Reviewed: June 13, 2006
Reviewed by: Brice Boembeke
Publisher
Redlynx Ltd.
Developer
Redlynx Ltd.
Released: May 27, 2008
Genre: Arcade
Players: 1
7
8
4
8
6.8
System Requirements
Recommended System
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
When I first started playing Redlynx Trials 2: Second Edition, I thought to myself, why would anybody buy this game when you can play the same thing (granted with much less impressive graphics) online for free? On Miniclip.com, you can play a flash version of this same game for free. There are fewer levels and the level of realistically simulated suspension and physics effects are toned down, but it is basically the same game.
Then I sat down to play the game and for the first half hour or so could only get past the tutorial and the first few easy tracks. I hated it and was getting really frustrated with watching my biker crash and get mangled over and over again. That’s when I told myself, I definitely would not buy this game, it would be a waste of money.
But then I couldn’t stop playing. I told myself I would only try one more time then I was done. Giving it up. But then I kept going. And then I started getting the hang of some of the controls, figuring out the little tricks that you have to do to master the control of the motorcycle. And then I was hooked. I couldn’t pull myself away from the keyboard.
The thing about this game is that it takes all the things that make online flash games addicting and fun (simplicity of control and ease of involvement combined with fun, exciting environments) and puts it into a fully developed, three dimensional, good-looking game.
It is nothing more than an arcade game, but it is addicting and it looks good and you find yourself spending way more time playing it than you might have thought you would. And the full version is only ten bucks, so it’s not like you’re going to have to drain your wallet to get the advanced version of such an addicting game. Overall, I’d say it’s worth it.
The controls are simple. Up is gas, down is brake/reverse, left leans your biker back, right leans him forward. You use your biker’s momentum and the effects of acceleration, braking and suspension compression to torque your bike and rider into the right positions to make it from one obstacle to the next until you reach the finish line. You get as many tries as you need, and can start from many checkpoints along the way, but you get docked for each time you “fault” and have to start back from a checkpoint.
The game starts off pretty easy, giving you several tutorials that show you all the basic skills that you need to master in order to complete the game. Then, you go through each track, and upon completion it ranks you against all the other people playing the game across the world. You can even team up with other players and combine your scores to compete against other teams globally.
I got to the point, after a few days, where I was good enough to make it through most of the medium skill level tracks, but they got to the point where I couldn’t even make it to the first checkpoint and I had a deadline to make for this review, otherwise I would probably still be sitting trying to finish all the tracks.
If the game would have looked the same as the two-dimensional flash game on miniclip.com, I would have said not to even bother with buying it, but they really made this game look good. There are dynamic lighting effects caused by fire, your bike’s headlamp, and other light sources that are pretty impressive. The physics are much, much more detailed and realistic than the flash version, creating a much more involved and realistic looking game.
I think that the graphics, combined with the simple yet addicting gameplay that this game offers was what sold it for me.
The sound effects in the game are probably where it lacks the most. There aren’t really all that many sound effects to speak of. There is the motorcycle engine sound that I will have to admit, gets kind of annoying after a short time. Then there are the sound effects of when you bash your bikers brains against whatever obstacle you fail to clear. And that’s about it. Nothing to write home about.
Or to write in a review.
End of story.
As I said before, the full version of this game only costs 10 bucks if you download it off the website, so you really can’t go wrong there. If you’re looking for a cool, fun, simple, ridiculously addicting game that you can play for a week or so until you get sick of it, this might be a good one for you. First, I’d recommend playing the flash version of the game for free. If you play through it and really enjoyed it, then you’ll know if you should spend 10 dollars and get the full version. If you can’t stand the flash version, don’t waste your money on the full version.
Redlynx Trials 2 Second Edition is a simple game. It is still based in two dimensions even though they graphically put it into a 3d world for the full version. It is fast-paced and addicting. You can play for five minutes or five hours, whatever you have time for. You don’t have to set aside hours to play it if you don’t have time. You could even play it during a lunch break for a few minutes. I think that’s what makes this game fun is that it’s really easy to get into and really easy to step away from whenever you want.
Don’t buy this game thinking you’re getting a motorcycle simulation. Don’t buy it thinking you’re getting anything more than an arcade game. If you go into it knowing that, you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Trying to get your global ranking up higher on each track will end up being what keeps people playing tracks over and over again. And the team aspect will definitely excite some people as well. Like I said before, if you love the flash game and want more, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the full version and you won’t feel like you blew your money.