As you play through each event, completing side objectives and earning stars which go toward your general 'level' in the game, you'll unlock XP and gain levels careers. Levelling up each one of the five careers nets you best gear to use, more events to sign up in and sponsors that'll provide you with some coin for doing specific objectives. Each career includes a number of big events, too – marquee-level events that culminate in one major event to cap from the career.
While there is a little bit of eventually get to the larger events in each career (in the form of some cringe-worthy character monologues), they think mostly akin to what you play through in the game's regular events. I would have loved to see more of a tale weaved into these big moments in the game, and they're usually over before you know it. With licenses such as the X Games in tow, it is a surprise to see these dazzling moments thrown aside so quickly.
Each major sport feels noticeably not the same as each other, however that's both a great and a bad thing. Skiing and snowboarding, for instance, feels fantastic – easily the best hanging around by a few distance (and unsurprising from the Steep developers). Bike controls took getting accustomed to, but I've generally arrived at like how it feels even when it is a bit slow. The air racing is easily my least favourite from the bunch, though, offering controls that feel more imprecise than anything else on offer. It simply doesn't feel quite right to me, and nailing those sharp turns in air events became more frustrating than other things.
As such I spent most of my time in the slopes and careening down mountains on a bike, using the game doing just enough to create each event feel somewhat different to the other. Whether that's with a major change of scenery, through a number of secondary objectives to satisfy or courses to nail, there's enough here to help keep someone who has an interest in raking at any height scores entertained.
Navigating the landscape does taking some becoming accustomed to due to the control schemes available. Racer, the control scheme the game encourages you to employ to start with, has a handful of automatic assists in place like evening you out of trouble to land a spin or flip easily and being able to control your camera with the right thumbstick. The other, dubbed Trickster, is much more focused on creativity, taking the training tires off and allowing you to go all-in on manual controls while allowing ideas to be practiced with the right thumbstick. The former is a great method for starting off in the game and coming to grips with what you can pull off, however the manual mode is where Riders Republic really shines.
There's no doubt it took some time to get accustomed to, however the game seems like it's intended to be played with the trickster control scheme – especially for those wanting to rack up the highest score possible. Having the ability to nail those perfect landings and experiment a bit more with spins and flips gives you an unparalleled quantity of freedom when executing tricks, whether you're out on the slopes or on the dirt.
Aside from the tried-and-true career events, there's also a handful of other things to get involved in with Riders Republic. There are Shackdaddy events, which place you in the driver's seat of a 'funkie' vehicle (something that's a bit more whacky compared to average bike) and complete a set of objectives. Some of these races had me ploughing through the map with an automobile with jets attached, while some had me cycling about on the pizza delivery bike. It's bizarre but lends well to the overall tone and theme of the game.
This is where the best and also the worst of Riders Republic really came to the fore. Being able to cruise through the often-gorgeous landscape on the jetpack weaving around canyons was a thrill, however small bumps and inconsistencies within the map would send me flying – forcing me to 'rewind' back to a point and continue after that, losing amount of time in the process. Bike races are plagued by these types of problems, with tiny bumps and rocks within the terrain sending you off inside a different direction than you were anticipating.
I found similar inconsistencies trying to execute grinds whilst in the Snow Tricks career. Grinds I'd think were certain to land easily would send me flying in to the snow, whereas I'd accomplish grinds that came off the back of two front flips along with a tricky grab. These kinds of weird glitches and annoyances plagued my time in Riders Republic.
This seemed to be a problem I seen in the game's Mass Races – huge events of 50+ real-world players which has you venturing over the map, using a number of vehicles to earn that coveted top spot. While the premise here is excellent, I discovered it frustrating that certain simple mistake (or unavoidable knock from another rider) would send you hurtling to the back of the pack, not able to make up any ground. And while Mass Races are a test of skill across all areas of Riders Republic, it is a shame the game can be the someone to let you down – removing any potential reward you may have rightfully earned.
Customisation is a huge a part of Riders Republic, though I was surprised to see how expensive most items in the shop are and how limited the customisation options could be. You're able to deck your rider in separate gear for each of the main sports and careers on offer, though don't be surprised to see plenty of players donning the same gear for a while given how expensive even some of the most basic bits of kit are. In addition to this, you cannot change the colour of the gear you've equipped – it's all pretty stock standard. Unless you're inclined to invest real-world money to create your rider look suave, expect to grind out lots of events in order to afford new threads.
Turning focus on the game's map, in its best moments Riders Republic looks gorgeous – the scenery available hanging around is striking. It's unfortunate the game doesn't quite hold that candle up in moment-to-moment gameplay, though, as some textures and graphical glitches completely remove from the experience. Exactly the same can be said for the game's music, what's best left off. For any sports game that is heavily determined by immersion and exhilarating moments, it felt such as the music choices here try everything to drag you away from that.
Riders Republic shows promise, there's no doubt about it. At the moment, though, there are a lot of small problems that completely derail the experience (sometimes literally). The sheer number of extreme sports on offer is impressive and I'm excited to see it grow with the addition of BMX Sport in the future, however between your lines there's simply not a great deal to get too excited by. That, combined with the lacklustre soundtrack and graphical inconsistencies, creates a game that will likely take some time for you to take it all together. I am hopeful, though, as there's definitely something special hidden underneath all of the problems.
