Urban Trials Playground is a game that is all about riding a motorcycle through different courses. It is a game that is similar to other games of its genre like skating games. There is something so peaceful about playing a game like this, as it is so realistic. It also makes me chuckle as I watch my character face plant when I mess up a trick or a jump.
There is something about this game that transports me to a safer time. A time when I could play games without stopping and played with friends. I never played too many of these games because I never owned them, but I remember playing them at friend’s houses. It is an interesting genre that will always connect me to a younger time and that is rather sweet.
Urban Trials Playground gives the player the choice of two people, a rad girl, and cool guy. They both seem to have a thing for biking and dressing in street clothing. They don’t wear any protective gear and whenever they do fall off their bike it looks like it’d hurt. It doesn’t give off a message of safe biking and in my eyes, that’s terrible, though that’s not the point. The speeds that these players are riding at would certainly lead me to dress protectively myself. It’s definitely a good thing that these weirdoes are in a game or they’d be dead.
There are 50 different trials for the player to undertake, that flip between trick sessions and speed trials. Trick sessions rely more on the score and successfully completing tricks. There are so many different tricks for the player to do, that it can be fun chaining them and raising the player’s score. The needed score to five stars the stages change with the level, can be difficult to reach the right score. There is a lot that goes into maneuvering a bike, and one wrong move or a bad jump can lead to a face plant and loss of points. The game does give the player a basic primer so that’s good, but it certainly doesn’t go into detail how to do the best tricks.
The racing trials can also be tricky as the player will want to get through the track as quick as possible. There are often obstacles which can slow the player down, and that adds to the trickiness. In one early level, there is a roof for the player to get over and it isn’t the easiest thing to move over as it isn’t smooth. But, it always is nice to complete a race under the time limit. It is also nice to note that while it might be a time trial, the player isn’t actually racing anyone. If they attempt to play the same course, again they will face a ghost of them playing it.
There are also collectibles dotted throughout the level which the player will need to pick up. This can derail the game’s flow but it is important to 100% the game. Personally, I tend to skip them because they are often placed in hard to reach spots that require precision to get to. Moving in the wrong way in the smallest degree will stop the player from collecting the prize.
Urban Trials Playground is a fun game that brings me back to a simpler time. While I’m not so keen to pick up games in this genre, it is certainly a fun little detour. Urban Trials Playground is a game for anyone who has played games like this in the past or enjoys a game that is all about biking. It looks nice and plays decently. It would certainly be perfect for anyone who likes games of this nature. Urban Trials Playground is out now on Nintendo Switch and is a fun biking game for any up to the challenge.
*Code given for purposes of reviewing game