Descenders


Descenders is an action cycling video game developed by Dutch studio RageSquid and published by No More Robots. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One on 7 May 2019.

Gameplay

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

Reception

Descenders received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Mitch Bowman of PC Gamer felt optimistic about Descenders progress, criticizing its lack of variety in features while praising the variety in level design. Tim Rogers of Kotaku called the game "fast and smooth", and commented about the nauseating thrill the framerate gave him. Matthew Kato at Game Informer praised the branching level structure. Brendan Caldwell of Rock, Paper, Shotgun enjoyed the humour of the game, but was not impressed at the cosmetic rewards and the level design. Dante Douglas at Polygon gave the game a 7.0, praising the procedural generation while criticizing the tight controls.