Trials Fusion Review: Future Stunt Biking, Slightly Exaggerated

Since its first title was released in 2000, more than half of RedLynx’s 25 published games have been Trials-related – and that should tell you something. For those who enjoy stunt biking but would prefer occasional stints of low-gravity, higher altitudes, more explosions, and more futuristic landscapes, Trials Fusion will be worth a look.

In the summer of 2009, I had trouble finding a reason to turn on my Xbox 360. Nothing grabbed me, not on the marketplace, and not on disc. Then came Microsoft’s second annual Summer of Arcade event, which featured a handful of games to be released through the summer months (as one would expect with a title like that). One of the games released was called Trials HD – and it grabbed me. And then flung me into a deep pit at the end of a level.

At its heart, Trials falls into the racing genre, but it’s far more than just racing. In any one of the games, you can expect truly bizarre events one moment, and then a simple race from A and B the next. I had a lot of fun with Trials HD, and likewise with Trials Evolution. With Trials Fusion, I can honestly say that this is a series that gets better with age.

Trials Fusion falls into the category of games I like to call “patience testers”. These games start off easy, and lead you to believe that you’re a Sensei at the art of stunt-biking. Then, without warning, the game will grab you by your neck, and make you sweat. Some levels or “tests” are so difficult, that you’ll probably find yourself resetting the track, or reverting to a checkpoint, a countless number of times. I can also guarantee that your hands are bound to hurt after a while.

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