Trials Rising

Genre: 2D Stunt Racing

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen / Online), 2 Co-Op (Local), Online Leaderboards

Game Company Bad Behavior Profile Page: UbiSoft

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

WARNING: THIS GAME HEAVILY PUSHES MICROTRANSACTIONS AND LOOTBOXES

Like the other games in the Trials series, Trials Rising is a 2D Stunt Racing game, where you ride a motorcycle through an obstacle course and must shift your weight as you ride to stay balanced and respond to various challenges thrown at you. Compare the gameplay here to classic games like Excitebike and Motocross Maniacs and you have a bit of an idea.

However, while the gameplay is in 2D, the areas you’re racing through are rendered in full, detailed 3D, and at times look quite impressive. The Switch version of the game is a graphical downgrade from other versions, with worse framerates and other issues, but it still looks pretty good.

However, the real joy here is the game’s wealth of features, including all sorts of ways to play in multiplayer (even a co-op mode on a tandem bike, which is odd but amusing), a level builder, and various customization options. These customization options are where much of the microtransation stuff comes into play, with players given the opportunity to spend “acorns” to get a better chance at getting the randomized loot they want, as well as giving them the ability to sell off unwanted loot to other players for in-game money. I will say it’s a bit off-putting to be asked to sign up for an online account for the game when you first start, and then have lootboxes peddled to you throughout the game.

Still, while I’m wary of how hard this game pushes its microtransactions at you, even if you refrain from using them you’ll find a solid game with a wealth of options, both online and off. And while this version of Trials Rising is clearly graphically inferior to other consoles, it’s still a fun game with a lot to offer.

tl;dr – Trials Rising is a 2D Stunt Racing game where you race a motorcycle on an obstacle course. The game really pushes microtransactions at you, and is clearly inferior to other versions of the game, but it still offers solid experience with a lot of options for players.

Grade: B

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Driving/Racing Game

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Trials Rising

Genre: 2D Stunt Racing

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Split-Screen / Online), 2 Co-Op (Local), Online Leaderboards

Game Company Bad Behavior Profile Page: UbiSoft

.

Review:

WARNING: THIS GAME HEAVILY PUSHES MICROTRANSACTIONS AND LOOTBOXES

Trials Rising was fairly unique on Nintendo Switch because it was one of a very select few Nintendo Switch games that could recognize analog triggers on a gamepad. This is even more impressive since Nintendo Switch controllers do not have analog triggers, and even third-party controllers with analog triggers do not have this analog input recognized on the Nintendo Switch.

To get around this, players could connect a Wii U GameCube adapter to the Nintendo Switch using up two USB ports, then connect a GameCube controller to one of the ports on the device, since the GameCube controller actually had the analog triggers that Nintendo Switch controllers lack. It’s a cumbersome roundabout way of getting this to work, but it does work, allowing for more subtle acceleration and braking for more precision vehicle control in the game.

On the Nintendo Switch 2, players can skip that entire jerry-rigging process and simply buy a Nintendo GameCube Controller for Nintendo Switch 2, which Trials Fusion recognizes right away as a GameCube controller without any need for additional accessories, complex syncing procedures, or even cables. Needless to say, this makes it much easier to play this game closer to the way it was meant to be played.

However, this is not the only improvement on Nintendo Switch 2. Load times on Nintendo Switch 2 are drastically reduced from what the game experience is like on the Nintendo Switch – while the game took a full minute to load from the title screen on Nintendo Switch, it took just over twenty seconds on Nintendo Switch 2, and most of that was just contacting the UbiSoft servers. In any case, that is a massive improvement.

Also improved are the game’s framerates. They don’t go above the Nintendo Switch version’s cap of 30FPS, but they are much more stable, making for a smoother game overall.

That said, it’s not like these upgrades make this better than other releases of the game, which have 60FPS framerates, better textures and better overall resolution. And the Nintendo Switch 2 can’t fix the nasty artificing that happens in the game’s title screen. So don’t expect a pristine presentation here.

However, while it may still not be on par with other versions of the game, Trials Fusion on Nintendo Switch 2 is still a massive improvement over the way this game plays on Nintendo Switch, and players who hesitated to play this game on Nintendo’s hybrid console due to the compromises made to this version of the game may find these improvements to be enough to change their mind.

tl;dr – Trials Rising is a 2D Stunt Racing game where you race a motorcycle on an obstacle course. The game really pushes microtransactions at you, and is still inferior to other versions of the game, but this game gets multiple excellent improvements on Nintendo Switch 2 over the same game played on Nintendo Switch, and the core gameplay is still excellent and well worth trying out.

Grade: B+

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