Trials Evolution: Gold Edition is a 2.5D physics platformer that combines both Trials HD and Evolution into one package. You are tasked with getting across each level as quickly and with as little crashes as possible. Looking at some screenshots of the game you may think it is an action packed racing game but in reality it is about overcoming various obstacles in your path by using careful precision. Keeping your finger on the acceleration key will make it far more likely that you will crash in a spectacular fashion unless you are really skilled at the game. You can crash as many times as you like and still get a bronze medal as long as you cross the finish line but to unlock more levels to play you will need to go for gold or at least silver. The fewer times you crash and the quicker you get to the finish line, the bigger your reward will be. Aside from medals you will also be rewarded with cold hard cash which you can use to customize your rider and the bikes in your garage.
You will automatically unlock new bikes the further you get into the game and they all have different ways of handling. Some may be heavier and slower while others will be fast and very prone to flip over if not careful. Handling aside, each bike you unlock is a straight upgrade to the one you were using meaning that you are unlikely to use those bikes ever again. There is one bike called the Micro Donkey that is unlocked by completing any track without crashing or leaning though for the life of me I could not accomplish this so I have no clue as to how the bike is. Customizing your bike and rider is solely for aesthetic reasons and has no effect on gameplay. You can color each part of your bike individually, making it look like you painted your bike with whatever spray paint you could find in the dumpsters if you so desire. As for different parts there are very little to choose from so most bikes will look the same minus their colors. Same goes for the rider, not much clothes to pick from though you can color him however you please.
Starting off you may be wondering which of the two games you should start off with but it doesn’t really matter as you will have to constantly switch between the two as they are tied into each other. Whatever medals you earn in either will count toward your total to unlocking newer, harder tracks so you will have to play through both game’s easy tracks in order to unlock medium difficulty ones. You can use the same bikes, same rider and the gameplay is exactly the same so it is very seamless, making it feel like one giant game. With the combination of two already decently sized games you will have a ton of content in this edition of the game. Trails HD no longer has its original soundtrack unfortunately and instead shares Evolution’s soundtrack for some reason. Evolution also has a setback in that its DLC is not available for the PC which is really unfortunate since they were very fun. This version is by no means awful but I would suggest getting them on the Xbox 360 if that option is available to you.
Port quality of this title is solid, ran well and I’ve experienced no glitches or crashes. Most people’s issues seem to be with the added Uplay DRM. It runs far smoother than the 360 version especially when there are lots of explosions going on, which is a large portion of the time. It being a 2.5D game means that the explosions going off in the background can’t harm you and are there to look cool. You can only move to the left and right of the screen though when you are sent hurling off your bike after a crash you can fly face first into objects that can’t normally be interacted with. It is a small unimportant detail but it never gets old sending your poor rider spiraling off the course and directly into some explosives. There is no gore or blood, he will just ragdoll into objects while occasionally letting off a very goofy scream. Trials does not take itself seriously at all and it is always tongue in cheek about things such as the descriptions for the levels that are often times references to movies or other forms of entertainment.
It is goofy, it has respawn points littered seemingly every couple of feet and you can respawn as often as you want but Trials is by no means easy. It may start off as seemingly easy and boring but it will quickly kick off the training wheels, leaving you to fend for yourself as it giggles making you slowly drive your way over a row of highly explosive barrels. These insane, nonsensical things it puts you through is a huge part of its charm and in no time you will be riding through a WW2 battlefield, a floating island full of giant stone golems and a haunted castle to name only a few. You never know what to expect next since the theme of each level varies so greatly and so does the level design. Even after you think you have mastered the levels near the end of the game you will be able to earn a 4th platinum medal which require 0 faults and little time wasted. They are by no means necessary as by the time you unlock the ability to earn them you will have already unlocked all the levels, they are just there to add replay value and earn bragging rights.
After reaching the extreme difficulty tracks I’m just happy to get through a track and couldn’t believe when I managed to get a silver medal on an extreme track even if I have played Trials since 2009. A neat feature incorporated into the game is the ability to view other player’s replays to see exactly how they got on the leaderboard and learn a few tricks from them. The community can even use the built in level editor to upload their created levels which are often time as good or better than the professionally made ones. It is a pretty powerful editor and I have seen the game turned into a First Person Shooter which was pretty mind blowing but honestly not that fun. There is tons of user created content to go through however the PC version has their own community that is separate from the Xbox version. That is really unfortunate since the Xbox version has been out much longer and has some amazing user created levels. Nonetheless what is here is typically pretty good and you will not be running low on tracks to play anytime soon.
Aside from your typical tracks you can play through a variety of “Skill Games” which massively change up the core gameplay with crazy ideas such as attaching a rocket booster to your bike, riding on ski gear or flying a UFO. They are very creative and a ton of fun to play through a few times though they lose their appeal quickly. If you are low on medals they can be a lifesaver since they are usually easier to get gold on and there are a ton of skill games to swift through. The other mode is a simple tournament that has you riding through a gauntlet of tracks in order to gain some medals. Each track has their own leader-boards where you can compete against friends and strangers as well as a feature where you can upload your playthrough of the level directly to Youtube. There is just so much content to the game that you’ll likely be playing it for a long time if the gameplay is to your liking. A demo is available on the Steam store page which is rare for a PC game but much appreciated and allows you to see if this is your cup of tea before buying. If you have the option of buying these games on the Xbox 360 I would suggest getting them there as Trials HD would feature its original soundtrack and Trails Evolution has some really cool exclusive DLC for it. If not, Trials Evolution: Gold Edition is still jam packed with content and is a very unique, addicting game that everyone should give a shot.
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