Descenders

Last updated
Descenders
Descenders cover.jpg
Developer(s) RageSquid
Publisher(s) No More Robots [lower-alpha 1]
Engine Unity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Linux, macOS, Windows, Xbox One
  • 7 May 2019 [1]
  • PlayStation 4
  • 25 August 2020 [2]
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 6 November 2020 [3]
  • Xbox Series X/S
  • 8 June 2021 [4]
  • Android, iOS
  • 4 August 2022 [5]
Genre(s) Extreme sports
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Descenders is a cycling game developed by RageSquid and published by No More Robots. It was released for Linux, macOS, Windows, and Xbox One on 7 May 2019, for PlayStation 4 on 25 August 2020, for Nintendo Switch on 6 November 2020 and Xbox Series X/S on 8 June 2021. A mobile version for iOS and Android was released on 4 August 2022.

Contents

A sequel, Descenders Next, is scheduled to be released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025 and for PlayStation at a later date. [6]

Gameplay

Descenders is a downhill mountain biking video game which puts players in different environments. Each level in the game is procedurally generated. [7] In each level, the player races a downward course on a relatively dirt trail. [8] During the trials, the player gains opportunities to perform tricks with their bicycle. [9] Each level also presents a set of random objectives to complete, such as performing a trick a certain number of times, or finishing a race within a certain time. [10] Each level also contains checkpoints which serve as respawn points upon bailing. Bail often, and the player fails the level. [11]

Development

RageSquid was part of a game studio incubation program at the Dutch Game Garden in Utrecht. [12] The developers there noted a lack of extreme sports video games on the market. Having grown up with several such games they decided to make their own to see if there was still a market for it. Prior to deciding on mountain biking the team considered other sports including Rock Climbing and Wing Suiting amongst others. [13] At one point they prototyped a Pogo stick game which "was hilarious to look at, but it was hard to make a fun game out of it". [13] In addition to Extreme Sport games the team also enjoyed Roguelikes such as Spelunky and FTL and decided to combine the two genres and "fell in love with the result and decided to continue along that path". [14]

Early on the team struggled with getting the physics right feeling that a good physics system was make or break for the game. As such the team spent the first few months designing one before working on the rest of the game with RageSquid stating that the Skate series was the team's biggest inspiration for this aspect. [13] For tricks RageSquid opted against having a list of preset button combinations instead opting for a system about "combining motions" which they stated makes the final game "more about expressing a personal style, which makes it more of a genuine extreme sports experience". [14]

Reception

Descenders received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [15] [17]

Mitch Bowman of PC Gamer felt optimistic about Descenders' progress, criticizing its lack of variety in features while praising the variety in level design. [7] Tim Rogers of Kotaku called the game "fast and smooth", and commented about the nauseating thrill the framerate gave him. [8] Matthew Kato at Game Informer praised the branching level structure. [9] Brendan Caldwell of Rock, Paper, Shotgun enjoyed the humour of the game, but was not impressed at the cosmetic rewards and the level design. [10] Dante Douglas at Polygon gave the early access version of the game a 7.0, praising the procedural generation while criticizing the tight controls. [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch retail versions published by Sold Out.
    iOS and Android version developed and published by Noodlecake Studios.

Related Research Articles

<i>Sega Genesis Classics</i> 2010 video game compilation

Sega Genesis Classics is a series of compilations featuring Sega Genesis video games released for Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The collections are split into "Volumes", with the first four receiving both physical and digital releases and the fifth volume only being digitally released.

<i>Dungeon Defenders</i> 2010 video game

Dungeon Defenders is a hybrid multiplayer video game developed by Trendy Entertainment that combines the genres of tower defense and action role-playing game. It is based on a showcase of Unreal Engine 3 named Dungeon Defense. The game takes place in a fantasy setting where players control the young apprentices of wizards and warriors and defend against hordes of monsters. A sequel titled Dungeon Defenders II was released in 2015.

<i>Rayman Legends</i> 2013 video game

Rayman Legends is a platform video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth main title in the Rayman series and the direct sequel to the 2011 game Rayman Origins. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita platforms in August and September 2013. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released in February 2014, with a Stadia version released in November 2021. A Nintendo Switch port, titled Rayman Legends Definitive Edition, was released in North America, Europe and Australia on September 12, 2017.

<i>Just Dance</i> (video game series) Dancing video game series

Just Dance is a rhythm game series developed and published by Ubisoft. The original Just Dance game was released on the Wii in 2009 in North America, Europe, and Australia.

<i>Defunct</i> (video game) 2016 video game

Defunct is an indie adventure video game developed by the Swedish indie video game development studio Freshly Squeezed from Visby. The game received several nominations at the 2014 Swedish Game Awards, including Game of the Year, which it went on to win. It was also nominated for Best Student Project at the 2014 Unity Awards.

Super Mega Baseball is a baseball video game series developed by the independent studio Metalhead Software in Victoria, BC, Canada and published by EA Sports.

<i>OK K.O.! Lets Play Heroes</i> 2018 video game

OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes is an action-adventure beat 'em up video game developed by Capybara Games and published by Cartoon Network Games. It is based on the show OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes and was released digitally on January 23, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, with a port to the Nintendo Switch launching physically in 2019. A physical release of the game bundled with Grumpyface Studios' Steven Universe: Save the Light for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch was released in May 2019.

<i>Just Shapes & Beats</i> 2018 video game

Just Shapes & Beats is an action rhythm video game developed and published by Canadian indie team Berzerk Studio. It was released on May 31, 2018, for Windows and Nintendo Switch, February 24, 2019, for macOS and Linux, May 10, 2019, for PlayStation 4 in the US, and May 30, 2019 for PlayStation 4 in Europe, Russia, and Australia. It was also released on June 30, 2020, for Stadia, and on May 31, 2022, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. In this game, players move a colored shape to the beat of background music and dodge pink shapes.

<i>Redout</i> (video game) 2016 racing video game

Redout is a racing video game developed and published by Italian studio 34BigThings. It is inspired by racing games such as F-Zero, Wipeout, Rollcage, and POD as stated on the game page on Steam.

<i>Super Hydorah</i> 2017 video game

Super Hydorah is a 2017 independent side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Locomalito and published by Abylight Studios. It features a 16-32 bit era look and feel as well as a CRT Monitor effect. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita on September 20, 2017, and later, in 2018, ported to iOS on May 17 and Nintendo Switch on November 15, respectively. The game is an expanded and enhanced version of the developer's previous freeware game Hydorah.

<i>Streets of Rage 4</i> 2020 video game

Streets of Rage 4 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games and published by Dotemu. The game is a continuation of Sega's Streets of Rage trilogy, originally released for the Sega Genesis during the 1990s. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Linux, and macOS, in 2020, for Stadia in 2021, and Android and iOS in 2022. Streets of Rage 4 received generally positive reviews and sold over 2.5 million copies by April 2021. An expansion, Mr. X Nightmare, was released in July 2021.

<i>Fox N Forests</i> 2018 video game

Fox n Forests is a video game developed by German studio Bonus Level Entertainment and published by EuroVideo Medien GmbH for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It was released on 17 May 2018. Fox n Forests is a side-scrolling platform game with retro-style graphics.

<i>Lego Builders Journey</i> 2019 video game

Lego Builder's Journey is a puzzle game developed by Light Brick Studio and published by Lego Games. When it first released on December 19, 2019, Lego Builder's Journey was initially an exclusive game for the Apple Arcade service on iOS, macOS, And visionOS; however, the game was subsequently ported to the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows, with these ports both being made available on June 22, 2021. It was also ported to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 25, 2021. The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 ports of the game released on April 19, 2022. Lego Builder's Journey and Lego Brawls were the first two Lego games for Apple Arcade. Lego Builder's Journey has received generally positive reviews.

<i>Liberated</i> (video game) 2020 video game

Liberated is a 2020 action-adventure video game developed by Atomic Wolf and published by Walkabout Games. It was released on Nintendo Switch on June 2, 2020, with a version for Microsoft Windows on July 30, 2020. An enhanced edition released for the Nintendo Switch on December 3, 2020, and for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 20, 2022.

<i>Lonely Mountains: Downhill</i> 2019 video game

Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a 2019 sports video game developed by German developer Megagon Industries and published by Thunderful. The game is a third-person biking game, where the player tries to complete courses on different mountains. The game was released on October 23, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. A Nintendo Switch port was released in May 2020.

<i>Wytchwood</i> 2021 video game

Wytchwood is an adventure video game developed by Alientrap and published by Whitethorn Games and Whisper Games for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was released on December 9, 2021.

Eastasiasoft Limited is a private, independent game developer and video game publisher headquartered in Hong Kong and specializing in niche indie video games and related media with an estimated revenue of $5.1 million. Incorporated on 28 June 2007, eastasiasoft began as a digital only publisher before branching out to publishing physical games starting in 2016 with Rainbow Moon, Lost Sea, and Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype. The company has since published a diverse variety of titles in both digital and physical format for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Playstation Vita, Windows, MacOS, SteamOS, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Eastasiasoft is credited as a developer and/or publisher on 331 games between 2007 and 2023. Some of eastasiasoft’s recently licensed and published games are Mugen Souls, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever, Xuan Yuan Sword 7, Empire of Angels IV, Seven Pirates H, Moero Crystal H, Trigger Witch, Rainbow Skies, and the Söldner-X franchise. Eastasiasoft has published games by developers such as DOMO Studio, Compile Heart, Rainbite, Suzaku Games, SideQuest Studios, and Softstar Entertainment, among others. Although their primary physical distributions are in Asian markets and via online retailers such as Playasia, Eastasiasoft has at times partnered with other publishers such as Funbox Media or Serenity Forge in order to release their games in other markets like Europe and North America. In addition to developing some of their own games, Eastasiasoft has also developed English localizations for games that otherwise would not make it to western markets and have developed ports to other consoles for games originally developed by others.

References

  1. ↑ B, Todd (2019-05-01). "Descenders biking to launch 1.0 on May 7th". Linux Game Consortium - gaming news, reviews and support. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  2. ↑ "Descenders is coming to PS4 August 25th and Switch later this year". GodisaGeek.com. 2020-07-23. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  3. ↑ "Descenders finally rolls onto Switch on November 6th". Destructoid - Nintendo. 2020-09-30. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  4. ↑ Zachary Boddy (2021-05-20). "Descenders to be Optimized for Xbox Series X|S with 120 FPS support, announces physical release". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  5. ↑ "Downhill Mountain Biking Game 'Descenders' is Coming to iOS and Android August 4th, Pre-Orders Live Now – TouchArcade". 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  6. ↑ Romano, Sal (6 August 2024). "Descenders Next announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  7. 1 2 Bowman, Mitch (2018-02-09). "Downhill biking game Descenders could be the heir to Skate's throne". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  8. 1 2 Rogers, Tim (19 January 2018). "We Biked Down Some Big Procedurally Generated Hills In Descenders". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  9. 1 2 Kato, Matthew. "The Sports Desk – The Downhill Rush Of Descenders". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  10. 1 2 Caldwell, Brendan (2018-01-29). "8 reasons to play Descenders (and some reasons to not)". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  11. 1 2 Douglas, Dante (2018-02-09). "Descenders review". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Our Impact". Dutch Game Garden. Archived from the original on 2024-08-18. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  13. 1 2 3 "Interview: Descenders Looks Ready To Conquer the Extreme Sports Mountain". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  14. 1 2 Mcferran, Damien. "Descenders is Tony Hawk meets roguelike, and it's coming to consoles". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Descenders for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Descenders for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Descenders for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Descenders for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  19. ↑ O'Reilly, PJ (6 November 2020). "Descenders Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  20. ↑ Green, Steven (6 November 2020). "Descenders (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  21. ↑ Banas, Graham (23 August 2020). "Descenders Review (PS4)". Push Square . Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.