Descenders Next

I really want to love Descenders Next. The vibe and feeling of snowboarding and mountainboarding has been nailed through great music choices and UI, some solid gameplay, and its game structure builds off the core of what worked in Descenders, while adding mechanics that fit very well. However, there’s just not enough there, and while the game is in early access, for £25, I think you should get it on a price drop, stick to the old Descenders for now if you don’t mind bikes, or wait a bit till they have added more.

As of right now, the game still feels a bit bare-bones, if I’m being brutally honest. There are only two boards to choose from, with minimal customization options, and I do mean bare minimum. Likewise, the avatar has surprisingly few options for personification. In a world where players enthusiastically throw money at companies through microtransactions just to add small personal items to their little digital characters on a screen, it is baffling how little content there is. Descenders Next is a fun game that I can see myself coming back to in the future. That is, when the game developers have added a bit of variety to the play modes, and more creative customization options beyond a black hoody or an open purple jacket (literally the only two options). The game has got some great potential, but something is missing, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Developers RageSquid need to put in a bit more razzmatazz, add sauce, that extra something something. Right now, it’s missing attitude, or a personality, even. The game is good, I would love for it to be great! For now, the Descenders Next deserves a Silver. The Thumb Culture Silver Award, that is! But I still believe there is room for this game to improve and eventually get the Gold Award.