Trials Fusion arrived on Xbox One shortly after the console's launch in 2014, bringing the proven combination of motorcycle, physics, and pure frustration to a new generation. You ride across a flat plane from left to right, controlling throttle, brake, and the rider's forward or backward lean, and it's this weight shifting that decides everything: clearing a vertical obstacle, landing on the front wheel, and whether you stick a jump or crash after it. The tracks are packed with seesaws, crates, ramps, and explosions, and restarting after a fall is instant, so the game plays out in a rhythm of constant repetition and tiny improvements measured in centimeters.
Compared to earlier entries, it adds a setting placed in a futuristic, partly derelict future and the ability to perform in-air tricks scored in separate disciplines. Crucial to the whole package is the challenge system on every track and leaderboards that constantly show your friends' times, giving you a reason to keep coming back. On Xbox One the game runs smoothly and precisely, a necessity for a title decided in milliseconds, and the motorcycle physics feel heavy and believable. Visually it leans on bold colors, metal, and concrete, the music is an energetic mix of rock and electronics, and an ironic artificial voice keeps commenting on your progress throughout. A track editor and sharing of user-made creations add a practically endless supply of content.
The Trials series is part of what long defined the Xbox brand in the digital-distribution era, and Fusion was its first major entry on the new console. Reviews praised the gameplay, the difficulty curve, and the editor, with criticism aimed mainly at the narrative framing and the fact that the new features weren't as substantial as one might expect from a generational leap. The tracks labeled as the hardest still rank among the most demanding things you can find in games today. Today, Trials Fusion remains a great choice for short sessions and for competing with friends via the leaderboards.
Game 102 of 204 for Xbox One
