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Every time a new Trials DLC pack arrives I get both nervous and excited. The idea of new Extreme tracks gets my blood pumping, but I also know that I will waste hours and blister my fingers trying to get over one stupid vertical leap. This is the glory of Trials. Riders of Doom is the second official pack from RedLynx, and it once again takes place in an entirely new locale, The Big Sand Lands.
Riders of Doom is your quintessential Trials DLC pack. It comes with 40 new tracks, ranging from Medium difficulty to ‘get me the band-aids, because my fingers are bleeding’ Extreme, as well as a host of new Skill Games built within the engine. You might be asking yourself why you would ever need to purchase new tracks when there is a community of user-created ones at your disposal daily. Sure, there may be amateurs out there making great content, but I assure you that no one creates challenges and skill games quite like RedLynx.
As I mentioned, the tracks range from medium to extreme difficulty, with the former easing players back in after an absence from the mayhem. I always find myself plowing through medium to ramp up to hard, when the tracks become somewhat insane. The final four extreme tracks are my Everest. Completing every one of these that RedLynx tosses out is a tradition for me, although I still have not been able to overcome a couple from the last pack. I am happy to say that Riders of Doom delivers four more controller-chucking courses that continue to test my patience, but I will get through them. It is my destiny.
The stars of Riders of Doom are the skill games. This pack comes with ten new ways to abuse your rider, going outside the boundaries of simply balancing. The Javelin Throw is pretty self-explanatory, while Rocket Racer resembles another recent XBLA release, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (though not nearly as robust). Moneyball brings back Marble Madness-style gameplay, and Aerial Anarchist delivers a physics-based, tormented version of Jenga. The most devious is Neverending Trials. This throws you into a string of increasingly difficult challenges with no faults allowed. Completing this game will take serious skill and an abundance of patience.
The track editor has become synonymous with Trials, and it’s one of the reasons gamers have remained enthralled since its release. Each DLC pack usually brings some new tools to the table, and Riders of Doom is no exception. There are over 100 new creation items for the track editor and a brand new locale on which to build. While the last pack added some truly unique tweaks, Riders of Doom feels more like a cosmetic pack. There are plenty of new things to make your tracks look better, but there is nothing here to revolutionize the mechanics of creation.
Riders of Doom is solid. While that might not be the most ringing endorsement, RedLynx made it hard when they shipped the fully-featured track editor with the original game. Still, it is hard to argue against the amount of content you get here for $5. There are 40 new tracks, 10 new skill games and over 100 new customization parts. If you love Trials Evolution, this pack is a no-brainer, even if you have mastered all that has been offered up to this point. No game in history has given me so much satisfaction from frustration at it at every turn.
Review copy of DLC provided by publisher.
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