Trials Evolution: Gold Edition

Bike trial competitions are all about extraordinary sportsmen who work hard for many years in order to be able to do the things they do. As it happens, the sport also looks pretty darn cool at the same time, which is why there are countless video games depicting it in a variety of ways. The creative fellows at RedLynx hit the jackpot with their version, however, because it featured the right combination of realism and pure arcade fun.

Trials Evolution: Gold Edition is a particularly wacky response to the popularity of the previous titles, because it encompasses all the crazy things that seemed to happen in the background of the older games. Hence, it’s all out in the open now, so you’d better be prepared for some grand pianos falling from the sky and all the explosions your graphics card can handle at full capacity.

To begin with, everything is a lot more polished and clean this time around when it comes to gameplay and general mechanics, although the series never had any issues in the control responsiveness department. As such, the bike is fairly easy to control using the keyboard, which is good news for those who do not own a gamepad. The handling is just as simple to understand as before, which means that only the directional keys are necessary to steer the bike.

Besides the usual trial levels that require you to navigate tricky environments as quickly as possible, there are also challenges involving much more insane activities. As an example, there is an event in which the rider is equipped with some sort of wooden wings, and you must launch off a ramp, eject from the bike, and try to fly as far as possible by flapping your arms. The editor allows you to create your very own levels as well, and you are not restricted at all from a creative point of view.

Technically, everything has been improved since the last PC release, especially when it comes to graphics and the physics engine. As such, the environments are much more open and oozing with detail, not to mention the lovely post-processing effects that give the game a more next-gen feeling. The bike physics have been substantially improved as well, while the player ragdoll effects have the ability to make every fall a lot more fun.

When it’s all said and done, the multitude of levels and game modes make Trials Evolution: Gold Edition very difficult to put down, especially if you intend on seeing everything the game has to offer. Hence, if you want to master each level and collect all the gold medals, you need to put in a lot of gameplay hours.