Xbox Game Pass seems to be getting better every month, even if the Games joining the subscription service are not always blockbuster hits. But among the games just submitted to Game Pass is FoamPunch’s paper shredder is the clear unique selling proposition here. Y’all, this game is sick! It’s an affectionate callback to hugely popular and over-the-top snowboard gems like 1080 and SSX that puts much more emphasis on the meditative precision of board control. But don’t twist it. The big airs are still there. But in paper shredder, you can bring more of your personality into the way you drive. It’s not just about tearing up the slopes. No, this game is more about teaching you how to master the art of snowboarding and expressing yourself on the mountain tops.
Before you can rip the snow onto your board in the game’s massive open world, you’ll have to wade through the sometimes cringe-worthy, sometimes hilarious narrative. You and your filmmaker friend Scotty run the Shreddageddon (shred-tube?) YouTube channel, which features videos of silly hijinks and insane tricks. After hanging out at Frozen Wood Resort for a bit, the content creator duo is approached by Lisa, a brand marketer for the fictional snowboard company 540 Indy, to create sponsored videos. There’s no money involved, of course, but hey, at least you get free merch and a chance to ride a big snowboard festival. Yay, labor exploitation. Anyway, this exchange triggers a series of in-game tutorials that will teach you the ins and outs of snowboarding.
I love how the campaign is tied into the tutorial. Certain missions even break down the steps to landing a trick, like Shreddageddon’s obviously sponsored guide the 540 Indy maneuver, where you perform a body rotation and a half while gripping the center toe side of the board. As you progress through the story, you will learn how to drive and eventually perform complex movements triple rodeo backflips and such. But learn more than just tricks what paper shredder What really teaches is focus and intentionality, two crucial aspects to mastering the sport. .
While the actual writing is drab to keep it up except for one cheeky line where Pro snowboarder Zeb Powell scolded the developers for spending their money on “parties and snowmobiles” instead of face rendering, pay attention during the tutorial. paper shredder has a deceptively simple control scheme. To perform tricks, use a combination of thumbsticks and shoulder buttons, similar to EA skate (making a comeback). But the controls are unwieldy, especially when you’re figuring out the timing needed to twist and turn efficiently so you don’t slam into the fresh snow. It takes practice to become consistent with the movements, and that can get frustrating because the controls, while easy to understand, aren’t as precise. There’s also no in-game trick repository, so you end up learning moves by memorizing stick movements rather than looking through a list for references.
Sure, a trick list would be helpful. Most extreme sports games including Crea-ture Studios’ meeting and Roll7s OlliOlli world, tend to have them. So this is confusing paper shredder is deprived of such a thing. But honestly I love it. There’s an element of discovery, both in the open world as you cruise through the numerous parks full of kickers and rails, and in the mechanics themselves that come with experimentation. It’s impressive and leads to moments of celebration after you’ve landed a trick you didn’t think was possible.
In this way, paper shredder elicits the same satisfaction that comes with performing improbable moves in actual snowboarding. It’s also a comforting escape into the frigid Alps with nothing but a board and your imagination. Even if you keep eating shit while attempting some crazy moves, there’s that effortless rhythm you get into as you ski down mountain peaks and take in the wintry landscape while chasing that next big jump to trick from . My favorite thing to do isn’t so much tricking as gliding through trees and past shacks and occasionally bumping into other players online doing the same.
paper shredder does not hold a perfect landing. I ran into a bunch of bugs that caused my rider to fall off cliffs and slopes so many times that I wondered if they would stop snowboarding. But once you grasp the game’s awkward controls, performing gravity-defying tricks is an enjoyable experience. paper shredder do something skate did it with the skateboard games, bringing a realistic twist to the often fantastical genre. If this is any indication of the resurgence of the snowboard genre, sign me up. I’m here for that.
