Around a month ago, Ubisoft had their yearly E3 showing, and many found it surprising not due to the announcements but instead the length of the conference itself, filled with bloated gameplay demos, interviews, and overall awkwardness. (just check out Jason Schierer’s tweetstorm about it) One of the game’s that captured this the best was Trials of the Blood Dragon, a misconstrued spinoff that received very little press due to the fact, nobody wanted it. Now, Ubisoft is doing an about face, and letting gamers experience the whole add-on for free if they complete the demo in less than fifteen tries. I was one of the lucky ones to complete this objective, but does Trials of the Blood Dragon lessen that feeling? Here’s what I think.
Gameplay:
There’s always a lot of talk when a franchise falls down the Ubisoft rabbit hole, but Trials has lately been one of the more evident examples. What used to be a motocross riot has now translated into a futuristic uncaring racer. Because of this, there’s been a lot of non-bike sections added into this other DLC’s, and of course this one. These could overstay their welcome but retain some magic, if they didn’t have a plethora of issues that Ubisoft and Red Lynx still haven’t ironed out. (aiming, grappling hooks, and even jetpacks for example)
Story & Design:
In between levels, Trails of the Blood Dragon attempts a Super Time Force-like aesthetic to overlay it’s plot. It may feel contrived in the opening moments, but there is genuinely some fun to be had, sometimes prevailing more than the gameplay. This isn’t always the case, but the chemistry between some lead roles saves what could have been a worsened trainwreck.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Cyberpunk always settles for a fresh aesthetic, but Trials of the Blood Dragon seems to not realize that this is a thing. It drips through the menus and loading screens, making the supposed easy navigation feeling like looking into the sun. It’s really desperate, and there isn’t a single example of it being showcased well in the game, which is a bit worrying.
Conclusion:
I’ll give Trials of the Blood Dragon props for being creative, but most of the time, that’s all it can manage. Mechanics are disjointed, and gameplay is a general slog, with spiking points of interest. In summary, it’s like the previously released Awesome Level Max on spiked hallucinogenics. Don’t do drugs kids.
Trials of the Blood Dragon gets a 4/10 (Bad)
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