Trials of the Blood Dragon Review

Crossovers have long played a part in video games and have peaked the interest of gamers who may have overlooked a title if their favorite character hadn’t been a part of the supporting cast. Fighting games like Killer Instinct putting the Arbiter as a playable character or Mortal Kombat and their cast of classic horror film icons like Leatherface and Jason Voorhees can draw fans from across the board. Redlynx hoped to do the same when combining their physics based motocross game Trials with the 80’s cult classic inspired Blood Dragon. Some strange combos are destined to be together like peanut butter and chocolate, but can this odd couple make developers think outside the box to create monstrous love children or will it be shunned like another Paris Hilton album?

If you haven’t played Trials or Blood Dragon, please do yourself a favor and download these enjoyable games from the game library. For those who have you know exactly what each have to offer and why they developed such a strong following with gamers across the world. A physics based motocross game with over the top stunts and trials to blaze combined with a crazy 80’s based action/sci-fi/fantasy game packed full of one liners, stereotypical movie characters, and chock full of blood and guts has to be good news!!! And at times it is, but overall Trials of the Blood Dragon fails on so many different levels.
The story starts off years after the end of Blood Dragon and stars Rex Colt’s (the original hero) fraternal twins who are off to defend freedom in the 4th Vietnam War. Rex’s machismo has definitely been passed on to Roxanne and Slayter who each have their own special skill sets. Cut scenes are set up and look like the beloved and cherished cartoons from the 80’s (but for adults now), so those who want to feel a little bit of nostalgia will get a kick out of the plot and the flamboyant neon colors.

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As our teenage heroes fight their way to glory through aliens, monsters, and the evil commie oppressors you’ll encounter a combination gameplay through 27 levels, ranging from motocross riding to side scrolling platform action. You’ll jump right into action with the Trials portion of the gameplay and things feel right as rain as you teeter between life and death with each jump or landing. It starts out slow and easy at first, but you’ll be thrown into much more trying jumps and obstacles as you progress. Things get trippy down the road as well when you’re exposed to a situation where gravity doesn’t work like it should and you feel like you’ve jumped down the rabbit hole to wonderland while tripping on acid or magic mushrooms. There are also times where you have to fire a grappling hook to traverse across unsurpassable gaps and other situations where you must shoot while driving. It’s a fun mixture to the tried and true Trials formula.

Things seem to spiral downhill when you’re not on the dirt bike and forced into the platforming portion of the game where the controls feel loose and unreliable. Your character seems to float when you jump making landing imprecise and requiring more luck than skill when getting past a taxing obstacle in a level. The entire side-scrolling portion of the game feels cheap and tacked on instead of polished and engaging. To make things more infuriating there are a few levels that require you to use a jetpack to navigate through debris and deadly barriers and while this sounds like a piece of cake it is harder than watching a marathon of Uwe Boll films. Even if you master this useless skill set to get an A score on these level, you’ll find the level where you must use the jetpack with mine in tow that swings with even the slightest movement maddening enough to snap your control, kick your puppy or club a baby seal with no remorse.

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There is a ton of game for this mashed up crossover through the 27 levels and hidden boards where you take control of a remote control car to collect keys to unlock an alternate ending. Players receive letter grades, A being the best and F the worst, upon completing levels. The faster you are and flawless riding with no faults will net you that A, which in turn gives you a special sticker pack to open and add to your sticker album. Yes, this was another 80’s thing, but the stickers are hilarious knock-offs of some iconic 80’s and 90’s material like Howard the Duck and the Teletubbies. Only the hardcore gamers and completionists will come back for more action after they beat the game because of the shoddy platforming gameplay and lack of any online features.

Trials of the Blood Dragon’s visuals are superb and as I’ve said previously it will bring back memories of yesteryear. I loved the cartoon inspired cut scenes, the bright vibrant colors reminiscent of my teenage years, and the variety of level designs from jungle, to urban warfare, to outer space. The soundtrack provides an awesome synthwave vibe and the voice acting is spot on for the over-the-top storyline.

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Overall, Trials of the Blood Dragon will appeal to gamers on some level just because of the names attached to the title, but if players go in thinking this will be another AAA title they will be sadly disappointed. The messy gameplay transitions from motocross to platforming and the abysmal controls during the side-scrolling sequences change the game from an enjoyable experience to a tedious adventure with few bright points. Fans looking for a bit of nostalgia will love the references made throughout the game as well as the soundtrack and visuals. Ubisoft seemed to push this game out as soon as it was announced which is a shame because with a little refinement it would have been an excellent addition to each franchise.

Score – 4.5/10

Review code supplied by Microsoft Xbox

Written by: Jake Lyons

Jake is our long standing North American based writer and player of many video game genres. Jake is equally fair and critical in good proportion and tells it like it is.