Riders Republic: Ubisoft’s Sports Adventure Shreds Preview

Riders Republic is one of my biggest surprises of 2021, and after about five hours of practice with the game, it’s easily one of my most anticipated fall releases. If this game wasn’t previously on your radar by any chance, let me bring you up to speed. Riders Republic describes itself as a massively multiplayer playground. This sports adventure title features a giant open world that is fully explorable with bikes, skis, snowboards, rocket wingsuits, paragliders, and more. You can team up with friends to compete in downhill races, freestyle stunt events, team battles, and cross-country endurance trials that combine multiple play styles.

Sports games are nothing without the feel of the game, that tactile feel that provides in-game feedback in response to player action, and Ubisoft nails that. Your vision becomes blurry at high speeds, the camera naturally shakes with each jump, colors desaturate when you’ve landed hard, and driver vibrations make drifting around tight corners feel incredible. Even when hazards like rocks and trees whiz by at breakneck speeds, the game’s controls are still precise; If you crawl at a crucial moment, the Backtrack system allows you to go back to a previous position and get back in action.

While I’m not generally a huge fan of Ubisoft’s open worlds, the company’s commitment to creating massive levels pays off here, as it’s a joy to investigate the multitude of landscapes in the game. The Riders Republic map amalgamates iconic U.S. geography, including Mammoth Mountain, Grand Teton, Bryce Canyon, Yosemite Valley, Sequoia Park, and Zion National Park. Whether it’s mountain biking, paragliding, or backcountry skiing, you can explore these huge areas any way you like; And while its NPCs can gently guide you to nearby activities that will provide you with new gear and unique cosmetics, the game goes out of your way and allows you to enjoy your time traversing its peaks and valleys. I love exploring steep trails from the air with the Rocket Wingsuit and then landing and riding downhill while soaking up the view in first person mode.

Riders Republic offers a number of freestyle races and shows, but none of those activities provide as much spectacle as the in-game Mass Races. Players can join these massive multiplayer events by visiting Riders Ridge, the game’s social hub, several times an hour. These three-round races are utter chaos, with up to 64 players depending on the system you’re playing in, and require players to switch between different ride modes throughout each stage. A race begins on a downhill trail of dizzying turns, passes a rocket-propelled ski section through a wooded ravine, and finally requires players to race through the skies to the finish line. While they aren’t the most competition-worthy form, Mass Races provide a level of insane fun reminiscent of last year’s Fall Guys.

I was initially hesitant to get my hopes up for a new sports game after the company’s lackluster launch of Steep in 2016; but after playing the game myself, I’m sure Ubisoft has a hit on its hands. While some aspects of the game still need some tweaking, the motion on rails feels a bit floaty and lacks a balance mechanic, I can’t stop thinking about Riders Republic. Regardless of how you explore its topography, this is an extreme sports game for anyone, thanks to its abundance of playstyles and progression systems. Ubisoft is taking a leap of faith by doubling down on the extreme sports genre, and to my pleasant surprise, Riders Republic keeps landing.

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