#RIDERS REPUBLIC UPDATE UPDATE#

As someone who fears heights and has lost a little skin to hills, the game has me pulling back in my chair and twisting uncomfortably during some downhill races, so sucked into the screen that I want to get away. The field of view pulls out at high speeds too, a slightly out-of-body experience. Brakes aren't enough for really steep hills either, leaving you wrestling with an unstoppable skid (the absolute worst feeling on a bike). Bikes noisily skid and shudder when pushed too far, threatening to go out of control. I especially like that Riders Republic evokes some terrors of cycling.

Simply riding a bicycle is fun in this game. It's no simulation (it is extremely forgiving of ambulance-worthy manoeuvres, for one) but it feels good. Long grass tapping in my spokes, bushes scratching at my side. Little creaks and rattles from components. The sound of tyre biting into terrain on turns. The shudder when a corner is a little tight.

#RIDERS REPUBLIC UPDATE UPDATE#

The hum of your tyres and the whirr of your drivetrain, all throbbing slightly as effort shifts across each pedal stroke. Ubisoft has hit the slopes with the Riders Republic update 1.08 patch notes to get your head around, which adds new events as well as a slew of bug fixes. Riders Republic is an arcade racing game which evokes enough of cycling to be delightful in a way the official Tour De France game isn't. Switch to the first-person camera, turn off the music and HUD, and just cycle through American national parks with your bike humming beneath you.

But behind the rude 'tude and Fortnite-grade fashion, Riders Republic makes riding a virtual bike feel like riding a real one in a way few video games manage. I had expected to dislike Riders Republic because Ubisoft's marketing made the open-world xtreme sports game look like it was about gnarly middle-aged dudes with sikk lingo and twatty hats. Alongside the Tour De France, I rode my own Tour De Jeux with articles celebrating cycling in games and in life.

Riders republic update