Trials Evolution Review

Trials HD, the arcade smash hit from 2009’s summer of arcade, took Xbox Live by storm two years ago, with its difficult tracks and competitive leader boards enthralling people and leaving them begging for more. There were only a few faults in the original game, which included a very tough learning curve and a very poorly executed file sharing service. Despite the steep curve that RedLynx faced to top the near perfection it had achieved it did that and more with Trials Evolution.

It’s hard to decide where to start first with Trials Evolution, so lets start with the new and improved Trials Mode. Like it was stated earlier, the steep learning curve in the original Trials was in part due to a lack of explaining the more difficult concepts, which led to some frustration when the game got to some of the crazier challenges. However, in Trials Evolution, between each bracket of difficulty, they have license tests, which are used to teach some of the harder concepts like going up steep inclines and bunny hop as well as unlocking new bikes to use. While this does help you learn, it doesn’t take too long before you are getting frustrated, but in the best way possible. Trials Veterans don’t be worried about the easier early maps, after cruising through about the first half of the game; there are some challenges that are even harder than the first game. One thing I have to applaud RedLynx for is that at no point can you ever blame the game for your failure. You always know you failed because you didn’t land a jump right or your front tire wasn’t high enough off that last jump.

Outside of the basic Trials mode, they have expanded the mini-game section of the original Trials that was limited to a few different variations to now a very robust selection. From flying around a UFO to flying yourself across the stage with cardboard wings it helps vary the gameplay from the other modes. There is also now a competitive multiplayer mode, where you race against three other players in either supercross or trials modes. In Supercross all four players are shown on screen as you race for the finish line where you gain points based on the place you finish and the amount of times you crashed throughout the race. There is also a more by the book, serious competitive mode through tracks from the single player where you race against the other player to finish the maps first. All the racers and bikes in the multiplayer will look unique due to the many different cosmetic options you have using money you gained in single-player by completing tracks.

The totally redone map editor in Trials Evolution is so detailed there are two editors, a “Lite” editor and a “Pro” editor. In the Lite Editor, it is easy for anyone to make a good Trials like map and share them with their friends. However in the Pro editor, there are a ridiculous amount of options you can mess with down to the core engine and game mechanics. This allows you to end up with maps with core gameplay similar to other games like Angry Birds, JetPack, Foosball, and even First Person shooters. The depth in the editors really makes me excited to see how crazy the community will go given enough time and the amount of possibility there is within it.

One of the things that really stood out within Trials HD was the lack of variety in the background between each course. Throughout most of the game you were just going through warehouses. In comparison, Trials Evolution almost every map is totally unique in its own way. From World War like locations with bombs exploding around you to a baseball field where you are racing home for the score, each map is unique and makes you want to race to watch what creative way they injure your racer each time. One of the most creative maps in the game is a map inspired from their fellow Summer of Arcade Game, Limbo.

The creativity and love behind Trials Evolution is evident behind all the sadistic and hair-clenching moments throughout my experience with the game. The pure addiction of beating your friend’s times that are just barely ahead of you to competitive multiplayer this game just offers so much. With the price tag of 1200 Microsoft points or $15, I wouldn’t even hesitate to pay double that for the experience I had with this game.

I give Trials Evolution a 5/5