Hands on with Line Rider 2: Unbound on DS
The dude is on the line
It seems that the best DS games are also the simplest. Few button presses, totally intuitive use of the stylus, and cute graphics. Check all three off for the handheld adaptation of internet phenomenon Line Rider. The wildly popular flash game takes toboggan aficionado Bosh on a new adventure in the DS's Line Rider 2: Unbound.
Freestyle mode keeps Line Rider 2 tethered to the original flash title. Using your stylus, you're able to draw outrageous tracks on which Bosh can ride his little sled. Simple physics determine how Bosh and his sled move through your creations. Draw a descending hill and Bosh accelerates down the slope; inversely, he'll lose speed climbing an ascending gradiant. The fun of tinkering in Freestyle mode is to design crazy tracks with steep slopes, loops, and big jumps. Aside from taking advantage of the stylus for drawing tracks, it's essentially the same game that's available online, beautifully brought to DS.
Where Line Rider 2 begins to distinguish itself is in two new modes: Story and Puzzle. Both modes employ similar styles of play, each requiring you to solve simple puzzles by drawing missing portions of incomplete tracks. Story sees you solving puzzles, whereas Puzzle enables you to create them.
What's great is that you're able to share custom built puzzles with chums via a local wireless connection or upload them online. Support for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection allows you to upload your own creations to the community and also download tracks from other users. It's a brilliant way of extending the value of the game.
The Story mode, unfortunately, is a bit questionable. Levels are organized into acts, at the end of which are short cut-scenes that move the plot forward. While we're appreciative of the stage-based gameplay that it offers, the narrative itself seems unnecessary. As it goes, Bosh must clear a certain number of stages in order to defeat his nemesis Chaz and save his girlfriend Bailey. It's an epic love story that'll have you tapping the Quit icon and heading over to freestyle mode instead.
To be fair, the actual stages are fairly entertaining. Each incomplete track includes green windows highlighting missing portions; naturally, you need to fill them in so that Bosh can ride to the finish line. Getting to the end isn't all that must be done, however. Targets situated within each track signify the path Bosh needs to take in order to properly complete the course. Should you reach the finish line without passing through every target, the stage goes incomplete.
For example, one level entitled Split Path features a branch in the track. The upper portion is much easier to take, but venturing onto the lower section nets you golden tokens used for unlocking bonus content. It's far trickier passing through all of the targets if you take the upper path, so it's up to you how to best tackle the stage. The ability to draw acceleration lines that rocket Bosh forward and deceleration lines that slow him down give you an edge in solving these stages.
Dropping the story and just including a bunch of these well-designed stages would be acceptable, as there's really no need for Line Rider 2 to possess a narrative of any kind. The game's all about creativity and that's what makes puzzle and freestyle modes so appealing. Still, its inclusion won't be criticised as long as the other components deliver. We're particularly eager to see how online content sharing pans out since it has the potential to provide endless hours of entertainment when it launches later this summer.
