Amped. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. NFL Street. SSX. Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX.
For a time in the early and mid-2000s, extreme sports dominated video gaming thanks to the franchises above. In the last decade, however, such releases have slowed to a trickle, with nothing more than the awful Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 leading the charge for most of this year. But with Steep, Ubisoft has delivered a solid holiday gift to send off 2016 and give extreme sports fans something to smile about. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but Steep is ultimately a breath of icy cold and fresh air in gaming.
Steep, a physical copy of which was provided to The Post by developer Ubisoft at no cost and will be donated to Operation Supply Drop, is a fairly simple game. The player is given some skis, a snowboard, a wingsuit and a paraglider and is basically told to go nuts on and above the seven-mountain map. The game starts by running the player through a series of quick tutorials designed to teach the controls of the various sports, then the player is let loose on the Alps to do essentially whatever he or she would like.
Freedom is key in Steep. All the snowsport events can be played with either skis or a snowboard based on the player’s preference. And as the player goes along, more events will be unlocked than can be played, meaning the player can skip some of the events that don’t seem very interesting.
For instance, I’m not a huge fan of the paragliding in Steep. As far as the mechanics are concerned, paragliding works just fine. Not to mention, it offers an incredible way for the player to float high above the mountain range and take in the gorgeous sights. But compared to the other three activities in the game, paragliding is just too slow for me to enjoy. Luckily, there are so many other events that I can afford to skip the paragliding events and move on to the ones I prefer.
As far as the amount of content is concerned, wingsuiting and paragliding play second fiddle to the snowsports, which feature a wide variety of challenges. Some events task the player with speeding downhill as fast as possible to secure the bronze, silver or gold medal. Some require the player to score a certain number of points before reaching the finish line. Still others are goofy “Bone Collector" challenges, which involve crazy antics like purposefully crashing to sustain a high g-force (don’t try that at home).
While the player is free to fast travel from challenge to challenge, half of the fun of Steep comes from freely roaming the Alps. The entire mountain range can be explored without seeing a single loading screen, and taking the time to ride around is both relaxing and purposeful. By exploring, players can discover new drop zones for challenges and new lines to ride. Exploring the mountains at one’s own pace is a beautiful experience; There’s nobody telling the player what to do or how to do it, which perfectly captures the freedom an extreme sport provides.
The seven mountains featured in Steep are all a bit different and cater to different types of players. Mountains like Aravis offer calm slopes for starters, but monsters like Mont Blanc feature steep, dangerous drops and opportunities for intense, wild gameplay. Forests, villages, boulders, ruins, ski lifts and snow parks litter the mountainsides, meaning that each one offers plenty of possibilities. But it’s totally up to the player where he or she would like to go and how each mountain should be tackled.
That’s not to say that Steep doesn’t offer suggestions. Events sponsored by brands like Red Bull and Salomon often offer major challenges for the different drop zones. Mountain Stories allow the player to interact with the mountain as if it were a person, telling the tale of its past and present as the player completes objectives. Legendary Summits and the most gratifying lines open intermittently as the player gains Reputation, which is the game’s form of XP.
For all the different types of events Steep offers, it’s worth noting that leveling feels natural and painless. Nearly every action, even failure, can help raise Reputation, which is good since Steep has a bit of a learning curve. The player doesn’t flounder while just hoping for the perfect run to gain XP and move onto the next level. Instead, the player levels up as he or she continues to learn the game and its mechanics, which really takes the frustration out of the experience.
But aside from opening new challenges, leveling up doesn’t really do much in Steep. There’s no real sense of progression in the game. There’s no skill tree or new tricks to learn or better equipment to buy. The only upgrades throughout the game are cosmetic, so the only substantial gameplay change from beginning to end comes based on the player’s own increased proficiency with the game’s controls. This hurts the game because it doesn’t feel as though the experience evolves or transforms much from beginning to end.
But, then again, it’s obvious that isn’t what Steep is going for. It’s made to be a chill, relaxing, gorgeous experience be shared with friends. Players can share videos and trails with friends and even challenge them to crush each other’s’ high scores. The multiplayer features are great, but the game’s always-online requirement is a bit annoying, seeing as the experience would still be solid without an internet connection.
Steep also doesn’t feature any rail grinding, which is a bit of a head-scratcher. Spins, flips and grabs are all present, but grinding is nonexistent. Don’t misunderstand me, the action is fun without grinding, but throwing some rails into the mix would’ve made the game even more satisfying. It’s odd for a skating or snowsport game eschew grinding, but that’s exactly what Steep has done, and it doesn’t seem to be for the better.
But oddities like the always-online requirement and lack of grinding aside, Steep is a ton of fun. Yes, it lacks a sense of progression, but think of Steep less of an uphill battle from Point A to Point B and more of a meandering stroll with a zigzagged path that may never lead anywhere. Steep is about exploration, creating one’s own challenges, pushing oneself to be better, pulling off crazy stunts, taking in the glistening, beaming, bright mountain views, leaping into the sky to experience the world from above, and most of all, simply enjoying the fun of being free.
Steep truly is a breath of fresh air. It has its flaws, but it still stands out as one of the most authentic, unique and purely fun releases of 2016. If you enjoyed Amped and SSX from all those years ago, then think of Steep as its more sophisticated and mature older brother. It’s not quite the same, but if you miss the “good ol’ days” of extreme sports games, then consider Steep the best stand-in the gaming industry has seen in years.
Score: 3.5/5
“Steep” was released Dec. 2 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
@GS_Matt
ms153614@ohio.edu
