Megagon Industries might have outdone themselves with their latest offering, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders. The 'follow-up' to 2020 GOTY Lonely Mountains: Downhill, and available as a demo on Steam, it's immediately playable and will bring out the ferocious gamer in you desperate to unlock gear through perfect lines and inhuman times, or the sadist who loves slamming skiers into rocks, off cliffs, and general bone-breaking shenanigans. I like both.
You aren't looking for Bigfoot, Grandpa hasn't left you his skiing business, and there's no alien invasion (at least in the demo): you're on these hills to go fast, take some risks, and look cool doing it. Using the same artistic flair as its predecessor, the skiers here are faceless, though they come equipped with fancy sideburns, all sizes, and some fancy gear. Even in these early stages, you can customise your character to look slick when you faceplant.
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Preview
As an ex-mountain biker, that is, I owned some bikes and went off-road, there should be a bias with the other game. However, this is so much... better. The camera angles are more accurate, while the look is the same in Lonely Mountains: Downhill. Launching from the summit, the camera follows the skier in a chase-like manner, providing insight into sharp bends, protruding rocks, or death drops. Holding down a shoulder button on the controller performs a squat, increasing speed at the detriment of control, and the camera follows the action perfectly. It looks remarkably cinematic.
Another standout about Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is the tricks. While it's no SSX Tricky, you can perform grabs and spins, time short or long-distance jumps, and even flips. They're not afterthoughts to fill time while in the air; they flow with the overall tempo of the game and are impressive. Just remember, there's a focus on physics, so take that into account, as there's the likelihood of a nasty fall. That's fine, as this infuses your competitive streak to crash less, get faster times, and unlock new courses and gear.
Source: Steam
Snow Joke
The issue I found, bearing in mind that this is a demo, is the sudden lag of the skier. You'll be hooning along at neck-breaking speeds and, if using a controller, effortlessly move the sticks for your character to follow suit with grace when there's a slight power loss. You'll move in a straight line without any control, or you cannot take command without bailing. Thinking this could be lag from the controller, which was wired, I tried another, and while it's not constant, it's noticeable.
This only applies to individual progress and is unrelated to the multiplayer side of things. The Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders demo is single-player only, though the multiplayer option will be available in time for the Steam Next Fest from the 14th of October. This could be a coincidence, so I recommend getting the demo now and practising. The developers were already committed to their fanbase on their last game with plenty of extras such as DLC and events, so this will likely head in the same direction. It doesn't hurt to hit the slopes now if you want to be amongst the best of the best cliche.
And for those who like their own company, the solo option is excellent. Winter sports don't appeal to me, but this has to be at the top of the list for sports titles this year. Forget about FIFA - that's the same every year. Though it shares many traits with its biking cousin, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is a unique standalone worth trying at the very least. Another title to add to the GOTY list? Well, it's scheduled for release this year; who knows?
The single-player demo is available now, with the multiplayer version unlocking from the 14th of October 2024 during Steam Next Fest.
