Lonely Mountains: Downhill might not sound like much on the surface, but this little mountain biking game offers some serious and addictive fun.
No one has ever stated they needed a mountain biking game, but that is precisely what Lonely Mountains: Downhill is. The official description describes it as a mountain biking game that takes a “thrilling ride down an unspoiled mountain landscape.” And although that doesn’t scream excitement, Lonely Mountains: Downhill is one of the most fun games to ever land on consoles and PC.
There is so much to Lonely Mountains: Downhill that the description doesn’t cover. The most important detail, though, is that this is a game that will please everyone. Gameplay involves riding a mountain bike down various mountain trails, but players get to choose exactly how they want to do that. Players who enjoy excitement can take on time trials and try to get down the mountain as fast as possible to earn rewards, such as new bikes and outfits. Players who like to explore can take their time going down the mountain and stray off the path and try to find hidden areas, such as places where their biker can chill out and take a rest. Each trail comes with its own set of challenges, including timed missions, as well as challenges that reward players for not crashing more than a certain number of times.
And here’s the thing: crashing will happen. Going down a mountain at breakneck speed on a bike is asking for trouble, but the crashes themselves are kind of fun, too. There’s often blood and ragdoll effects that might have players deliberately jumping off high cliffs to see what might happen. Even failing in Lonely Mountains: Downhill is entertaining. Fortunately, this game also has checkpoints, so when crashes do occur, the player only goes back to the most recent checkpoint.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill would not work, though, without good controls. Players will find the controls intuitive, and it’s simple to steer, brake, pedal and sprint. Players can earn parts to build a variety of bikes, too. This includes models that are good at high speeds, bikes that are good for jumping and bikes that can handle more rugged terrain. Each bike might have certain limits, but they all respond well to the game’s controls at the player’s fingertips.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill features a blocky graphic style, but it works well with the mountain settings. The camera views everything from a third-person perspective, so there are times when a tree might block the view, meaning that a player can go off a cliff without realizing it until it’s too late, but perhaps that’s part of the challenge. Instead of music, the game’s sounds are the kind of quiet nature sounds one might expect should they find themselves on a real mountain. That adds a serene element to the title, one that explorers will appreciate as they try to discover all the hidden nooks and crannies of each level.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill offers a great deal of seriously addictive fun and is something that players can enjoy for hours on end.
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Lonely Mountains: Downhill is available on Oct. 23 for PC (via Steam), PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided a PS4 code for the purposes of this review.
