A gentle breeze plucks the autumn leaves, and the owl's sole is in the middle of the mountain in the evening light. My bike runs through an old wooden bridge, and the path in front of the water shakes. Instead of following it, I hurried over the cliff, at a poorly warned speed, then fell head over to a tree, missed the jump. Time to restart the check.
This is the flow of the Lonely Mountains: The downhill, the unpleasant mountain biking game with the beautiful sounds of the juxtaposed vistas against the high speed and the incredible jump. The 16 trails through the four mountains all start in the same way: Your bike and your rider are high on the top, ready to go down. From here, everything is on your way to your cool camp, wrap-and-sink gravel changes, dirty slides, hidden tree paths, and waterfalls. Can you beat your best time down? Can you handle a few crashes in this case? That simple formula speeds up the game, while accurate controls and shortcuts also add depth to make sure you come back for more.
Gameplay owes some credit to classics such as Marble Madness and its isometric view of the slope, as well as the long-term success of the long-running Trials series. However, the injection of a Zen-like natural sound as a soundtrack separates these isolated mountains. The ambient soundtrack of nature is an inspired choice, and the subtle yet vibrant color scheme effectively captures the bad idea of speeding up the hill as the background details combine.
In any run, you challenge yourself to hit the time limit by any means necessary, to hit the finish line with a clean runer, or both. Goals are limited to scale; without being too varied in the intended objectives, the power of tedium can develop over time. As it is, the main way in which the difficulty is to shave off seconds for each observation, converting seemingly impossible time goals into more realistic opportunities. The frustration of a lot of crashes is soothing because it is amazing to see your poor passenger fall into an empty space, or bend over a stone wall. Restarting is fast, so you don't have time to dwell on your failures.
Bicycles dominate as a dream, with fast, believable turns of arcs and many variations within six unlockable cycles, each of which sounds like its own "phase". One bike is best at high speeds, while the other cannot be driven on the road. Each adds a compelling playstyle, and a new way of dealing with all subjects. In fact, it is the compelling difference between styles of play that leads to my greatest frustration. Each bike opening is new in some parts, and you can't use the car until you get all the parts. In many cases, finding the full set of pieces for a new ride only happens too late in the game, and especially on a very difficult track. That's a crowd, because it means players will face limited gameplay options, and may never find the more attractive types in playstyle promoted by different bikes.
For very dedicated players, that difference will not be as important. Finding new shortcuts never loses that eureka moment, and each track has many other ways to explore. Mastering the physics of the cycle and learning the visual language of each environment is a long and rewarding career. Detailed leaderboards not only help you compete against friends and the world's largest playerbase, but also help identify individual checklists in any run where you can improve. Across the mountains and new trails, the cosmetic opening benefits allow you to be more visible to your rider and climber. Go especially to the beaten path, and you can even find all the restrooms hidden by the mountain provided. How long? Seeing a game break, then watching your rider relax with a good vista for a proper break.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is an arcade experience that focuses on surprising depth and substitution. The refreshing beauty is the fresh air compared to other sports that compete to be too big for your face. However, there is a strong search and competitive edge in this outdoor adventure that can easily embrace greater engagement. As a real sport, this mountain biking is ultimately your challenge, and it forces you to make progress, and that is enough to keep me coming back.
