Lonely Mountains: Downhill Reviews
The few performance issues aren't enough to keep Lonely Mountains: Downhill from being a must-have for Switch owners, whether a racing fan or not. The result of this masterful mix of the beauty and serenity of nature, and the gripping challenge of extreme mountain biking, is a genuine classic, one with an insane replay value hidden behind its simple concept.
Carefully steering a cyclist down rough mountainside terrain sounds like a fun challenge and Lonely Mountains proves that it indeed is.
So Lonely Mountains: Downhill worth your time and hard earned money? In short, yes. Despite the frustrating controls which hinders this game’s easy to pick up and play gameplay, once you graps your head about the arkward controls, there’s a fun ride to be had here. The unique presentation and nature rustling will alleviate the game’s cumbersome controls; if you get fed up with the control, just consider this a nature based crash test dummy simulator.
If there was a major genre on Switch to argue may be the worst represented, whether AAA titles or indies, it could be sports...
Lonely Mountains Downhill is a game of two identities. One part sets you at ease as your cycle your way through beautifully designed bike routes, accompanied by the soothing sounds of churning tyres, chirping birds, and flowing streams. The other will leave your blood boiling as your crashes tick over into the hundreds. Yet it is that second part to Lonely Mountains‘ identity that meant I kept coming back, eager to trim down my run times and find every one of its hidden-in-plain-sight shortcuts. It is a deceptively full experience that will easily allow you rack up hours of playtime and leave you gripping onto your Switch as tightly as a pair of handlebars.
In my mind, Lonely Mountains: Downhill is the perfect Switch game and, a pretty great game regardless of platform. It feels amazing, looks fantastic and is exactly the right level of challenging. The way that you can pick it up for five minutes, have a run through a trail and have a fun time makes it ideally suited to what I think the switch does best, that pick-up-and-play genre of games you can play on a train or while waiting for a bus. Even then, you can sit down with it for a few hours to make some progress through a mountain, tackle a difficult challenge or destroy your high score. Whatever type of gamer you are, Lonely Mountains: Downhill has something for you to sink your teeth into and it’s a strong recommendation from me.
Not since Paperboy on the NES have I been so infatuated with a title revolving around bicycling. By having all the trails locked behind the completion of challenges a strong sense of accomplishment provides the motivation longer play times. Whether you enjoy the tranquility of a nice ride through a beautiful forest, or the adrenaline rush of flying down a hill at breakneck speeds, Lonely Mountains: Downhill is the type of game that can make time float away like a leaf in the breeze of a sweet Spring morning.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a both a relaxing and invigorating change to most games of its nature, in addition to being a game that requires precision, skill and patience to really get the most out of it. Either way you roll, I’d wholeheartedly recommend picking this up – I haven’t screamed “F**K!” at my screen when I’ve screwed up with this much earnest all generation. Back to the checkpoint. Stupid tree.
"Mountain Trials."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Lonely Mountains: Downhill offers a brilliant bike-riding experience that demands skill and precision, but offers plenty of thrills and spills with each run. I had a whole lot of frantic fun speeding down each of its beautiful mountains, whilst the tricky challenges constantly kept me coming back for more – regardless of how many times I failed some of the tougher ones… It does have a few little flaws, with the physics system seemingly having a few hiccups here and there and the challenging difficulty feeling a bit unforgiving in places. Fortunately, they’re minor issues that don’t ruin what is otherwise a thoroughly entertaining and incredibly addictive experience.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a little indie gem. With such a simple proposal, it's a surprise to see how fun and addictive it is. But it is also a game that is also enjoyed visually, and achieves an atmosphere of calm and solitude in really beautiful settings. It is a pity that the performance is not as good as it should be, but we would be talking about an even greater work.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Lonely Mountain: Downhill is a lovely little ride that reminds you of the beauty of the great outdoors, something that’s needed so much right now. The game does a good job of appealing to the casual and challenge-hungry gamer. While it would have been nice to have more challenge options or alternative ways to unlock things. I really enjoyed picking up this game just to have a casual ride down a mountain. It took me to a happy place, and I hope if you decide to pick it up it will do the same for you too.
GREAT - clean, vibrant and accessible way that I generally thought wouldn’t be possible. With semi-freeform trails that allow players to carve out their own paths, and challenges that’ll have you white knuckling down a mountain to beat a time limit, there’s a lot of intense fun to be found here for a very reasonable $19.99 price tag.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill excels as both an adrenaline-fueled racer and a zenlike exploration. It’s a signal of the game’s clarity of vision and tightness of scope that it can, somehow, succeed at both. A triumph of beautiful cinematography and spinning tyres alike.
The team at Megagon Industries nailed the feeling of climbing down a mountain. It’s not only about the challenge – its about the nooks and crannies, the wind, the birds. A game that’s both equally charming and very inviting for those who are into leaderboards challenges.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is, most likely, the best BMX game released in the last few years. The attention to details is commendable and, despite some flaws, the gorgeous atmosphere and fun gameplay stand out.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A magnificent zen arcade that manages to be at the same time thrilling and relaxing.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Lonely Mountains is far from lonely, it rekindles a feeling of childhood. Of meeting with friends and exploring the woods, daring each other to take jumps or freewheel through water. It’s a game about being alone, by being at one with nature and the bike beneath you.
Tight, responsive controls met with highly detailed environments puts Lonely Mountains: Downhill in a class all its own. I take issue with some of the decision decisions to purposefully block your view, or how hard it is to unlock new bikes, but they’re never enough to take away from my enjoyment. The terrain, physics, visual style, and sound design are deserving of awards. This is a game that’s challenging but fair. Lonely Mountains: Downhill is wonderful, top to bottom.