Trials Frontier adds meta game with quest lines and crafting

Trials Frontier — the mobile iteration of Redlynx's Trials series — will include the hardcore bike tracks that fans love, as well as crafting and quest lines that will appeal to a broader audience, according to lead designer Justin Swan.

Swan told Polygon that Redlynx wanted to take everything that was good about the console version and bring it to mobile, while also looking at what they could do differently to expand the series' user base.

"We looked at all the games that were already out there on the app store, and there are a ton of 2D physics racers out there, but none of them were even close to or even shadows of what it is to play Trials HD or Trials Evolution on the Xbox," Swan said. "So we were really all about making the very best 2D physics racing experience on a device — that was the core goal.

"Then we asked, what can do we do on mobile that's different and also expands the user base? How can we make it so that it's more than just a game for the hardcore players that are playing Trials HD and Evo? So we came up with all the meta stuff."

In Trials Frontier, players will have the option of ignoring the meta game and just focusing on getting platinum medals on tracks and topping the leader boards, or engaging in a meta game that allows them to collect and craft items, improve their engines and upgrade their bike.

Where other Trials games don't have a storyline, Frontier revolves around the player arriving at a village, helping the villagers out by performing quests and missions for them and chasing after a villain. The game will have different quest lines, all of which revolve around the player driving through tracks similar to those in Trials HD and Trials Evolution.

The bike is controlled using on-screen buttons, with the left and right buttons in the right corner of the screen, and left and right tilting buttons to the left corner of the screen.

Grid View

"We thought about using tilt controls, because when you're trying to appeal to a mass market, maybe tilt is a good idea," Swan said. "But for us, it didn't match up with the really high-level precision required in Trials. If you've played any tilt game, you know it can be really washy and soft, so that didn't work for us."

According to Swan, the game has something for new players and existing fans of the series, and players will be able to choose what they wish to focus on.

"There are a lot of people who are into Trials, but they're not so much into competing with their friends on the leader board," he said. "Those features are all still in there, but if you're not super into that, you can still have your story and do flips instead."