Trials of the Blood Dragon review

Trials has been a consistently excellent series, and Far Cry's 80s-themed Blood Dragon expansion was an exhilarating breath of fresh air. Therefore, a mashup of the two should be one of the best releases of the year, right?

Well, one of the easiest ways to answer that question is with another question; did you ever play Trials and find yourself thinking that it could use more on-foot segments? And the answer to that question is "no."

Trials has always been a game about precision. Its trickier tracks have required perfect feathering of the throttle, while getting the balance of your bike right on some perilous segments. That's where Trials of the Blood Dragon falls apart; it tasks you with running and gunning more frequently than it should and it just doesn't feel right. In truth, it feels like a low-budget platforming shooter with floaty jumps and imprecise controls. This is a bugbear that's particularly highlighted in sections that have you outrunning a Blood Dragon or climbing upwards before the section of land you're on ends up underwater.