HYPERyuki at first glance looks like a classic snowboard game, but it only takes a few seconds of gameplay to realize that the developers did not attempt to create a snowboarding simulation. The focus is on speed, tricks, and the feeling of complete control as you race down the mountain performing crazy combinations of jumps and rotations.
What immediately stands out is the visual style. Cel-shaded graphics, neon colors, and extremely colorful locations give the game almost a mix of SSX and Jet Set Radio.
According to first impressions, the controls feel very intuitive. Speed is built up through a boost system, while tricks are performed by combining jumps and rotations. As with old snowboard classics, landing is also important. If you don't finish a trick properly, you'll end up in the snow and very likely lose a few positions in the race.
The biggest asset of the game so far seems to be the feeling of speed and freedom. Racing down the track at full boost, constantly performing tricks and competing with other players, feels like one of those games that is easy to learn but hard to stop playing.
Of course, it's too early for final conclusions, but the first impression is very positive, there are a few bugs that made me have to ALT+F4, but considering the game is still in development, this is negligible.
If you grew up with SSX or are simply looking for a fast and stylized arcade sports game, HYPERyuki could be one of the more interesting indie projects worth following.
HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate Steam page
