Mad Skills BMX 2 is a mobile game from 2017 that throws us onto short, muddy tracks on the back of a trusty BMX bike on the Nintendo Switch. You don't have to be a fan of cycling to enjoy this game, but you need to be ready for one thing: this is pure mobile gaming, and you can feel it at every turn.
Design and controls: simple mobile flair
The gameplay is based on short, arcade races that last only 15-30 seconds. The goal is clear: reach the finish line first, pull off a backflip, and not crash along the way. The controls are minimalist and clearly designed for touchscreen: you use the left analog stick to control the tilt and jump, and you can also activate rocket boost for a short burst of speed or perform a backflip.
Hop by hop, and so to the finish
Everything else is handled by physics, and it's quite ruthless physics. A weak "hop" and you'll crash into an uphill, a too high jump and you'll overshoot the finish line. Although the feeling of control is solid, it becomes clear after just a few races that there isn't much depth. The game pushes you for precision but doesn't offer new ideas or mechanics to deepen the driving style. Fortunately, it's easy to restart a level, just one press of X and we're off again.
Content and progression: quantity without surprises
Career mode offers eight landscapes, from forests and deserts to snow-covered mountains. At the end of each stage, a "boss" race awaits you, and by winning races, you earn money that you can spend on bike upgrades or cosmetic additions.
The bike is beginner's trash, but you'll still eat my dust, buddy!
Along with the campaign, the game also offers a challenge mode like the backflip challenge, where you perform as many flips as possible in a given time, Rocket Mode which requires smart timing of boosts through technical sections, and Time Attack, the most fun mode, where you race against your ghost and try to beat your own record.
Although all of this sounds nice on paper, in practice, most modes revolve around the same three elements: timing jumps, maintaining speed, and controlling tilt.
Multiplayer: a half-hearted story
There is a VS mode for local co-op, which is a nice solution for quick couch duels, but it feels like a half-hearted solution. This is not the type of game for local co-op, and there is no online multiplayer—neither against other players nor against their ghosts, which is a missed opportunity for a game that is clearly designed for competitive short runs, especially considering that the mobile app has weekly events and community races.
Presentation and technique: functional, but lacking identity
Visually, Mad Skills looks simple, but clean and clear. The falling and flipping animations are fun for the first impression, but quickly become repetitive. The sound is minimalist, consisting of pedaling, hits, and occasional driver sighs, without any tunes that would stick in your ear or build tension during the final meters. Technically, it runs smoothly and without stuttering, but the overall impression remains "mobile," not only in production values but also in the rhythm of gameplay and system structure.
Another poorly timed jump. It's time for a reset.
BMX that doesn't ride far
The key question is profitability: on the Switch, the game costs €10, while it is free on iOS and Android. As a mobile distraction for about ten minutes while waiting for a tram or before bed, Mad Skills BMX 2 works great. However, on the Switch, where it competes with titles like Trials Rising or a series of inventive arcade indie games, this port feels too modest and short-lived.
Mad Skills BMX 2 is essentially a soft port of a mobile hit: it does what it does, but quickly shows everything it has. The lack of online features, repetitive gameplay, and mobile presentation are hard to justify at the asking price, especially when you know it’s free elsewhere. If you really want to try it, a mobile phone is a better solution.
A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the publisher Ultimate Games
