It’s tough to really tell what’s interesting these days on the App Store, but something the other day caught my eye with Downhill Riders (Free)’s app icon — a kid in a shopping cart going downhill, bringing back fond memories of watching Jackass with friends. It’s not quite everything I had hoped for, but most runner enthusiasts will want to give it a shot.
The object, as you can imagine, is simply flying downhill as far as you can. It’s an endless joint, forcing players to react quickly and make multiple choices at any given time. You’ll avoid objects by either switching lanes or jumping, which can be done by tapping the left and right side of the screen respectively. It sounds simple enough, but what’s intriguing is that both buttons can be used in tandem, or even when you’re mid-jump. It allows for some really twitch situations and will challenge you like a lot of runners can’t. It’s all accompanied by a sleek neon color scheme that fits perfectly.
Challenging is the operative word here, as the developers have even slowed down the game a bit post-launch to allow for more players to get into the swing of things. Nearly every few seconds features a host of hazards, from manholes (that can be tough to see on the ground) to dumpsters, to road blocks. You’ll collect coins along the way, which allow you to buy new ways to shred downhill besides your lowly shopping cart.
Although the game is free-to-play, it does of course have a monetization scheme. It’s very similar to the Crossy Road Model, gifting players coins on a timer, as well as providing the option to watch videos and banner ads for coins. All of these options are limited to prevent you from spamming them, and should grant you at least one bonus vehicle per day. Unlike Crossy however (which may offer new maps or color variants with new characters), the actual gameplay isn’t really affected by these aesthetic upgrades.
If you’re so inclined, you can spring for $0.99, $1.99 and $2.99 coin purchases, the former of which allows you to remove pop-up ads and essentially skin it into a premium game. For $3.99 you can also buy a coin-doubler, and new carts are offered piecemeal. It’s pretty standard stuff, and with the ad-based options, I never really felt like they hindered my enjoyment after getting rid of the pop-ups.
Downhill Riders probably isn’t going to make headlines, but if you’re looking for a stylish new runner, it’s worth checking out. With a few updates and maybe some new vehicle variations that actually mix things up, it could be something you’ll want to keep on your phone for extended periods of time.
