Does it still have that special something, or has multi-format release diluted its charm?
The first time I wrote about Trails, it was 2008. The old next-gen was really starting to do some numbers, just prior to the global downturn, and I was working for an Xbox 360 magazine. Trials wasn’t announced or even thought of as a title coming to Xbox, but I was convinced this incredible little indie game work capture the public’s imagination on the burgeoning Xbox Live Arcade service.
A little later on that year, Trials HD was announced, and began a journey for a small developer that would define its history, and shape its future. Trails HD’s appeal was instant, and spawned incredible review scores, and the obvious and even better sequel, Trails Evolution. Both games were classics, so you could imagine the excitement of booting Fusion up for the first time.
First impressions aren’t brilliant, mind, with some content available immediately at launch, such as the standard single-player game, and the track creator, while Multiplayer will become available after launch with an update. These two game modes alone are worth the purchase price – for the excellent Trials experience, and a track editor you know will give birth to some beautiful user generated tracks, but also some entirely unexpected gems of community creation.
That said, the lack of a smaller, yet still critical feature being available at launch doesn’t leave you brimming with confidence from the off. With any luck, these doubts will dissipate under the glow of another incredible single-player campaign that drives competition between friends, and spurs you on as you reset after reset to climb the leaderboards.
As you progress, you’re taken through tutorials which border on the pedantic, and begin your assault on the courses for the best times on beginner tracks. These then progress upward, through to extreme at the very top end. Or, the really, bloody hard courses, if you will (expect to fail, constantly, until you break controllers).
Something doesn’t feel right, and remember, this is a seasoned Trails rider. No, it’s not the awful menu music, or the riffing on the Portal 2 story for most of the campaign. It’s a couple of things; the track design, and the difficulty curve.
Redlynx has always been exceptional at track design, using the editor to create the tracks, but this time, the future setting doesn’t really allow the designers to have too much fun. Everything’s either clean, post-apocalyptic, or just like any other trials track from Evolution or HD. I think they’re just a little more fun.
With regards to the difficulty curve, it’s more like a step. Once you learn to FMX (the new addition where you pull of tricks mid-jump), then things get harder quickly, when for three areas previously, you can zoom from A to B without a single reset. It’s a small niggle for newcomers to the series, but a valid one no-the-less.
And then I realise there’s a couple of things I’m not considering. Of course, you should always compare sequels to predecessors, but they should also be able to stand apart, offering something new, or something different. Trials Fusin does this, and with some style.
The setup of the areas (previously events), is a lot more accessible now for the new player, and while the tutorials are a little eager to explain how to accelerate and forces you to complete each tutorial to unlock tracks, Trials isn’t for everyone; but there has to be an entry point for newcomers.
While selling over six million copies of Trials Evolution on Xbox 360 is a huge achievement, there’s a whole new gamer (the PlayStation fan) that’s never played Trails before. Which brings us to the second thing we really need to consider; controllers.
Neither Xbox One, nor PS4 controllers have been used for previous Trials outings, and while we haven’t tried the PS4 version, the Xbox One version makes excellent use of the most popular pad design, while integrating the new into something useful. Something as simple as per trigger feedback on breaking and accelerating seems insignificant, but when your entire game is based around muscle memory, and low latency controls, the smallest of details makes all of the difference.
All things considered, and an entire replay through the whole game afterwards, the job that Redlynx has done to deliver the same addictive Trials experience over PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has to be applauded, especially with its own technology, and a only a small team to work with are considered.
Despite originally doubting Trails Fusion and wondering whether I needed fire up the 360 to remember the good old days, Trails Fusion delivers the most important thing for Trials fans – that ‘one more go’ mentality. That single button press to reset, and the will to leave everything on the track to shave as much time off as possible.
Trails Fusion is the essential, and best digital download for all next-gen formats, and sits well alongside huge AAA releases on Steam. With no less than six DLC packs planned over the next 12 months, Trials’ charm will endure for a long time after launch, no doubt bridging the gap between Fusion, and the next Trails title.
While Trials Fusion won’t be the pinnacle of the series that hard-core fans might have wanted, it is an excellent addition, and the ideal introduction for PlayStation 4 owners. It’s a showcase of addictive gameplay, and a shining example to developers of the success you can have if you get the basics right.
