Descenders Next Review Summary

Highly enjoyable and fun gameplay: Players consistently find the game highly enjoyable, citing its fun gameplay, rewarding progression, and overall engaging experience. Many note that the game becomes even more fun once players master its controls and mechanics.

Satisfying snowboarding and mountainboarding: Both snowboarding and mountainboarding mechanics are well-received, with players highlighting the satisfying feel of movement, tricks, and the sense of speed. Many consider it superior to other games in the genre.

Responsive and community-focused developers: The developers, RageSquid, are highly praised for their active engagement with the community, responsiveness to feedback, and commitment to continuously improving their games, including the original Descenders.

Thrilling speed and risk/reward: The game effectively captures the thrill of high-speed descents and the challenge of maintaining control. The risk/reward system and the satisfaction of nailing perfect landings or surviving difficult falls are frequently highlighted.

Excellent and fitting soundtrack: The game's soundtrack receives strong positive feedback, with players enjoying its quality and how it enhances the overall gameplay experience, particularly its rock 'n' roll vibes.

Unresponsive & floaty controls: Players consistently report that the controls feel 'floaty,' 'slippery,' or 'wonky,' making precise movements difficult. The lack of an effective braking mechanism exacerbates this, leading to uncontrollable speed, frequent crashes, and an inability to perform tricks or navigate challenging terrain.

Inferior to original Descenders: Many players feel this game is a step back from the original Descenders, lacking its flow, mechanical depth (e.g., braking, tweak mechanic), and variety in environments and content. It's perceived as a less innovative or complete sequel, with some elements feeling like a 'degraded version' or a 'copycat.'

Limited & broken multiplayer: The multiplayer experience is a significant downgrade from the previous game, lacking essential features like group functionality, co-op progression, and the ability to play with friends. The new 'open world' node system in multiplayer is confusing and detracts from the social aspect.

Overpriced & low quality: Players feel the game is overpriced for the content offered, which is perceived as limited and lacking compared to the original. The overall presentation, including graphics and general feel, is described as 'cheap,' 'clunky,' or like 'shovelware,' not justifying the price point.

Mountain boarding needs work: Mountain boarding, a new mode, is widely criticized for feeling underdeveloped, monotonous, and too similar to snowboarding without adding unique value. Its tracks are often too steep, making control difficult, and it lacks interesting objects or variety.

High skill ceiling: The game presents a significant learning curve, especially concerning speed management, carving, and maintaining lines. It's easy to pick up but difficult to master, requiring players to learn many technical aspects to excel.

Intuitive trick controls: The control scheme utilizes both sticks for movement and tricks, allowing for creative maneuvers once mastered. Tricks are fluid, and there's plenty to learn to perform cool stunts.

Features new sports: The game introduces two new sports: snowboarding and mountain boarding. Players race down various terrains, with the gameplay leaning towards an arcade style rather than strict realism.

Expansive open world maps: The game offers a large, open map with numerous procedurally generated and handcrafted routes. Players can choose their path through various nodes, connecting different parks and points of interest.

No brakes, requires carving: A key gameplay mechanic is the absence of brakes, forcing players to rely on carving and skidding to control their speed. This adds a layer of challenge, especially when navigating elevated curves.

Good performance across devices: The game generally performs well across various hardware configurations, including high-end PCs and the Steam Deck. Players report smooth gameplay even on ultra settings with specific GPUs, and it's noted to be easily playable on portable devices.

Optimization still needed: While significant optimization improvements have been made since the beta phase, there is still a consensus among players that further optimization work is necessary. This suggests ongoing performance issues for some users despite the progress.

Early Access State & Value: Many players feel the game is currently incomplete or in an early state, leading to mixed recommendations. While some see potential and are excited for future updates, others suggest waiting for more development and content before purchasing, especially given the price point.

Strong Positive Recommendation: A significant portion of players highly recommend the game, praising its fun factor and potential. They view it as a worthwhile purchase and a positive step forward for the series, often giving it high scores.

Niche Appeal & Core Gameplay: The game is recommended for fans of extreme sports, particularly those who enjoy fast-paced gameplay, tricks, and the core loop of the game. It appeals to players looking for a casual, 'mess around' experience.

Player Refunds/Uninstalls: Some players have decided to uninstall or refund the game, indicating dissatisfaction with its current state. This suggests a strong negative sentiment from a subset of the player base.

Bring Back Original Bikes: There is a specific request for the return of bikes from the first game, indicating a desire for content or mechanics from the predecessor to be included in the new title.

Early Access with strong potential: Players acknowledge the game is in Early Access and express confidence in the developers' ability to improve it, citing their positive track record and commitment to future content and features. There is a strong sense of anticipation for the game's evolution.

Steep learning curve: Some players admit to struggling with the game's mechanics initially, particularly with controlling speed and avoiding crashes, even in the tutorial. This indicates a learning curve.

Anticipating multiplayer and mods: Players are eagerly awaiting confirmed features like multiplayer sessions with friends and spectating options. Mod support and additional sports are also highly anticipated.

Need for a brake button: A common request is for a dedicated brake button or a more intuitive way to slow down, beyond just carving. This suggests a desire for more precise control over speed.

Snowboarding needs more depth: Feedback suggests that the snowboarding aspect could be more fleshed out, with a greater variety of maps and a stronger emphasis on unique stunts to differentiate it.