Having enjoyed my fair share of racing games, Ride 6 offered me a fresh perspective on the world of bike racing, with a steep yet satisfying learning curve that makes the journey worthwhile if you're willing to put in the time to master its gameplay.
Coming with no background, having played little to nothing of the series before, Ride 6 offers a wealth of tools to help brand-new players ease into its many systems. The biggest one is a unique game experience titled Arcade, which eases on some of Ride's more demanding mechanics, allowing you to control your bike more effortlessly and grasp core concepts more quickly, making it much easier to jump into the fun.
That being said, the more you learn about Ride's system, the more you'll realize that playing Arcade is a hindrance in many ways, more notably how it essentially automates core mechanics, robbing you of the exciting process that is actually learning and conquering the steep learning curve (no pun intended) the game has. It makes taking turns much easier, for example, but you're at the mercy of your predetermined settings, making it difficult to optimize your driving during a race fully.
It is, at its core, a racing sim, so even if you have a background in other kinds of racing games, learning how to take curves, how each type of bike feels to control, and how to optimize your bike setup best are part of what makes Ride 6 fun.
Luckily, there's an extensive and very intuitive tutorial mode: the Bridgestone Ride School, an in-depth breakdown of how to properly engage with the game at a foundational level, teaching from the basics like setting up turns, how to use the electronics management tools, to more type-specific tutorials like how to properly balance yourself while jumping using dirt bikes.
Now, fair warning, this isn't your typical jump into a tutorial and be done with it in 15 minutes affair: Ride 6 is tough to master, requiring some proper commitment if you want to fully make the switch from Arcade to Pro. That being said, you can alleviate the process by tinkering with individual settings when choosing your preferred game experience. You can set the braking to be automatic, which will allow you to explore new tracks before you learn the optimal ways to take turns in them, have an ideal trajectory display that serves as a guide throughout each track, set the transmission to semi-automatic so you don't have to worry about manually shifting gears, and more.
One particular feature I found myself constantly disabling was collisions. It's a frustrating yet constant issue each time you start a new race that the AI just completely disregards your presence. At points, it almost looks like it's intentionally programmed to ram into you and steer you away from the track, or outright make you crash. Luckily, there are various options at your disposal, including the Dynamic collisions, which keep them on but only those that won't lead to crashes.
As for the modes available in the game, beyond the standard quick modes like single races, time trials, and endurance races, you'll spend the majority of your time in Career Mode. While the aesthetic is reminiscent of Forza Horizon, with a big, EDM-filled racing festival adorning the menus, Ride 6 is not an open world. Instead, you'll be presented with a grid, each filled with events tied to a specific bike type.
For instance, early on, you can partake in the Scooter Maniacs events, which, as the name implies, feature Maxi Scooters. Each type of event has a main and a bonus objective, with both granting stars called Fame Points. By increasing your Fame, you'll gain access to more and more events. The bonus objectives are a neat way to not have your progression tied to how well you perform, but it's always in your best interest to have a top placement.
Ride has a total of 39 tracks as its base offering, with more coming down the line via DLC. The variety in display is pretty wide, with standard circuits and off-road courses that come with up to three very distinct variants. So while the initial number might not seem as high, there are plenty of ways to mix things up when setting up a race, especially considering you get to choose from various iconic courses, such as Le Mans, for instance.
You can compete using rental bikes; however, to make the most out of your progression, you'll need to invest in your own gear, with Ride offering a regular standard market filled with the most recognizable brands. brands in the world, including Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha. There's another option, the Used Bikes section, which lets you get specific ones at a discounted price, with the catalog changing every few days.
Customization is just okay. You can purchase new parts for your bike, but rather than feeling like an intricate system where you weigh the pros and cons of each new piece, it's all very simplistic: the more expensive the piece, the better the bike will perform. That's the extent of it.
The game is a looker, and it definitely makes the most out of the switch to Unreal Engine 5. Pretty vistas with stunning backdrops like Japan's Mount Fuji, the Swiss Alps, or the French Riviera offer a nice assortment of locales to enjoy while you gear up to set up a perfect turn while trying to avoid a barrage of kamikaze drivers.
Ride 6 is a must-try for bike enthusiasts, but even if you're marginally interested in racing sims, it could be a nice palette cleanser while you wait for more arcade-like experiences such as Forza Horizon 6.
A review copy was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review
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