Trials Fusion was one of the must-have games on the PlayStation 4 when it came out, and its first batch of downloadable content should be something of an event for the million or so people who invested in it. However, what could have been an exciting new set of levels ends up being underwhelming, spinning its wheels over a set of ideas that we’ve already seen. That’s not to say that what’s on offer is bad, it’s just that you’ll play the new content in an hour and then wonder how long it’ll take for the next set to arrive.
Riders of the Rustlands adds six new tracks, a skill game, and an FMX track to your roster, as well as new challenges for each. The classic tracks are more difficult than those in the base game, so if you enjoy throwing your DualShock 4 around in frustration, then this one is definitely for you. Bad riders be warned: dramatic Platoon-style screams may be a side effect of playing Devil’s Beak – the hardest level – for too long.
Each stage has some new assets, and the theme of ‘The Rustlands’, away from the polished city of the main game, does make a small difference, but not nearly enough. In truth, it’s all a bit inconsistent; sometimes there’ll be snow, sometimes toxic waste – but nothing in any of the DLC stages would have felt unusual or out of place shipping with the main game.
Not that that’s a direct complaint. It’s nice to have more, but the decision to publish such a small amount of content – and to brag about a further five packs in the process – seems a little unfair. The price (£3.99/$4.99) may seem reasonable at first, but only if you’ve never bought Trials DLC before; the last few games all had expansions that added an awful lot more, and for the same asking fee. Of course, the best way to maximise value is to snap up the Season Pass, but we’d rather a couple of larger content drops rather than the piecemeal format that the developer appears to be adopting.
It’s this structure that flags the biggest problem with this add-on, as the FMX track doesn’t really add much over those available in the base pack, and the skill game is just plain lazy. In all, you’ll whiz through this without feeling like anything of worth has been incorporated.
Conclusion
It’s nice to come back to Trials Fusion, if only to see how many times we’ve been humiliated by that one friend who doesn’t shower or leave the house. However, Riders of the Rustlands is a temporary lure at most. With so little content included in this drop, we recommend waiting for future offerings to see if the Season Pass is even worth the investment.
Comments 10
Perhaps I'm unfairly mean but I think this game should just be on mobile. Just seems like a straight forward money spinner.
@SimonAdebisi Nah way, you need the analogue triggers innit.
Thats too bad, looked more like the atmosphere of Trials Evolution. Haven't picked up Fusion yet, the demo didn't do it for me. Hopefully the next DLC will be better.
I was able to try the demo on 360 a while back, and I absolutely enjoyed it. I like the "future" aesthetic, and it gave me exactly what I wanted from a Trials game, that is, MORE Trials! They haven't messed with the formula because it's already so fun. I think a lot of people are like me and just want more Trials. If this add-on pack just adds more Trials then that's good. The pricing on everything this time around is my only complaint.
I think having to spread the DLC over 6 chapters has definitely impacted negatively on the amount we get in each pack. Speaking as somebody who bought all the DLC for the Xbox iterations these were really hefty updates and I'm fairly sure that one of these packs alone added about 35 new tracks.
They could really do with adding the online MP back into the game too
"Friend who doesn't shower or leave the house:
Sounds like igns Marty Sliva.
The amount and the season pass will all be ubisofts fault. If you love trials like I do then every little addition will improve on it. The challenges are exactly that, challenging. There is no mention here of the addition of parts to use in the editor, which in turn adds loads more to the community, no mention of the fact you can make 4 player tracks now which very soon will massively increase the amount of game play for local multiplayer. Yes there are only 8 new tracks, but the community is releasing hundreds every day.obviously you can ride sloppily through the tracks and be finished in no time, but try getting all the platinums and completing all the challenges. Good luck doing that in an hour
@get2sammyb the analogue triggers are definitely a must, but I find leaning on trials frontier quicker as you only need to slide your thumb a tiny bit back and forth.
@dok5555555 The problem with the demo is you don't get to use the best bike. It's the most fluid and responsive iteration of the bikes that they have come up with so far. Can't imagine how they could improve on it.
Yeah im glad I held off on the season pass til i knew what I was getting.
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