Rock(s) Rider Review
PROS
- Energetic rock soundtrack.
- Plenty of unlockables to test your skill.
- Complex levels with challenging and clever acrobatic sections to overcome.
CONS
- Player feels too light; momentum feels completely out of proportion at times.
- Cheesy Poser rendered cutscenes.
- Player animations stiff and limited; doesn't respond to the world at all.
VERDICT
Rock(s) Rider is a great example of a skill-based time-trial title, but in many ways it falls short, with art and gameplay features occasionally feeling incomplete.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
From time-trial racers to skill-based Trials HD-esque games, the App Store has surprisingly seen it all and in a number of guises. Rock(s) Rider by ECA-Games attempts to consolidate it all in to one title and the end result is a mixed one that doesn't live up to the same expectations of the inspirational games it wears its sleeves.
This is no more evident than in the game's artistic presentation, mixing stylish and slick menus, and gorgeous industrial environments with signs that make it easy to maintain momentum, with stiff and lifeless character animations, and bizarre Poser rendered 'cutscenes' that feel completely out of place.
The confusion extends to the gameplay itself where levels range from requiring players to finish in the shortest time possible, to needing to collect as many stars as possible, to racing against AI opponents. You're given various control schemes with which to do this, be it tilt, touch, slide or a combination of these, but ultimately your rider feels lacking in weight. Approaching most obstacles with care and consideration to the weight distribution and acceleration or braking of your bike will get you by, but attempting anything fancier or holding on that fraction too long will place you irrevocably out of control; either spinning like a gyroscope or getting wedged in to impossible positions.
When all is going smoothly, the game couldn't be more enthralling as it encourages exploration and skilled maneuvering with its unlockables, while also featuring multiple paths for some stages, allowing for experimentation in getting your times down. Attempting to beat the wily computer on the final stages of each area also makes for a frustrating, but otherwise fun goal.
If any great praise is to be given to Rock(s) Rider, it's that it manages to remain entertaining despite the confused mix of features that make up the game. Fans of games like Bike Baron will find themselves at home here.
Screenshots
$0.99
