How ‘Lonely Mountains: Downhill’ Captures the Thrill of the Mountains
It’s a unique combination of sound design and gameplay
Recently, I’ve been casually looking for a used bicycle on Facebook. I’ve had very little luck, which fits with anecdotal evidence I’ve heard that bike riding has seen a huge upsurge during the global pandemic. Bicycling for exercise sounds pretty appealing right now — a nice change of pace from running, a way to get outside for a few minutes — and an uptick in bike demand makes sense.
Even if I can’t ride a real bicycle though, I can still play Lonely Mountains: Downhill, a sublime bicycle riding game that came out for Switch not long ago. Obviously, this game doesn’t replace the exercise elements of riding down a mountain, but it’s a really fun experience. It also does something rare for many games — it captures the feel of being outside and in the mountains exceptionally well.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a pretty simple game at its core. Your goal is to ride a bike down a mountain. That’s how it starts at least — there are four mountains in the game, with four trails per mountain, making a total of 16 trails. Each time you unlock a new one, your goal is to ride down and reach the ending.
It turns out though, that finishing a trail is just the beginning. In true video game form, there are challenges that soon unlock after your first successful run, asking you to reach the end in a certain time, or under a certain number of crashes. That’s a tried-and-true method of keeping players hooked, and it works well here since otherwise your only true competition would be yourself.
As good as it is, I don’t just want to talk about the nuts and bolts of Lonely Mountains: Downhill. I want to talk about how the game nails the feeling of being in the mountains. I’ve never ridden a bicycle down a mountain at breakneck speeds, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time hiking and enjoying the wilderness. This game captures the feeling of being outdoors exceptionally well.
The sound design, first and foremost, is delightful. There’s no music at all, so the only accompaniment to your solitary journey down each mountain is the rush of wind, the whir of your bike chain, and the light chirping of birds. It feels a little jarring at first, but a few minutes into each ride the minimalist sound soon becomes powerfully immersive. One of the best parts of being outside in the mountains is the ambient noise — Lonely Mountains: Downhill helps relay that feeling through tv speakers.
The blocky graphics are also surprisingly engaging. Even though there’s scant room for detail, the mountains, roads, trees, water, and other parts of each trail have their own appeal. I find myself drawn to this style, so I might be slightly biased. However, I think that the simplicity of the graphics fits well with the general quietness of the game.
Of course, Lonely Mountains: Downhill probably wouldn’t have attracted as much praise as it has without being really fun to play, which it fortunately is. Riding down its trails is surprisingly challenging, and the difference between success and failure at any moment depends on quick reflexes and an ingrained knowledge of the trails. The game also encourages experimentation and exploration — there are always hints of faster, more dangerous routes at nearly every turn.
I love the feeling of finding a video game that’s truly unique. Good, even great, games come out every year, but I can’t think of any that marry bike riding and minimalist design this successfully. It also seems like a pretty risky game to make — how big is the market for games about riding down mountains?
Nothing can truly capture the appeal or joy of being outside on a mountain. I don’t mean to suggest that sitting in front of a tv is a suitable substitute for going hiking. But if you want to sample a little of the outdoors, or just enjoy a really fun game, Lonely Mountains: Downhill is probably worth your time.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
