RAD Boarding Review

RAD Boarding isn’t quite there, and its arrival a mere week after Alto’s Adventure compounds that, but it doesn’t stop it being a fairly promising Endless Snowboarding game. The idea of it being part SSX, part Tiny Wings rings true here.

You’re a washed up 90s star who has been thrown into the apocalypse and has to outrace a steady stream of lava. Controls are initially very typical of Tiny Wings. You hold your finger to the screen as you hit a slope, flying down it that bit faster, before releasing it as you hit an uphill section. What makes RAD Boarding stand out is the tricks you can also pull off. Once you go flying through the air, you can use gestures to initiate a few simple tricks. That offers you both satisfaction and a speed boost.

As you go racing through the landscapes, there are tombstones to collide into, demonstrating that you’ve overtaken an opponent, as well as frogs to pick up for the sake of bonuses, and milk caps, just because they look quite cool. RAD Boarding isn’t short of collectibles or unlockables, with plenty of things to upgrade.

Where RAD Boarding falters, however, is with the smaller things. There’s no Game Center support, meaning you can only compete with your Facebook friends, which just isn’t as attractive a proposition. Also, while you don’t HAVE to buy something like a coin multiplier, if you do, they’re limited in number. There’s no permanent multiplier here, with a set number bought at any one time. Ads are a little too frequent too, although they can be removed through any in-app purchase.

While none of those issues are game ruining, they do stop RAD Boarding from earning the big points. It’s still pretty fun and worth playing, but I suspect it’s an update or two away from realizing its true potential.