Trial Xtreme 3 Review

When thinking about physics puzzle games, most likely dirt bikes do not come to mind.  Despite this notion, there have been several fairly successful titles that have used the “navigating an obstacle course” mechanic rather extensively.  The Trial Xtreme brand banked in on the name recognition of RedLynx’s popular Trials series on Xbox LIVE and PC, and dropped a consonant--aping the entire genre defining hit in one fell swoop.  Can Trial Xtreme’s third outing on iOS prove to be a fresh start or is it just more of the same?

Right out of the gate it is essential to turn off the accelerometer input. A title such as this requires the precision that can only be provided by on-screen buttons.  As far as controls go, players have the ability to hit a throttle to drive forward, breaks to slow down, a jump and a forward and backwards lean. Though this may sound simple and straightforward, just know that there are levels of complexity to the controls that can only be found through hours of experimentation and perpetual fail states.

Unfortunately, players will not have long to actually spend in the game before they are prompted to open their wallets.  Despite listing seventy six levels in the game’s App Store description, all but twelve are blocked off behind a $2.99 pay wall. While this isn’t necessarily lying, it is certainly a half truth.  Realistically, there are maybe thirty minutes of game time available for free.

The one thing that Trial Xtreme 3 has nailed is the look and feel of a proper Trials game. Each complexly intricate stage is set against a just as active backdrop featuring scenic views, sunset, or sandy beaches.  There may be even more locations available, but they are stuck hiding behind the pay wall, so who knows? For everything that Trial does right, it suffers from a stiff difficulty. Some stages launch off a cliff into the land of irritation and frustration, simply by virtue of their nearly insurmountable obstacles and poorly constructed track layout.

As much as I would love to say that Trial Xtreme 3 is the rebirth of the genre, it proves to be the exact opposite. Absurd spikes in difficulty don’t do much to help matters along the way, either.  Check this out if you are a die-hard Trials fan, or have a burning curiosity about the game type: it is free to try, even if it's only twelve levels.

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