Riders Republic Reviews
A chaotically structured open world racer, Riders Republic feels like the free roaming SSX sequel we never had.
At its best Riders Republic successfully captures the sense of adventure and risk-taking that make extreme sports so appealing.
The story is lackluster, the microtransactions are everywhere, but everything else is amazing; it's like being on a rollercoaster ride every single second you play. Ubisoft put its heart and soul into developing every location just so that each race and each moment feels immensely different from the next. It's an absolutely thrilling, immersive experience that does well to keep you entertained for hours and hours on end. If only you could spend more time racing people instead of bots, then it'd really feel like you're working to become the amazing triathlete Riders Republic wants you to be.
It's not the prettiest game, with distant scenery lacking detail, low-res cinematics, and screen tearing in busy areas. But the dizzying scale of the world, and the complete lack of loading times, is technically impressive. It's also worth noting that you need to be online to experience the career mode and progression—otherwise you're stuck with the freeform, rather empty Zen Mode. Most people play games online these days, but if you can't for whatever reason, your options will be limited. It's frustrating, because the actual riding in Riders Republic is heaps of fun. It's just been packaged in a completely off-putting way. You'll have to decide if the cringe is worth putting up with.
Riders Republic’s posturing is more than a little phony and the game may be a bit mechanically simple for some, but its playground is an impressive one. With travel still difficult, Ubisoft’s sometimes-breathtaking recreation of America’s greatest national parks feels like something to be grateful for, and this game’s wide range of activities and challenges means almost everyone will be able to find some way to amuse themselves amongst its peaks and valleys. Riders Republic is a surprising breath of virtual fresh air.
If you can ignore the game’s obnoxious attitude and in your face corporate sponsorship, you’re richly rewarded with accessible, consistently engaging representations of biking, snow sports, and wing suiting, coupled with a massive and literally awesome environment in which to compete or explore. Those that are into riding the leaderboards–or just playing with their friends–will have plenty of opportunities to fuel their addiction, but I’m guessing that just about everyone can find joy here in just goofing around in this expansive playground, at least for a while. Whether or not Riders Republic sticks the landing and stays in the playlist of many gamers beyond launch probably depends on a steady stream of new sports to try, and if an actual, thriving community pledges allegiance to the Republic’s competitive modes.
Riders Republic tries so hard to be cool that it deserves a roundhouse kick to the mouth, but Ubisoft's technical chops come out to play here, with an enormous online sandbox stacked to the metaphorical ceiling with high-octane events to complete. This is a game that the French publisher has clearly designed to be built upon, but even day one, with its mix of disciplines and multifaceted Mass Races, it's an entertaining ride. There are minor niggles for the French publisher to iron out, and we'd recommend muting the dialogue, but don't bail on this if you have even a passing interest in extreme sports.
Riders Republic can be a ton of colorful fun, with go-anywhere do-anything extreme sports gameplay that is instantly accessible and appealing, all wrapped up in a tortilla of weird goofiness. Engage with the stuff you like, ignore the stuff you don't, and get penalized for absolutely nothing. Riders Republic is most concerned with letting the good times roll-and for the most part, it succeeds admirably.
You'll find many enjoyable hours exploring, racing, and styling your way around Riders Republic. The world is gorgeous, the sound design and music choices are on point. There are only a few events that will frustrate you. Thankfully, you can mostly avoid these.
Riders Republic is at its core a fun game that only wants you to have fun, more than most games. Its UI isn't the best, and there still seem to be some bugs that need to be ironed out, but there are no issues that really breaks your fun all the way. On top of the gorgeous presentation, Riders Republic is easy to recommend for anyone with a liking towards a game where they can flip around three times on a pair of rocket ski's mid-air while dressed as a giraffe.
What a ride! Riders Republic gives you an amount of freedom that you can hardly find anywhere else, and lets you choose your own path within a happy community that's keen to celebrate your successes.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Riders Republic is a game with a glued-on attitude, alarmingly many sports and an overplottered world map. Even so, the game surprises great with great control, varied challenges and a world bursting with fun activities. The fact that we are also not spoilt for purpose with well-made ski, snowboarding and cycling games does not exactly make it worse that we get everything in one here.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Riders Republic chooses to offer a community experience in a universe carefully modeled to highlight the disciplines you can practice. Fun is the key word and it's not the few imperfections in terms of gameplay and graphics that should undermine the pleasure of discovery. If you're looking for a refreshing experience, Riders Republic is a title for you.
Review in French | Read full review
A sprawling, varied, endlessly fun open-world game, and a glimmer of hope for the extreme sports genre.
Riders Republic is a consistently entertaining extreme sports game that avoids the compulsory trappings of most open-world games.
Riders Republic tries to improve the Steep formula on many levels, but sometimes fails to really find its own way : by constantly solliciting the players with its trials, rewards, gears, modes and extras, Ubisoft Annecy's new formula sometimes forgets to let us enjoy the ride and its vast landscape.
Review in French | Read full review
With how the current controls and gameplay loop sit, though, I can’t find myself wanting to sit down and play this much longer after its release. Here is to hoping Ubisoft and Riders Republic get even more extreme in the future.
And yet, Riders Republic has completely dug its hooks into me. It imitates the unbridled feeling of freedom from the Forza Horizon games and perfects it in its own subgenre. If you’re looking for an octane-fuelled romp of a game with guaranteed fun, look no further than Riders Republic. Just be sure to bring your own jukebox.
Riders Republic is on balance a Steep on steroids. The latest effort of Ubisoft Annecy is a huge playground available to the player and in which you can have fun both in a carefree way and in a more serious way thanks to the total freedom of approach and the countless customizations of the control system.
Review in Italian | Read full review