Trials Fusion Review (PS4)

Trials started out as a small Flash game hosted on various websites that managed to deliver an addictive experience despite the rather simplistic controls and premise. Since then, developer RedLynx has been acquired by Ubisoft and has started releasing more and more ambitious titles set in the genre that made it famous, that of physics-based racing games.

After Trials Evolution a few years ago, RedLynx has arrived with Trials Fusion, a more futuristic imagining of the franchise's real-life roots, allowing players to complete all sorts of crazy new tracks and to once again let their imagination go wild while creating all-new circuits for others to try out and share.

Does Trials Fusion manage to deliver and innovate in the series or should the team hit the retry button? Let's find out.

Trials titles have always placed gameplay over story, but the new one has a rather intriguing sci-fi one, always hinting towards nefarious plans of large corporations for the planet in general and for the riders in particular. Even so, you won't be treated to any actual plot, so don't go expecting a story-driven adventure here.

In terms of gameplay, Trials Fusion once again impresses by delivering the same great physics-based racing experience. Once again you must reach the end of the course by navigating all of its tricky sections that require not just acceleration and braking but also balance and careful maneuvering of your bike. There are plenty of old tricky situations making a comeback, but also a few new ones that require even more finesse.

As always, if things don't go according to plan, you can easily go back to the latest checkpoint or to the beginning of the race with the press of a button. Don't forget that crashes and the overall time are taken into account when getting a medal at the end of the stage, so if you want gold, you need to be careful and fast at the same time.

There are also plenty of challenge courses, in which you must respect a certain requirement, like constantly accelerating, or mini-games, like sky jumping with your bike. Some of them are quite fun but others aren't that nice, especially since in some cases it's not obvious what the game wants you to do.

One of the all-new mechanics present in Trials Fusion is the FMX tricks system, which allows players to perform way more tricks while in the air, besides just simply pulling off flips. The system works rather well and you'll soon find yourself trying to squeeze tricks whenever you catch some air. Sometimes, however, the tricks don't register as well as they should and you might end up annoyed.

Race during the day ...

... and in the night

The stages, however, are really well designed and feature plenty of different environments, ranging from mundane to sci-fi. There are some that even get built as you go along them and make the whole process that much more exciting and intense. Sure, some are more interesting than others, but most are really well done.

In case you want to flex your creative muscles, you can jump into the Track Editor and create your own courses. RedLynx has certainly improved this creation tool and there's a phenomenal amount of different items, props, and objects that you can use when making your dream track. Sharing them is once again quite easy, and you can browse the creations of other people in the Track Central section of the game.

The multiplayer mode has seen some modifications, as the online head-to-head competitive experience is gone. The local mode remains, meaning you and up to three of your buddies can group up and try to complete different tracks in the fastest way possible.

While the game overall emphasizes speed, it's still filled with loading times and the fact that the bike selection screen takes several seconds to load the models before every course can get a bit annoying. The interface is also a bit hard to navigate and takes some getting used to.

In terms of visuals, Trials Fusion looks sleeker and much more impressive and restarting tracks no longer causes texture or item pop-in. The animations are good, although there are a few cases where they can be a bit wonky, especially at the end of courses that see your character fly or fall into something.

The soundtrack is quite good, starting right with the theme song that's delightfully cheesy in a 1980s techno style. The various voice overs are also pretty good, but nothing really stands out all that much.

Pick the best bike ...

... and get gold

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion