211. Trials Fusion (RedLynx, Playstation 4, 2014)

Trials Fusion is the 5th gave in the motorcycle stint riding Trial series, which unbeknownst to be actually started as a browser game back in 2000 before gaining popularity on the Xbox Live Arcade with Trials HD.  Based on the real life sport of trials, but this is insane fantasy trials. It's basically a platformer, as the graphics are all in 3D but the game is played on a 2D plane.

Trials Fusion is all about balance and the weight of your character. Leaning forward or backwards requires a feather touch, or you can easily end up on your head. The controls are simple enough (basically just gas, brake, lean), but the physics are tuned very well where the game is very easy to learn but also clearly a big challenge to perfect.

The game is forgiving enough with checkpoints, but in order to get the better scores, you have to have 1 or no crashes. It's always satisfying to replay a level you just barely passed and get a perfect run, and Trials Fusion really feels set up to milk that feeling. There are also bonus objectives like completing a level without leaning, or doing a certain number of flips that help give you interesting reasons to replay levels.

Another thoughtful feature is that you automatically race against your friends' ghosts, which adds a nice element of competition. While the two friends I had who had played Trials Fusion were smoking me on early races, when I finally beat one of their times, it felt real nice.

Set in a futuristic world. I think there's a story, but its not presented in a way that is at all compelling. The title screen of the game features a Lynx riding a Unicorn, but thankfully the actual game has not been quite as obnoxiously gaudy. The environments are all nice and varied, it all feels very video game-y (There's a lush jungle area, and an ice area; I assume I'll be racing though a volcano eventually). Backgrounds explode and react as you drive through, and you usually end a race by crashing in a way that exploits the ragdoll physics.

5/5, a platfomer that's all about weight, going fast, and being perfect