What Makes DESCENDERS So Exhilarating?

[@WritingOnGames]

The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/writingongames07211 So I hope you enjoyed the video! This was actually available to patrons for a few months before eventually publishing it now. If you enjoy the videos and would like to directly help me continue to make more, consider heading to patreon.com/writingongames and pledging only what you're comfortable with. Doing so gets you access to things like early, completely ad-free video uploads as well as new patron-exclusive commentaries on older videos! Your support is what allows me to keep doing this and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. Stay safe everyone!

[@pavlovolegphoto]

As a mountain biker i can't watch off-track bits at this speed - my mirror neurones screaming all at once - You are dead! (upd - oh my god it has first person view)

[@nsalegit9482]

I suppose you could say you've had a *pavlovian* response?

[@pavlovolegphoto]

@@nsalegit9482 nope, pavlovian response should connect two separate events - red light and electrical strike / green light and food serving. then even without food or electricity brain suggest proper response from the body. in my case there is no such event - I see 3d mountain slope and feel the same (at some extent) as I feel on real one If your question was serious of course )

[@nsalegit9482]

@@pavlovolegphoto ah well, should have been more clear I was being sarcastic, although I do appreciate the elucidation.

[@pavlovolegphoto]

@@nsalegit9482 it’s alright, it’s will be random useful information in KZbin comment )

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

I get exactly what you mean. Do enough of a sport or task to become competent at doing it safely, and you've built a part of your brain whose job it is to tell you just how badly you are about to get hurt - and the faster the sport the more instant the response is. I spent some time doing both skiing and track racing, and doing either thing in sport games means constantly setting off the 'you are already dead' sensor. Skiing is the worst, somehow, because you get used to helplessness in a car crash, but you can't do the skiing safety trick of 'just fall over and hope the skis break your ankle but save your life.'

[@N00BSYBORG]

Needs a VR update so I can experience the terror of nearly dying from the comfort of my couch.

[@ScorpionF1RE----USA]

this game alone, is reason enuf to buy a steamdeck

[@stevebobowski3507]

Vr mod has been released!

[@felix-ve8jk]

It needs an overhaul to its career mode and how you progress through the game. Some weird mechanics where you can fall at a seemingly dead stop is akin to breaking your neck. If I wanted VR Id get on my bike. This is still kind of a mobile game in its size and playability.

[@VolkMate]

​@@felix-ve8jk I think someone did an interview with ragesquid and they said they're announcing a sort of 'descenders 2' game later this year

[@johannlabertaler6095]

I really don't play a lot of sports games, it is rare for me to play games which require training and repeapting gameplay, but I loved Descenders. It just felt so good

[@ashleynovac4662]

same here, they really nailed that flow state feeling

[@timothymclean]

3:25: The fact that they call trick of jumping the Cristo Redentor copy "Redeemed" is a detail I want to draw attention to. I like it. That is all.

[@rickydo6572]

This reminds me a lot of Downhill Domination on the PS2, minus the violence, and the edge, and it looks less competitive, in fact, I'm positive the devs of Descenders were inspired by it just by how similar the game looks in the video at least. Downhill Domination was basically Road Rash with bicycles instead of motorcycles while going downhill constantly, I've always wanted a sequel, or an online version of that game, guess I finally found it. Oh, and if you don't know what Road Rash is, it's basically an arcady racing game that features a combat system that is simple yet satisfying (if you're playing the right road rash). Nothing beats kicking an oponnent onto oncoming traffic and seeing him and his bike flying, and then running him over while he's still sliding across the asphalt, if it sounds too gruesome, don't worry, the game is pretty over the top and doesn't feature blood or graphic violence, it's just dumb fun and metal af.

[@yt49ab6p5]

I wanted to leave a comment here thanking you for recommending this game. When I was a kid, I fell in love with a jet ski racing game called Splashdown, and I've been looking for a similar feeling to that game for like 15 years. And thanks to this game, I think this is it. In a different way, it made me recapture similar feelings of speed, control and cozy familiarity. Probably has a lot to do with the music as well. So again, thanks.

[@derekewart5017]

I was addicted to Splashdown. The physics were so phenomenal 👍

[@bintzaaarrghh3628]

Omg the soundtrack was fire

[@jp9707]

With roguelike games I always like to imagine that the player character is in purgatory, unable to escape this endless loop of gameplay. So in Descenders they can hang out in the lobby area with other people trapped in the loop, or they can choose to ride through a unique track, giving them a fleeting and exhilirating sense that they are finally escaping, before either dying or completing the run and being dragged back to the lobby. Their fate is to be endlessly taunted by the impression that they're fleeing to freedom, only to end up back where they started. They see an infinite number of landscapes, each one different to the ones they've seen before, but all made up from the same ingredients, until gradually they start to seem like one homogenous track. Even the relative escape of riding through these unique landscapes, giving the false impression of seeing new sights and escaping to freedom, is gradually taken from them as each track starts to seem more and more like the tracks they've ridden through before. Just an interesting thought I like to have.

[@SBandy]

Never been a fan of BMX games, actively dislike games with procedurally generarated levels but.....I LOVE Descenders. The sense of speed is honestly unmatched. Own it on my Series X and Switch and play it on both consoles all the time. It is just fantastic fun. Also the soundtrack is fantastic and just adds to the great chill out vibe the game has (despite also being terrifying).

[@NicoBleackley]

Easily one of the best games of this generation. Descenders > Eastenders

[@synthetic240]

When you were talking about the sense of insanely dangerous speed, it reminded me of playing Need for Speed: Shift. There was a track were you get to drive a high-end supercar along a very long one-way course (rather than doing laps). Near the end, there's a (nearly) straight-away that was several km long. So I'm doing like 400 km/h, scared to even tweak my steering for fear of flying off into space.

[@gandalfthegay420]

The desert road by anychance? If so I know your pain! Slightest touch , speedwobble and then catapulted into the arid wastes never to be seen again.

[@MidnightSt]

i haven't played Descenders (yet), but i've been doing mountain bike racing for a few years when I was younger, and from what I see and how you describe Descenders' handling the feeling of speed... Yes. Seems to feel very accurate to reality.

[@DigiTism]

Can’t wait to see speed runs of this.

[@raidenslicingwatermelon]

I’m a sucker for momentum and anything having to do with BMX or dirt bikes since the classic THQ MX games. Decenders is a massively fun time

[@WhoIsSirChasm]

Did you ever play Excitebike 64? I know the prospect of "go from up to down on a bike" isn't the most novel experience, but there's a cheat code in it that can let you do Hill Climb as a descent that this reminds me of. The weird terrain, the freedom of expression, the silliness of seeing your biker careen into the distance if you crash... maybe it served as inspiration.

[@GumikoVT]

I discovered Descenders via game pass too. Ended up picking it up in a steam sales later too. It's amazing.

[@Iggsy81]

Game Pass is the best thing to happen to gaming in many years tbh. gaming media never explain that cos they dont have to pay for their games so they dont care, but for the average consumer it's' a godsend.

[@Supershade9421]

The fear I felt when flying at 90kmh mid air in forest was something I could only feel irl. This game and it's soundtrack are addicting

[@bamfyu]

Descenders is a fantastic game, I have over 100h in it.

[@dukemagus]

I imagine a VR version of this game being perfect to present to drunk friends and older family members during parties

[@senorlechuga8832]

One of the few games I've seen that give such a great feel of speed. Reminds me of those NFS Pro Street races, but with bikes

[@redpandarampage2191]

Content on this channel is great. Your recent Dishonored 1 video got me to try the game and I loved it, so thanks!

[@bartandaelus359]

Glad to see that your rider has successfully installed VLC media player.

[@shiwakao]

i adore descenders. zen is absolutely the perfect way to describe it.

[@hashishisthecure]

Loved this game! Was so stoked when it dropped on PSN

[@smithsmithy7149]

This was the first gamepass game that I got hooked on. It's sooo much fun.

[@aalabarces]

The game that had the top spot for "making me feel like i'm going super fast" was for Star Wars Racer, one of my favourite racing games with the only downside of being waaaay too easy

[@Pacuta_]

You know what? You convinced me. This is a PS+ game and I wasn't even going to bother before I watched this video. Thanks!

[@greenhowie]

Kinda looks like it has similar concepts to Road Redemption - another semi-randomized racing game. Also one of the few PC splitscreen games, they are ridiculously rare.

[@GamingNorthGaming]

I love this game! I play it a lot and make videos aswell. Just a great gameplay feel when you ride along the tracks!

[@caravaneerkhed]

I love descenders glad to see someone covering it! It’s such a fun thing to shut your brain off and play a round or 2

[@ScorpionF1RE----USA]

arcade physics, when done right, are the number one reason we play video games... descenders, mario, gta, f-zero, trackmania, call of duty, celeste, tony hawk, forza, doom, halo, mirrors edge, the crew, just cause, dying light, red dead, spiderman, far cry, crackdown, borderlands, marvel vs capcom, tekken, street fighter, vampire survivors, redout, wreckfest, rocket league, etc...

[@redopz4462]

I noticed that the rep score at the bottom is showing the level rep, not the complete run rep (can be changed in settings). At 4:29 the rider has a score of 12,000, with only 3 seconds of air time so far. That has got to be the run rep at the point, right? Please tell me there is no way that is possible for a single level.

[@descenders-competitive]

Very well put together review, you definitely captured the spirit of descenders in all of its intricacies - if you ever get the chance to pick up the steam version i would also very much recommend that you do so for the modding capability that opens up a world of new maps to play. If you ever feel like testing your capabilities at speed then keep an eye out for the next official competitive racing event we host :D

[@bloodcaptain5060]

As a person who has been playing for over 400 hours, I fully agree in what your saying

[@BasementMinions]

The sheer quality of games on game pass is so staggering. Thank you for sharing your personal experience with this game, I'll add it to my long list of "get to it later." :)

[@archeoxx]

Fantastic analysis ! It really makes me think about Steep, which I absolutely loved !

[@TheBlueGoldenHawk]

the sequel to Steep, Riders Republic, also looks pretty similar to this with its bike gameplay

[@ParmMannREBORN]

Have you played Lonely Mountains Downhill? It's another indie arcadey racing game on Game Pass, i had a lovely time with it

[@yan-amar]

The pleasure you get from Descenders makes me think about what I get from Art of Rally.

[@averyangrycrow4936]

Sooooo It’s steep but no snow

[@nexotope]

I didn't really gel with Descenders and was about to uninstall it.. but after watching this I'll give it another few tries, cheers!

[@grfrjiglstan]

I don't know if I've seen any game use FOV as well as this one.

[@hamster2u396]

This is quickly becoming my most-played game it’s so freaking addicting

[@thealmightypin8080]

Omg how do you land so easily I almost always die from big falls! + Another bonus of this game is that even if you get sick of the main maps and campaign (which is highly unlikely) there's is tons of in-game mods to check out.

[@Hedgpig]

I think I spent the first 20 minutes of this game laughing at myself and others ragdolling in the lobby, thanks for the recommendation Also 5:29 you'd think scissoring a cactus at 60 km/h would be a two health loss

[@ObsoletePerson]

I saw 'Supraland' in there. It is, bar none, the best first-person Metroidvania that isn't 'Metroid Prime'. Which isn't that competitive of a field but it's still really good.

[@certified5219]

my game doesn’t start like in the beginning it loads to about 80% then it just closes

[@nefariou5]

This review sold me on the game. thanks.

[@naughtiusmaximus]

This game is what Steep wanted to be

[@the120cxx]

I was playing the game while listening to this and that feel that

[@jonasb1231]

Good review, clean and simple. Keep it up :)

[@danhectic5629]

reminds me a bit of the last SSX- looks fun!

[@KazBodnar]

This dude forgot about the many, many custom maps made by the community! Like, way more content than the base game!

[@WritingOnGames]

Didn't forget.

[@-Jesse.C]

One of the best game I've played and this was a great vide9 about why it's so fantastic.

[@Harry-ki6ko]

The crashes you have in this game are insane

[@dunkelwelpling]

Thanks for the tip, this seems like a game for me.

[@panimala]

I think I'd call this as much of a racing game as Snakeybus lol, but I get the appeal.

[@zanychelly]

I bought it for less than half of the price of Gamepass monthly subscription. I say, buy the game, support the devs directly.

[@shinohidanzetsu]

Sonic better be taking notes, lol.

[@coldblowcode]

I find the procedural generation really frustrating and creates really poor track design. Along with the limited live system, I just found that that game encourage you to go slowly, instead of having risk reward, there's mostly just risk. And the "boss levels" often aren't possible due to being procedural. Perhaps I'm just more critical because I paid £18 for it off steam.

[@fienday]

I have 170+ hours on this game on Steam, and have played since release. All boss levels are possible since they have to have a slope leading up to them, I've never seen an issue with the procedural generation. It seems like your problem is the procedural generation in which case you could try the modded maps and the bike parks in the game menu which are all man made.

[@stickguy220]

POV: You turned the light on 1:46

[@ITNoetic]

If only it had VR support

[@HxH2011DRA]

Random objectives are fun

[@ThrottleKitty]

Yes put can a ride in a giant hamster ball?

[@rhainegraves7235]

Discernment and discretion advised. Any resemblances to Alēn(s) are/is coincidental. exit (1)(2).

[@TitansSoul]

I just bought this game on switch, it is stupidly fun

[@zakattk001]

I found the controls really unintuitive. But that's just me. Not a bad game though.

[@YourPetSnake]

Sorry to be a bother but does anyone who owns a copy of the Xbox version have a glitch where the hud disappears? I get a weird white screen before the game loads then I can’t see anything :(

[@fedroger51]

Who’s here after ps plus announcement?

[@malfunkt]

Downloading right now. Looks like a perfectly chill game. Have you played?

[@hyperbolic-time-chamber-strand]

10 bones on the eshop welp guess it's time to give it a go, cheers boys.

[@thecoveraddict2354]

I have almost 150 hours in this game and its still entertaining

[@andersonzuniga4082]

I mean this game is fun don't get me wrong, but it looks more fun when your watching someone thats good at it

[@israelPoplife]

You deserve a lot more suscribers.

[@xntt-xo5qi]

Awsome but when can we get a new bmx game

[@merijn639]

You might like mx vs atv reflex too

[@DanteMan117]

alive better

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@epicgamer2727]

I’ll be honest I just want trackmania on PS4

[@dogtorque]

Gamepass isn't worth keeping around even for Descenders when you can just get the steam version instead which has support for user created maps and gear. why pay 10$ a month for a service you are only keeping around for 1 or a few games when you can just buy those games outright?

[@teo11300]

What’s the game at 0:42 seconds?

[@WritingOnGames]

Ape Out.

[@EggBastion]

Fast you say?

[@bigfootnintendorazr]

Love this channel

[@TheIrland09]

The limited lives ruined this game for me unfortunately.

[@slimbomb]

This game is awesome!!! So happy they gave it for free

[@AluinKali]

I wish I could like this game. As a mountain biker myself I'd love a great mountain biking game. Interestingly though the speed of the game combined with it's uncanny animations totally take me out of it. For me personally I find the game really hard to look at.

[@gnanay8555]

Did you heard of lonely mountains : downhill ? The way the camera works with obstacles makes real mountain bikers feel at home, apparently. It's about carefull manage with twists and turns, and knowing your mountain. No random, and not so much speed.

[@bullet1544]

Thx

[@Ji99i3]

Has anyone played downhill domination?

[@jeroenmarriott1715]

heh looks like it shits all over riders republic, good one.

[@mauripops4184]

freakstyle anyone?

[@TheIrland09]

I thought it got boring after a couple of hours personally. The procedural generation gets really repetitive.

[@Idanuboy]

Gave it a shot, wasn't a fan. Everything about the game - the graphics, the soundtrack, the controls - felt so mediocre.

[@TheMightySilverback_]

Confused as to how this has no comments

[@markosmitran9433]

I mean it just got posted a few minutes ago

[@TheMightySilverback_]

@@markosmitran9433 Ah I made a mistake, the video was posted a few minutes ago at the time but the pinned comment from writing on games was from 2 hours prior to my comment, so I thought it had been uploaded for 2 hours.