The original Rock(s) Rider was released way back in May 2012, with the iPhone 4S being the pinnacle of performance back then. The team from ECA-Games has been hard at work since, and now, they have released the sequel to that highly rated side-scrolling Trials-type motorcycle game with Rock(s) Rider – HD Edition, just in time to celebrate (and fully take advantage) of the power the iPhone 6S has to offer.
The game itself is a 3D side-scroller and I’ve had the pleasure of playing it for the past few days. It has this vibe from the Tony Hawk games that I really like, and the menus lend an early triple-A feel into the game. Once you’ve selected your rider (both genders are represented in the game), it’s onto the levels, and Rock(s) does not hold back any punches when it comes to difficulty. The controls are simple, but the levels are populated with jumps and insane drops (not to mention a whole bunch of objects), all of which will require practice in order to complete a faultless run through a level. You’ll crash often, and even so, the game gets to showcase its rag-doll physics.
Hardcore motorcycle game fans will definitely find themselves at home with Rock(s) Rider HD, and adding to the competitive levels, there’s Game Centre integration as well. Rock(s) features 64 levels spread across 5 industrial environments and the in-game monies earned by completing levels can be used to unlock other levels, minimising the need to splurge on the in-app purchases although for a fee you can basically unlock everything and get the NOX upgrade plus a ROLL CAGE (!) for your bike.
On a technical side of things, Rock(s) Rider is a testament to how hardware performance has evolved in the past three years, illustrating the progress in shaders, textures, effects and dynamic objects. With its graphics and physics requirements, and weighing in at over 2 GB, Rock(s) Rider HD is definitely a game to showcase a fancy new iOS device. Nineoverten.com rates Rock(s) Rider – HD Edition at a 4.5 of of 5 for the hardcore motorcycle Trials-style gameplay and its technical powerhouse showcase of both graphics and physics.
Rock(s) Rider – HD Edition is available on the iTunes App Store for iOS devices at a price of USD 2.99. Check it out over here:Â https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rock-s-rider-hd-edition/id976289912. A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.
