Ubisoft has released another massive open-world game, that packs a punch with the size and is filled with a crazy amount of content. Riders Republic comes to the players offering extreme sports in the comfort of their own home and a campaign that can be completed how you want and when you want. There is something for everyone in Ubisoft’s new ambitious multiplayer title but have you got what it takes to become an extreme sports master?
Riders Republic starts off with the player making an avatar that you will use to progress through the story and earn Stars. Right off the bat, you are thrown into multiple races that give you a slice of what the game will have to offer as you go forward. It’s fast and manic but a whole lot of fun, once you have completed the little tutorial section you get to dive into the hub area which is known as Riders Ridge. Here you get to meet the two (cringy) characters that will guide you on your adventures going forward. After they have shown you a brief tour of the hub you are then let loose on the world and are free to do as you please. If you fancied exploration go nuts, if you wanted to participate in the numerous amounts of races that are on offer knock yourself out, literally the choice is yours.
I mentioned earlier that you earn Stars these are the big main driver for the player as these help with the progression of the story as well as unlocking some new toys along the way. You will get more events the higher your Star rating and it isn’t a confusing system that pulls you away from the action. Pretty much everything you do in the Republic will earn you Stars whether that’s partaking in races, going to the various number of landmarks scattered through the world or trying to complete one of the many Stunt challenges littered around the world. It’s really cool to be able to choose where you want to go and not feel like you are being pushed down a certain path. You can spend a whole session in Riders Republic just exploring the world and chilling with friends and still earn Stars and find plenty to do. I find myself mainly using the Bikes as I’m really loving the bike gameplay sure I use the Rocket suit when exploring or my paramotor but when it comes to the events, I’m more sold on the Bike gameplay than the others.
One thing that Riders Republic does right offers the players hours of content right out the gate. The map is huge and offers a wide variety of areas, each different and offering its own beautiful landscape for the players to enjoy. You have challenges on top of events to complete so there always feels like there is something on offer and for you to sink your teeth into. The environment that you get to ride, fly and ski through is breathtaking and gorgeous. Ubisoft has done an incredible job at capturing the landscape and making every area you see in the game accessible. From the lowest canyons to the highest mountains it’s all for you and that’s what makes this game so amazing. It’s made that bit more special when you are able to traverse the land with your arsenal of toys, from your pushbikes to your skis and snowboards all the way to wacky things like a rocket bike. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously but offer one hell of a gaming experience.
The variety of events on offer are incredible, if you just want a standard from start to finish race Riders Republic has you covered or maybe you’re a player that likes to show off their sick tricks and try getting the highest score in an event it’s all doable in the Republic. The only thing that bugs me with it is that certain events I can’t get my head around, I’m terrible at the trick side of things so can’t really perform well in these events and the same goes for the Rocket suit races and wing-suits, maybe I just need a lot more practise with them but I feel like these areas of the game let me down. I’m okay when using them in exploration but when you are thrown into a racing senecio with them and need to go through checkpoints it’s game over for me. So, I feel that certain elements to the game are locked off for me until I get better at these elements which is fine but what if I never master them and can’t move forward? But like mentioned above this is only a small slice of the pie there is still plenty for me to do regardless.
Whether you are on your own, playing with friends or the random players online there is plenty to do and it’s so much more fun when you play with others. The one big selling point for anyone that is highly competitive is the Mass Races that come about every now and then. You are able to partake in these by going to the Riders Ridge and making your way over to the big billboard. These crazy and chaotic races are made up of 64 players and are multi-part and multi-sport events. The first few I did were really enjoyable but now I’m not so bothered with them. They are too hard for me with all the players and just how chaotic they are. Make one mistake and your race is pretty much over but at the same time with everyone bashing and crashing into each other it gets more frustrating than fun. With the added factor that there isn’t a based matchmaking system if you are fairly new to the game and someone has put hours into it, you will face off against them and will not stand a cat in hells chances.
The customization is a bit limited, you can purchase gear from the shop but most of it is locked away behind real money purchases which is annoying if you ask me. I just paid £50 – £100 for a game why do I have to keep paying more money to look different. There are options in the game but you are limited unless you throw hours at the game getting in-game money or you have a big wallet at hand. You do get wacky costumes though which is funny when you’re riding around as a T-rex pulling sick 180’s.
The soundtrack is good, some noticeable tunes and some not so good but overall, it adds to the thrill of the game when racing down massive mountains. Graphically this game has no faults. It is so good and I enjoy every second that I am exploding/racing around in it. I can spend hours just exploring with my friend as the beauty of this game truly is above and beyond. Every little detail is fantastic and they have really captured an environment that excels the extreme sports element to the game.
Riders Republic offers hours of replay value as well as hours of content for players to sink their teeth into whether they be playing solo or online. The numerous stunt challenges, landmarks and relics you can collect offer something for you to do when you might want to take a break from the events. The map is big enough to offer hours of just downtime. You can just cycle, fly or ski at your own leisure for hours and lose track of time completely. This for me is incredible as it has been a long time since I have enjoyed just doing nothing in a video game but feeling like I’m doing loads. The mix between content and relaxing is perfect and I really commend Ubisoft on this.
There are a few things that really grind my gears with Riders Republic and these are the bugs and glitches. One session I was playing I got stuck in a house and couldn’t get out, had to go select a spawn point in the map and travel to a new location to get out. The physics at times feel off and frustrating. I was in a race travelling a max speed and hit a rock and came to a complete stop but when I was flying with my wing-suit and clipped a tree I die? It just doesn’t make sense. Like it doesn’t have consistent physics and sometimes when doing events this is highly frustrating the same with the checkpoints. Some of the checkpoints are really difficult to land the first time and when you use the backtrack feature you lose time and place. It can be very annoying and at times game-breaking (when I got stuck in the house) This could be because Ubisoft went for a more arcade approach rather than realism. A load of open-world games nowadays seems to come out with bugs and glitches littered in them and sometimes ruins the overall experience but luckily Riders Republic makes up for these small moments with its amazing world and content on offer.
Closing Statement
So, should you buy Riders Republic? I honestly have enjoyed playing this game. It’s been a while since I have sunk hours into a new game and lost track of time. There is plenty to do and with the added bonus of having friends that have the game, it makes the whole experience ten times better. It definitely put a smile on my face and even a few hard laughs. If you can get past the price tag of this generation of console gaming and don’t mind the odd bug here and their then Riders Republic has plenty on offer for you. Whether you love extreme sports or just want a new sports game that isn’t FIFA to sink your teeth into then Ubisoft has got you covered. Riders Republic is wacky, fun and filled to the brim with content for players and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the future with this game whether that be new content or wackier toys to play with. For these reasons, I’m more than happy to give Riders Republic a score of 8 out of 10.
Choose your review of the game to own here https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/riders-republic
Available on PC, Playstation and Xbox
Reviewed on PlayStation
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