line first, because the winner is not the fastest, but The one with the highest rotational performance score. For our understanding, it’s kind of a Tony Hawk or cold frontier in that sense. For a limited time, we use all the combinations that we can beat in the score.

Social component, progress and gigantic jobs

All of these competitions can be handled on your own, but it goes without saying that they are most fun when you are with a group of friends. Republic Raiders is a prominent social nickname, so Calls for socialization and fun in the company. One of the most funny activities we have done in PvP mode is team competition (6v6) where we have to perform tricks and spin to win. The peculiarity is in the addition of the opening element: with a color scheme (red or blue depending on the team), we get ladders and other elements of the path when successfully implementing any watermark. In the end, it becomes a race against time in search of the highest score.

All this must continue in a fair and efficient progression system. Of course, not all races are available from the moment we set foot in the world, they unlock as we go along. By participating in events, the game gives you stars which are used to gain access to new jobs, specialties, and sponsors. The Specialization PX They allow you to level up the character, which translates into equipment upgrades and more. Namely, the accessories contain stats that affect gameplay, so choosing the right bike for the given race, for example, will be vital. Progress and improvement unlock new tracks, sports and competitions.

Since the announcement of the Riders Republic, the mega races have always caught our eye. They are temporary events that take place every 15 minutes and gather together More than 60 players Synchronized On next-gen consoles (20+ on PS4 and Xbox One). During our session, we were able to partake in one that is what it sounds like: authentic and delicious madness. You start with the bike, surrounded by dozens of competitors, as if they were the Hunger Games. In an instant, you see someone hitting a tree, another person leaning back and trying to get past the peloton, all while you, as a player, are trying not to get left behind. With no transmission involved, the bike changes to skis and then you find yourself going down in the snow. Obstacles appear everywhere, one is left behind and the other falls into the narrow valley. And when you least expect it, it’s up in the air, and one of those air suits slips through as you go through hoops, like in the Harry Potter mini-game Quidditch. As entertaining as possible, although somewhat confusing.

The Riders Republic still has a few weeks of development left. In beta, there are still some graphical issues (more visible than performance –4K/60fps in the new generation-, which at least on PlayStation 5 worked fine). Our character wore a braid, but when he was wearing a snow coat, it was pierced through his hood. Other than that, it will be a very powerful title that will be released on October 28th on existing and new consoles, PC and Google Stadia. It remains to be seen whether the final proposal is deep enough to hold in the long term.

PS5 version appears.