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Riders Republic
Featured: E3 2021 Coverage

Riders Republic - First Thoughts

We give our first impressions following the game's Ubisoft Forward spotlight.

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Along with Far Cry 6, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake and Rainbow Six: Extraction, Rider's Republic was another game that was delayed by Ubisoft in 2021. It's delay was indeed disappointing, but it at least won't be a long one, as Ubisoft has revealed within its 2021 E3 Forward event that it will be launching on September 2, 2021 on Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series.

As well as the release date reveal, we also got a deeper look into several of the game's modes. One of the modes that we got to see was called Tricks Battle and it reminded us an awful lot of Splatoon. Here two teams of players compete against each other to rack up the most points by completing tricks within a small area filled with ramps and grind rails. Each time that you pull off a successful trick on one of these ramps or rails you will paint it the same colour as your team and it improves your team's score to have more areas occupied.

We also got a deeper dive into several of the different sporting events that you'll get a chance to compete in and it was great to see that all of these have their own dynamics. There's snowboarding and skiing events that see you charge down a mountain at blisteringly fast speeds and rocket wingsuit races, where you'll soar through the air to pass through checkpoints. The game's 50-player Mass Races even bring all of these different sports together and the result looks wonderfully chaotic. In the trailer, we saw players on skis, in wingsuits, and on bikes all fighting to outpace each other to the finish line.

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Exploration was also touched upon, and this gives players the freedom to do a spot of sightseeing outside of each event. You are free to explore across a variety of different biomes from sandy deserts to snowy peaks and you can band together with other players when roaming around. This open map includes a combination of several different American national parks such as Bryce Canyon, Yosemite Valley, and Mammoth Mountain. Across these vast explorable areas you can either take to the skies using a wingsuit or you can use a bike, skis, or snowboard when on the ground. Whilst exploring, you can easily move between different methods of transport by holding down a button and bringing up a wheel.

The game is indeed looking fun to play, but I do have concerns regarding its microtransactions. The game will feature helicopter tickets, which you can purchase to enable you to fast travel across the map. Personally, I feel that making the game less convenient unless players pay up is a little unfair, and it'll be interesting to see just how many people decide to invest in these tickets. The game also features many wacky ways for players to customise their riders - we've seen dinosaur outfits, panda outfits, and rabbit outfits displayed in trailers. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but we can imagine the most cool and sought after items amongst these being locked behind a paywall.

With Riders Republic now only being three months away from release (please don't delay it any further, Ubisoft), we can imagine that more new and exciting details are around the corner. We are big fans of the game's relaxed nature, as players can just compete in events at their own pace and explore with friends whenever they need to take a break. We also can't wait to compete in its Mass Races, as these look wonderfully chaotic with each player using different vehicles to try and gain the upper hand. Be sure to check back for our full review of Riders Republic when it releases September 2.

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REVIEW. Written by Ben Lyons

Ubisoft Annecy has delivered an extreme sports open world paradise that is relentlessly fun.



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